God’s faulty men.

The sad truth for those affiliated with the International Churches of Christ is members differentiate and practise Jesus by certain labels. In fact the reality cannot be missed. The ICOC has denominated.

How did it happen? The sharp disagreement between Kip and his contemporaries has divided the ICOC. Instead of Kip McKean taking one man and evangelize the world he took who ever wants to go with him. His contemporaries did the same.

Today, the pro-McKean faction (Sold-Out Discipling movement/ICC) maintains a central leadership style with Kip McKean in the position as World Missions Evangelist. The anti-McKean faction (ICOC Co-op Churches/ICOC) has no central church government but co-operate as a union while still resorting to Lead Evangelists overseeing churches.

An article entitled Autonomy? No way! Glorious co-operation between the churches by Justin Renton tries to teach his group of disciples the importance of co-operation. If members of this group act selfishly they’ve proven to be cancerous. Here the anti-McKean faction will not tolerate members breaking-away from each other as the Johnsons have done recently. Doing so would harm the body as cancer is a disease where certain cells in the body stop co-operating and start acting selfishly. They encourage other cells to do the same and very soon a tumor is formed. If that tumor is allowed to grow big enough it can kill the whole body.

Perhaps Renton’s article is designed to make a broad sweep skilfully sidestepping Kip McKean’s autonomy finger pointing issues aimed at the anti-McKean churches. Renton reminds the pro-McKean faction they have no autonomy but a glorious co-operation between the churches. They don’t act selfishly!

Arthur was convinced Kip showed some signs of improvement with the encouragement of Steve and Lisa Johnson but only for a little while before he reverted back to slandering other churches not under his direction. In this light, Douglas Arthur identifies McKean as a dangerous cancer cell. Was it solely Kip’s selfish actions that led to the Johnsons radical decision to depart?

Surely Kip is at fault, but not entirely by himself.

A steady stream of well-wishers from the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) are crossing over the previously impregnable threshold of the Portland International Church of Christ. This all made possible since Steve Johnson and a few elders broke-away in August 2008 from the Sold-Out Discipling movement. Now the majority so-called sold-out baptised disciples of Portland, Oregon have slip back by giving up their unique status being led under the guidance of Kip McKean’s central leadership structure.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this extraordinary event is Kip McKean’s inactive response compare to drastic measures taken in the past. McKean Clearing Up The Confusion article stated: Recently, Steve Johnson and the remaining elders in Portland, Oregon, stated their autonomy and desire to, “Have no man as a leader over them.” Sadly, with these decisions, they have separated themselves from the Sold-out Discipling Movement. Yet, we wish them well.

The Portland leadership actions were not compared to Korah, being filled with bitterness and selfish ambition, deceived the entire congregation and caused many to lose their faith and turn away from God.

Surely in the former era the Johnson’s rebellious behaviour typifies those who oppose and grumble against God’s leaders and divide God’s church. Why is McKean not accusing them of being lost because they do not have a true faith or at least opposing God?

Now, for the moment, it seems McKean is letting no unwholesome talk come out of his mouth, while the anti-McKean movement blames McKean for being responsible for this time of extraordinary pain.

What brought on this new controversy?

In a nutshell – again Kip’s contemporaries blame his divisive leadership style and his inability to work as a team player in a brotherhood of churches.

The impressions given by Douglas Arthur’s first report, Pray for Peace in Portland portrays the conduct of the World Missions Evangelist of the Sold-Out Discipling movement in a very negative light. Almost comparing the McKeans of thief-like behaviour! Here outsiders can read in his report an inventory of pillage rather than pilgrimage to Los Angeles as the McKeans took with them when they left: A Mission contribution of over $120,000. 10 of the 12 full & part time ministry staff 42 Leaders and members of the Portland church 40 more members moved in the next 15 months to LA

McKean has commandeered many to Los Angeles and continues to do so thus robbing the Portland International Church of Christ from its best and brightest for the sake of the mission since establishing a new important beachhead in Los Angeles, since March of 2007.

Strange from this report by Arthur, Kip McKean is portrayed as a heartless missionary out of touch with his once beloved Portland church that always resembled for him a beacon of light and hope for disciples around the world. Not only did the McKeans seem to empty the pockets of the Portland church but they have stolen the joy of the struggling Portland disciples. The Portland church according to Arthur struggle to maintain the same level of faith and zeal that they had established prior to the loss of so many to Los Angeles. Rather than feel appreciation for their sacrifice, they began to receive calls from Los Angeles expressing concern about the church. Accusations of “lukewarmness” and a constant barrage of appeals to “leave Portland and move to LA” became common for members of the congregation. The elders and the Johnsons confronted Kip on this divisive behavior but it continued to escalate.

What is the reason behind McKean’s concerns and ultimately calling out a remnant from the Portland Church?

