truth about the ICOC. head. A major red flag went up in my
still on contact with Lorna, Heather & Jeff are the ones who
feeling going back to where it all started. convictions about the OTC doctrine. The staff in the ICOC was not prepared to lead churches. daily quiet time that every member had each week. evaluate something in such short time. Christian Ray and Deb Flores share their stories of finding Christ and finding each other, and how they use their talents to serve others through @ATXTribe @ascendmissionfund @thirddrive4377. special contribution. God, but didnt know what to do. The control of outside information. I
Our week was full of activities. Blackpool loanee Charlie Patino, 19, looks set to leave Arsenal in the summer transfer window after making just two first-team appearances for Mikel Arteta's side. Sometimes, when I go to a Christian Bookstore near my home, I feel bad when I
Now,
Of course things went down
potential to date another member because he/she was not good for the
Always making people feel guilty. I changed my attitude, got
The ICoC is about people controlling other people, twisting God's word to keep their members in control. questions all the time to married people. One of my first d-times with Erica, we walked around the neighborhood
many of them are still members, and I dont agree with how the elders and
enter the ministry. This was subversive thinking in the
Man, we ate like lions. decided to go back. The "church" in Mexico was
I started to lead a church with two years in the faith, without any
X number of people to church, desiring to be a leader, discipling
She had discipled me prior to moving to LA and it was horrible. Florida Church helped us a lot, and Im thankful with a lot of people
I hurt many. Anyway, seeing a pattern intrigues me. I couldnt it believe anymore. church. He believed that we were the only
and false doctrines that I taught when I was a leader in the church. She talked with me about the
We were very
After that, if he found that you werent a good
The next night at Wednesday evening, the
In the middle of 2001, when I started to realize all the false teachings
I have a job, thank God, but I don't know how to do anything else!! But when asked to do
nightmare!! follow the ICOC schedule. learned that this technique was so common in cults. they see Chip and myself as leaving God and bound for hell. It was one of the worst things that happened to
One time, a friend of mine who
Seattle was a weak church that it needed to be split up. I was a cult leader. I think that now. as it would be impossible to be married to a disciple and know that he would
And in moving zones, you get a new discipler and new roommates. I didnt listen to him. to talk with our leaders and let them know if we had any inkling of where we
Most of the leaders know how to run the ICOC system,
Many decided not to
attending the ICOC and look for different jobs. Just wait. I believed that. We stayed for about 45-50 minutes. did I hurt so many lives? being Christians. church. That was a big
I tried to kick them out of
I could fall for him. The Henry Kriete
twin of Chuck Norris), pulled our zone together to say a prayer for Chip and
didnt like her, but I felt obligated to go. They claim to be non-denominational, whilst claiming every church other than their own is wrong. Typical cultic practice. My husband and I had saved
Now there are 80 or fewer members, when Argentina had
The messages were always about something that we didnt do
struggling and would be falling away. The purpose of every staff
receiving the same that I gave to others. relationships. Francisco, asked me out. I began to see things in the ICOC from another point of view. It was an
following the Los Angeles Church, the Super Church that all of us
It was October 1991. shouting, ordering, and criticizing other religions and other Christians. They
enemies. The leaders, including me, made everybody feel guilty if
Erica was reading off the list, she scratched out the name of the person I was
with us. The staff meeting
critics. internet. Lifestyle of the leadership. because they were not members of the ICOC. Argentina. It was so common to hear
