Thomas Wayne McKean II (born May 31, 1954) (aka Kip) is a former minister of the International Churches of Christ, and is a current minister of the City of Angels International Christian Church and World Missions Evangelist of the International Christian Churches, also known as the "Portland/Sold-Out Discipling Movement".^[1]

The son of a US Navy Admiral, McKean was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.^[2] McKean married Havana-born Elena Garcia-Bengochea on December 11, 1976. She is presently a Women's’ Ministry Leader in the City of Angels International Christian Church. They have three children, Olivia, Sean and Eric.

McKean was baptized in 1972 while a freshman at the University of Florida in Gainesville. His mentor, Charles H. "Chuck" Lucas, was the evangelist of the 14th Street Church of Christ at the time. The church soon moved into a larger building with a new name- The Crossroads Church of Christ. There, through an evangelistic program Chuck Lucas had pioneered, they rapidly won many converts, the beginnings of what later became known as, "The Crossroads Movement", a campus-based cult largely within established Churches of Christ enjoying close proximity to college campuses- of largely the Southern Conference, Big Ten, or Ivy League schools in the United States.

McKean moved from Gainesville, FL, in 1975, to become campus minister for Northeastern Christian College, near Philadelphia, PA, as part of a campus ministry program known as, "Campus Advance".  
 In 1976, --[3] McKean was hired along with Marty Fuqua,(also from Crossroads), as campus ministers for The Heritage Chapel Church of Christ, that adjoined the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL., largely through funding from members of a mainstream Church of Christ located in Houston, TX 
  It was in Charleston, in 1977, that the Houston Church unexpectedly cut off funding, nearly putting to a timely stop, (at least for the moment), what had become suspiciously seen by mainstream Churches of Christ to be dubious and abusive practices of evangelizing on the parts of Marty and Kip. 

Leaving Fuqua to carry on at Heritage Chapel, McKean then, in 1979, moved to Boston, MA, to become evangelist for the Lexington (Massachusetts) Church of Christ,  further carrying on Lucas' brand of church ministry focusing on evangelism campus ministry- in a university area of the country known for its top schools, including: Harvard, Tufts, and MIT. The Lexington church, too, grew very rapidly, and soon changed its name to the Boston Church of Christ, eventually holding Sunday services at Boston Gardens. 
The Boston Church of Christ,(BCC), expanded its reputation and influence amongst Churches of Christ, to become known in time as, "The Boston Movement", remaining in the Churches of Christ for a time, in order to prove themselves mentors to the longer, (and much more slowly established), Church of Christ members, showing them by example how to grow numerically and globally.

  Meanwhile, at Crossroads in Gainesville, Chuck Lucas, then still the minister at the original church, felt that he deserved more respect and credit for pioneering all the campus ministry techniques that Kip and Marty were carrying on at Charleston and Boston, and understandably what got them started in the first place.  
 By the mid 1980s, things came to a head, and then a power struggle ensued between the Boston and Crossroads Movements.  Lucas wanted to rein in and maintain full control, but McKean did not want to share power, nor relinquish any to Lucas.  Finally, and in a very untimely manner, (after 25 years of not saying anything, that is), Kip then exposed Lucas as a closet Homosexual. 
  Lucas was soon put out to pasture as minister to a very small mainstream Church of Christ in Georgia, and thereafter, Kip took absolute control of both movements, to later become the International Churches of Christ, (ICOC).

Many, if not all, of the campus ministry techniques pioneered by Chuck Lucas at Crossroads Church of Christ, in Gainesville, were later adopted by the Boston Movement, (and later, too, by the ICOC), involving: the assigning of each new convert with a, "Prayer Partner", (e.g. spy); daily Bible studies known as, "Quiet Times"; holding campus meetings in church basements on Friday nights known as, "Devo", or Devotionals; "Love bombing"- e.g. the holding out of a promise of future physical attraction to prospective converts of the opposite sex, (or, in the case of Lucas, the same sex); as well Bible studies known as, "Soul Talks", held in dorm rooms or apartments on campus on other days of the week, largely to trawl for new converts, but as well- to give every member a much fuller schedule with even more responsibilities, all of which were designed to keep them too busy for the real world, and mostly moderated by fellow student converts, many of whom were only a little bit more established than the ones that they were willing to look out for: e.g. the, "Baby Christians"- or new converts. 

All of above said evangelical practices were increasingly being frowned upon by the mainstream Churches of Christ: the body of Elders, as well many of the more august mainstream Church of Christ members. Finally, by late 1981/early 1982, The Churches of Christ had decided, 'enough was enough', whereupon all the above evangelical techniques- largely attributed to the Crossroads Movement only, (rather than Boston), were then officially identified as illegal practices no longer allowed to go on within the established order of the Churches of Christ. At that point, (late in October 1981), this decision was even unanimously preached against upon every Church of Christ pulpit, by all mainstream ministers, on the same day, resulting in a minor shakeup.