The goal of the newly found Sold-Out Discipling Movement is two fold. Firstly to remain unified and secondly to continue gathering a remnant of sold-out disciples reaching the world for Christ in a single generation.

The Johnsons and some elders of the Portland church developed a different reality. Arthur writes about the Portland leadership maintains a conviction that local congregations should be open to outside influence but ultimately the final decision making authority rests in the hands of the local leadership. Secondly, the Portland leadership insisted on extending the right hand of fellowship to anyone that they considered a brother or sister in Christ not just those in the “New Movement.” Obviously, Arthur’s conclusion is pretty insightful. These positions were unacceptable to Kip and on August 3, 2008 he announced to his closest advisors that he had decided to “Call out a Remnant” from the Portland church and that all those who have relationships with brothers and sisters in Portland should begin calling to encourage them to leave the church immediately and move to a church in the “New Movement”.

Let us notice that the ICOC Co-operational Churches or ICOC put great emphasis on McKean starting a “New Movement” whereas they maintain keeping the status quo. Arthur reports: In September 2006 Kip made a decision to break all ties with his former fellowship, the International Churches of Christ, and start his new “Sold out Disciples Movement” with its headquarters in Portland. In reality, the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is dead since decentralising in November 2002. The former ICOC has divided into two main factions since September 2005.

What was the mandate of the Portland leadership with the McKeans?

Not so long ago, early 2006, Bob Bertalot and Tony Untalan were appointed as the first elders in the history of the Portland International Church of Christ. On that historic day, the Johnsons were welcomed and were made responsible for the West region. Steve served as an Associate Lead Evangelist.

The day the McKeans left for Los Angeles the elders of the Portland congregation had nothing but praiseworthy remarks for our dear brother and sister, Kip and Elena. In their opinion from an article, McKeans To Los Angeles – April 2007 the McKeans have humbly served the Portland International Church of Christ with hard work, tears and selfless lifestyle.

Leadership in the Portland congregation knew their policy differ from the anti-McKean faction. Nonetheless, leadership and the congregation shared a conviction God has begun a new movement of sold-out disciples whose motivating vision is the envangelization of the nations in this generation!

Here the elders and more noteworthy the Bertalots dispels all doubt others may share today about the McKeans mandate.

Firstly. As elders we want to commend Kip for all his tireless efforts to revive God’s worldwide discipling movement. Kip’s continual pursuit to fulfil Jesus’ dream to plant churches of sold-out disciples in every nation in the face of tremendous opposition and criticism is inspiring!

Secondly. We believe that it is God who raises up those in leadership. A person is simply recognized for what one is already doing. Therefore because the scope of Kip’s mission work is worldwide, it is our conviction, as well as Steve Johnson’s and the other leaders in the Portland Family of Churches, that God’s Spirit has raised Kip up to be the World Missions Evangelist for our new movement. The inaugural article, Welcome Home by Kip McKean implicate Steve Johnson by name for encouraging Kip to start again! Then this past year after most ICOC leaders rejected and opposed our efforts to call out a remnant to revive the ICOC, God put on the hearts of my dear brother Steve Johnson and many others to urge me to begin again. So last fall we officially initiated the new Portland Discipling Movement or as some would call us, the “Sold-out Movement.”

Thirdly. Through much discussion and prayer we believe the Spirit has chosen this time to send the McKeans to Los Angeles, California. In April, the McKeans along with a 40-member mission team will join the now 23 Christians of the Los Angeles International Christian Church.

Fourthly. During these early years of God’s new movement, all of the Portland Family of Churches will work together pooling our resources of disciples, money and prayers to send mission teams to the major metropolitan cities of the world.

Finally. Steve and Lisa have also been instrumental in helping to guide the McKeans and the other ministers in the Portland Family of Churches to “take the high road” and not strike back at those who criticize our planting of new churches and starting a new movement.

The impressions given by Douglas Arthur second report From Chaos to Clarity: My Trip to Portland strongly indicate God is dealing with faulty men who have repented. Here Arthur thinks Bob Bertalot and the remaining Portland church elders are men of clear convictions and a strong faith in God’s sovereignty. They have guided the congregation through a storm and have emerged stronger for the experience. They are resolute about their vision for the future and their convictions about God’s church.

These elders have rallied behind a united front – a new type of fellowship according to Mike Taliaferro – We are a fellowship right now of independent, Bible-believing churches. Yes, we are going to have a man lead the movement, and that is going to be Jesus Christ. (April 1st 2004 Faithful Conversations, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.)

But then there is this one guy who made a similar statement – I will be with disciples agreeing to build a movement centred on one personality. And His name is Jesus. (2006, Kip McKean, Partners in the Gospel II, Portland International Church of Christ)

And this is how God’s faulty men carry out Jesus by certain labels.