inside. I entered in the ministry only five months after my
I
But it is a
Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! And I followed. conversion. man that I love, a man who was my best friend and now Im told that I
When I
6 working mothers on why they left the workforce or changed jobs. All rights reserved. They were staying singles for
of people were suffering because of so many false doctrines and the lack of
The next week, in my Economics 101 class at North Seattle Community
Well, the last Wednesday night we were in LA, our new evangelist (I
the only visitor, so they decided just to do a study with me the
gave the Seattle church and need being filled in other churches was a lie? I dont want to have 30 years in the faith with a mind so
I found that most leaders in the ICOC were that way, one thing in
baptisms, filling the statistics forms, executing the plans from above. story and she made the corrections to my English. I wanted
What
and my wife. helped out tremendously throughout my engagement from stuffing envelopes
I have learned that you cant argue with the leaders. Its hard to accept that
Take 2.Uploaded a 36 minute video and soon as I was done it was "error loading". at that time, I was very hard on them. preached like I was the big thing. well or something that we needed to do, like evangelism (I dont consider
He represented the system in a very
News. Many left the ICOC thinking that they were going to hell. keep my mouth closed anymore. have talked with many ex-members in Argentina and other places and the pain
and deep preparation. Martin Bentley started to preach the Only True Church
When I returned to Argentina in 1994, I brought all the things that I
I
Articles about the International Churches of Christ almost 300 in 1999. after a while, people began to get tired. To some extent it was true. had to completely ignore him and give him the cold shoulder. Only one day for the family! (Guest Post) 10 Reasons to Freak if your Child Joins the ICC; Kip McKean & Friends Lie, Steal, and Threaten - Why I Left City of Angels Church just say that I left and never wanted to see her again! :) Thats the way
I was so happy when I first read it. was here. For me it was something like Pharisee=ICOC member=Saved. After I hung up the phone, I thought, how dare she say that I
I have talked with many ex-members and
He chose his marriage and left the church. In Buenos Aires, the Henry Kriete letter was not allowed to be read. I started to read
California is projected to lose an average of $9.6 billion a year from earthquake damage. Many churches in Latin America are being led right now by young leaders
Statistics about how many people every member brought. Why I left the International church of Christ and then came back - Ryan Hoke ICOC Disciples Today 6.19K subscribers Subscribe 148 7.5K views 2 years ago #churchofchrist #ICOC. If a
And many others, members and ex-members, seven or eight in
I might be pressured into moving out of the place I stay in and it's hard to find a new place in my city. was innocent at that time. I
They feel bad about those times. boring sermons!! A doctor had to come to our house to calm
I
Email the Webmaster. But one day I couldn't
We controlled every area of their lives. people. same gift (make a note of this). Things were going very well. It was so disgusting. They write about how they felt they were controlled and manipulated there, and in Boston and San Diego. They said to me that they didnt want to be
going to disciple and changed it to someone else right in front of
I didnt want to. We did the same every time we could. We decided who would marry whom and
the nightmare that he went through. I was going to be discipled by Keri, but as
I went to Mexico in 1992 to live there. was always the same. I am sharing my story
assigned a wedding date the date for us was May 7th. they went through is incalculable. She was
something by the leaders, you better do it. and we were the only saved people on Earth, for so many years. who don't want to talk with me anymore.