After the 1981 mini split, various Crossroads and Boston Movement devotees continued for a time within Churches of Christ, albeit increasingly alienating themselves from the mainstream, with some Churches of Christ more sympathetically receptive to them than others.  
 Finally, by the mid 1980s, with Chuck Lucas completely out of the way, Kip McKean took control of both the Boston and Crossroads Movements, officially splitting from the Boston Movement and mainstream Churches of Christ, to become the International Church of Christ, or ICOC.

 In 1990, the McKeans moved to Los Angeles to lead the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, where they presided through the 1990s.[4]

In early 2001, as a college student in Boston, Olivia McKean, the eldest of the McKeans’ children, began to question her faith.   She eventually quit, or, "fell-away"- ultimately spreading uncertainty throughout the church, especially regarding the quality of McKeans’ leadership, amongst other leaders in the church vying for control. Since Kip had always profiled his children as shining examples to all other Christians, he was heavily criticized for this.

The pressure built, then finally, in September 2001, the McKeans agreed to take a sabbatical. During that time even more contempt built up within the church towards McKean's leadership style and approach to his ministry. So then, in 2002, at the Global Unity Conference Kip and Elena were further voted down then removed from the ministry by the Central Leadership Council.
  It was only then that Kip began to see "the severity of his unrecognized sins". The reasoning was that McKean always taught emphatically that to, “oversee”, a church, one had to, “manage his own family [well, or] how can he take care of God’s church.” (1 Timothy 3:4-5; Proverbs 22:6). McKean was then challenged to abide by the same standards that he had long used to remove many others from full-time ministry. The McKeans were at first hurt by what they felt was a lack of grace and appreciation, but later came to understand God's purpose and plan as sovereign for their lives. (Hebrews 12:7).

In 2003 Kip and Elena were invited to lead the Portland ICOC, since its membership was about 300 members. Under the McKean leadership, attendance was nearing 600 and 400 in membership. During that time the Portland ICOC was the fastest growing congregation in the ICOC. Despite criticism that the number of people who have left McKean's churches continued to exceed those joining, the Portland church continued to grow through not only baptisms but also, "remnant disciples", (a term used for existing members moving in from other ICOC congregations). Soon thereafter, Chris and Theresa Broom decided to ask their Syracuse congregation to join McKean. Then, in 2006, the Brooms decided to plant a Chicago ICC. That mission team joined a smaller group already there. Afterward, a 14 member mission team from Chicago, led by Matt and Helen Sullivan, then went to Phoenix, Arizona to start another ICC.

Since 2006, the congregations under Kip McKean's leadership have been called the International Christian Churches.^[5] In 2007, McKean moved to Los Angeles to lead a congregation of this new movement known as the City of Angels International Christian Church.^[6]The International Christian Church now has 40 congregations in 20 nations,^[7] 2,700 in membership, and weekly attendance at 4,000.^[8] Although the International Church of Christ and the International Christian Church share almost identical doctrines and practices in ministry, the divisive issues continue to revolve around McKean's conviction that only those who share the convictions of the first century church and great commission, (Matthew 28:18-20), are true Disciples of Christ.

 The reality is that the ICOC also believes in the same things, except for the sins of pride and arrogance that ultimately led to Kip's removal from the church. Both churches continue to operate, worship, and evangelize in an incredibly similar way, but their differences in conviction continue to separate them, as well from other Christian denominations. 
 Kip's stated examples of differences in convictions include statements that those who are members of other Christian denominations, because they don't follow Jesus' commands completely, thus are lost and not true Christians; although Kip has also stated that it is possible for those outside of the ICC to be saved, but very unlikely.[9]

Kip McKean writes numerous articles that are posted on the UpSideDown21 website which are likewise on the City of Angels Bulletin. McKean also has written a short book entitled Go Make Disciples: The Dream, he has also written the very well known and controversial First Principles Study Series,which states and explains the main beliefs of the ICC, and the less known Second Principles: Survey of the Old Testament.

 Controversy surrounding McKean originally started as early as 1977, when funding from the Houston Memorial Church of Christ was withdrawn from the Heritage Chapel Church of Christ at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston. That funding was used to support McKean as a campus minister.  Throughout the 1980s and 90s, many colleges and universities eventually banned McKean's groups. In 2003, a letter written by a minister of the ICOC further questioned McKean's methods. 

Kip McKean's doctrine and practices continue to be the subject of controversy, no doubt due to his firm convictions that only through the efforts of true discipleship of the ICC, or churches harboring exactly those same convictions, will God ever ultimately evangelize the world.

• International Christian Churches
• Churches of Christ
• International Churches of Christ
• Restoration Movement

• KipMcKean.org, Official Website of Kip McKean.
• USD21, Official Website of the Sold-Out Discipling Movement.

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