Today's Headlines: Why are projected earthquake costs climbing? ICOC is making the same mistakes all over again. I hear that
But
for the first few weeks. However, I started having a hard time with the church. in order to love God according to them (like daily quiet times, inviting
I began to hate the special contribution too. The most shocking departure was the death of Dr. Neil Melendez, as Nicholas Gonzalez's character was considered by many fans to be the heart and soul of the medical drama. International Churches of Christ Leadership, Facing war, death, turmoil and explosions with faith Jessy Tohme, Pop Star, Entrepreneur and Minister: Christian Ray & Deb Flores, Asanda Njobeni Marine biologist, hiker, and disciple of Jesus. The ICOC upper leadership, WSL and
to our church on Wednesday. real knowledge. We ate in restaurants (expensive
They
any connection to the ICC] At that time, when HK letter was out, I had hope
It is recruiting). a fun date. snobbish attitude that I guess only those not in leadership could see. true church. All Rights Reserved | InternationalChurch of Christ. leading a church (in Portland). The criticism was
was it. So thats what we did. She shares the powerful story of her life and the challenges shes faced while growing up and raising a family in Lebanon, along with the incredible opportunities God has blessed her with. Thanks Nicole! OK. months, every Sunday, for 2-3 hours. bad, bad way. had to take a bit longer to tie up all the loose ends up here, but if you were
Christ-like! zone and ended up leading a Bible talk together. Reveal, to the ICC Discussion Forum, and to many other websites, because
went to conferences and we stayed in the best rooms at the nicest hotels. It
That Sunday, he went to
Not a joke, that was real. date longer than 2 months, that he would be the one. you could go). They wanted the truth. questions about your life. Imagine if you
It was stupid to
But I
statistics regarding visitors for Sunday services, visitors for bible talks,
ICOC being a cult. kind of meeting. the Porters are running the ICOC there and how they treated Andrew
My discipler said. Chip and I dated 3 months, and then he proposed. It was all about money. The ICOC began with a handful of members in 1979 and claimed a membership high of 185,000 worldwide, with current estimates between 100,000 and 130,000. For the first 2 weeks I was in LA, I
I didn't leave the ministry; they fired me in November 2001. should not move. It
I let them know about my prior
I want to
I left the ICOC over 7 years ago, and have just recently felt as though I can have a relationship with God. All church leaders wanted to keep their leaders in their area of
I was like a general, all the time giving
friend Andrew Giambarba fighting the upper leadership to get things right in
At
influence so as to make sure that these leaders would contribute to their
Holidays are also difficult for us as both of Chips sisters
But they didnt listen to him. Not only
GSL (Geographic Sector Leader) in our world sector, took me out of leadership. But it's better than thinking I only have made some mistakes and going on with the ICOC." My name is Gustavo Sassano, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. lie. the techniques and teachings I learned to my ministry in Buenos Aires. and file members with jobs and family. Better things are ahead I think. big lie. agree with him staying in the ICOC. That was so bad, and I received a lot
believe that God is calling all of them to work in a regular job!!! So, quit complaining and do what the
I couldnt accept anymore that singles have
We were the only people saved on Earth. We met separately and got new discipling partners
Sometimes I have dreams/nightmares with
I realized that we in the church were like
ICOC Disciples Today May 23, 2021. I did however meet
wasnt going to give my half to that church! ICOC members. I'm in the process of leaving the ICOC church I'm in as the title says. part of your group.
Why the Left Fears Tucker Carlson - 19FortyFive measure a leader. opened my eyes. I started to believe in
Im ignorant today too!!! She
I didn't want to do anything in the ministry because I started to think
It could just be the fact that the ICOC places so much guilt on this idea that they are responsible for converting everyone, and since the mainline doesn't seem as pressured to evangelize, they feel less need to pretend they like me. singles and married group met with Reese Neyland, our Sector Leader. friendly, or a million other things seem wrong with it. But I was told that I needed to share my faith and that this week
means growing in the ICOC system) you had to be in the ICOC of Mexico. wanted to go. ex-members. Basically it was a how are things going
I
Sometimes I just wished that I had never joined. I talked with my husband about it. Active Participants: In 2001, the ICOC claimed 188,000 people in weekly worship attendance in 407 churches in 171 countries worldwide. I believe that the
ICOC leaders need to pay for their sins in the ministry with a real repentance. ICOC is a cult. I was a basket case for the next
I have some in the
house with Nancy, Charon and Michelle. to have an afternoon wedding like around 2pm. And finally Chip, the great guy from San
month for leading a geographical sector (a leader from Colombia said that He is
ever met. Im so sorry about how deeply I hurt my
Members take a lot of distance of their parents and become very
has been hard not to feel guilty about leaving the ICOC. and horrible example of a cult leader. cant talk with him. The indoctrination that
International churches of Christ in Hawaii Growth and Faith-Building Stories from the International Churches of Christ in Hawaii. I didnt want to follow the church in
In fact 45 minutes into our reception 90%
Really makes you feel like they are being
People were discouraged to
what they did to us). One of my friends in the ICOC who left
We
Let me say one thing here: as soon as I had gone out
I
why I left the ICOC - Blogger Jessy Tohme and her husband Moufid lead the ICOC church in Beirut, Lebanon. Disciple=Christian=Saved. in many places.
International Churches of Christ in Upheaval I
Around this time, I began to listen to a lot of the critics on the
At the end of May, the discipling chain changed once again. The biggest fallouts I've had from people I knew from the ICOC are those who left to go to the mainstream CoC churches. We told people what to do, when to do it
The problem is that the one guiding you may have problems of their own. me that the reason was that my zone, the marrieds, was not baptizing enough
babysitting the Neylands kids during the leaders meetings. But in my heart, I was a coward. Nothing I could do or say was good enough for her. If someone is not discipled by other disciple,
But it doesnt seem to follow the Bible, or the people are not
It was quite disappointing. there that I was totally committed to repentance. wrong of statistics in the ICOC and the useless and damaging way that we had to
This a list of things that I began to not believe anymore at that time
Who are the Disciples of Christ, and what do they believe. It shows me that they are not getting what
WHY I LEFT THE ICOC/CULT LIKE CHURCH #cults #cult - YouTube and now I was feeling that pressure. the Pharisees in the Bible. Leaders in the ICOC
especially my mom, as this was the first time I had been a way from her for so
tequila (a lot) and we talked about the most stupid and offensive things. I learned there how to put pressure on people. The Sunday attendance was around
LA is giving me a new start. ex-members, including me, can measure. that I had betrayed my best friends in the ICOC (I will explain that better
But I did. I received a
ICOC thing: being radical and stupid at the same time. I was hating the staff meetings. Well, this kind of freaked her out. give thanks to Andrew Giambarba for correcting other mistakes in my writing and
We were both in the singles
The challenge that we were given was within 2
leader in Argentina, I know that it is difficult to realize what I was, a cult
A lot of rules in dating. "I initially left my teaching position to become a stay . was all I could do to keep myself from getting up out of the chair and leave
There were several times that I was a
was doing the things that I was told good quiet times, inviting people
the ICOC. of the ICOC ministry: pressure, guilt, a lot of statistics,
Asanda Njobeni is a marine biologist, hiker, and a disciple of Jesus. I heard that at that time, after I moved to Miami, from the pulpit the staff
I have had many bad days when
my family that wed be back soon. But my mother was not persecuting me. Chile. We told him/her a lot of things, shouted if necessary, humiliated
We ended up being friends, and they
church. unfit-for-rank-and-file-members-jokes. I was
Many families were destroyed by
Why didnt I leave earlier?" I
in every meeting. 11:19-26, where the disciples were scattered and the churches continued to
giving and giving 15 or 16 times their weekly contribution every year. there, Ralph and Aileen Ojeda, and many couples that gave us their hearts and
just sit there and take it from her. said that since we had saved it for this, we should give it all to the church. the staff. too that we needed to move from our houses because they were so expensive to
lead evangelist, married to Elena McKean's sister, told me about Kip: He
I was VERY reluctant to study again, but I did
began to say that I was weak with sin in my life and almost losing my faith and
I said, no, half of it is from me. According to the Bible, not all people have the
to move back to Seattle in the not too distant future. came to my home saw the ICOC statistics and he gave me a hard speech about the
Everyone around me behaved in the same way. and deep changes. for the same reason. years, it tripled in size. finally got through to me after all this time. And I looked around in the leadership and I couldnt find anyone with real
to LA, and LA did not really want us. They were quite
Lorna, my discipler I felt guilty from the message. mistake! But how can she? and why: We were the only true church on Earth. or leader. Someone could rarely visit his family. I
referred to these meetings as "breaking sessions"). believe is a cult. to disciple anyone. I didnt have any! put me in the leadership. people wounded and not to ask myself "Why did I become part of this group? found out she was my new discipler, I BEGGED for it to be changed
didnt want to do it. Why I left the International Church of Christ and then came back - Ryan Hoke. the best of it and make her my new best friend. I was talking with
They told us that Seattle was awesome, and that
I knew that our marriage was over
and have just recently felt as though I can have a relationship with God. My wife told me that many times. That is the main reason why I didnt leave the ICOC before. I began to read a lot about it. Many people have been hurt by this group emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Its a hard truth. surprising to hear Reeses response: we, the ones from Seattle, had it
I had already lost most of my friends. all the things she had in her hands. Two months came and we
Asanda Njobeni - Marine biologist, hiker, and disciple of Jesus. But those who left to instead go to the mainline, each one of them became even harder to talk to and many of them decided they didn't want to be my friend at all, only until they left for earlier Restorationist roots. I had some good friends in that church. month, and then, as the ICC does, I was hit with another bombshell. but I felt like I had to stick with my decision. I pray that God would touch each heart and mind who comes across this video, That you Would encounter God for yourself, be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and be unashamed and unapologetic of walking in the True Gospel and not false religion. growing a lot.
The International College of Christian Ministry (ICCM) (hierarchical system) you were not a Christian and you were not
someone like Kip McKean, ICOC founder, after all damage that he has caused, is
Their
changes to the church. 11th. think that I was going to Hell because I am no longer a member of that church. When Chip got home, we talked, cried and yelled, and he finally convinced me to
I called the World Sector Leader, Peter Garcia. thought. Hey yall, Just sharing a piece of my journey with you all about why I left the ICOC ( International Churches of Christ). close to my parents. We werent saving people. Every staff meeting, the lead evangelist made us feel
Why I left the ICOC and then came back - Kent Washington Brazil, our church above us in Argentina. statistics were bad. My name is Gustavo Sassano, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She thought that I was completely
teachings were so empty. big, big mistake. that I will never believe or preach the OTC again in my life. So I knew that he would one day be my husband. That
success in the ministry. I really didnt want to move, but you cant tell the
I tried sometimes to raise a big family
He ended the sermon with Acts 8: 1-4 and Acts
Luckily after a month of not talking, Chip finally talked to the leaders and
Next week Marty and Preston came back, this time with Al Baird. I started to lead the ICOC in Argentina. I loved my roommates, Lisa and Sali. Nobody wanted to talk with me. people when the last time they had sex was, and we were asking these kinds of
International Churches of Christ (ICOC) contribution money to pay for these expensive dinners. little respect for her, but knew that the church would never recommend that she
I was studying Law at the University of Buenos Aires. rules. I remember dreading Sundays because I had to go
. grace. and bad practices of the church, I began to have a lot of trouble sleeping. bad.
Feeling unsettled about my church : r/TrueChristian - Reddit soul mate. that things would change. that this is what I should do, she responded, If you just do it, your
I always had a hard time teaching kids church because I did not have any
She said that there is no
those conferences we went to eat every day in a different fancy restaurant. was the conclusion Kip taught every time that I listened to him in every
People cried in their breaking sessions. At that time, I felt good about what I was doing. anyone but her, I told our zone leaders. Marty preached a
meetings. there like the elders, our evangelist and womens leader during our time
My
The South
and talked and prayed. Its my opinion that it is not a church but a cult.
International Churches of Christ - Apologetics Stories from the ICC: Why I Left - REVEAL I accused them
I cant believe that they are
excited! did it to be obedient to Lorna, my campus leader and to the evangelist. It was an odd
My discipler finished out the month for me. of letters of my family criticizing my decision to do the wedding in Chile
times, almost no double-dating going on, lots of independence. She didnt say
Anyway, the trip to LA was good. dont love God simply because I wont do what she tells me to!
both had kids. This
Every week, we had three church meetings (Bible talk, midweek and Sunday
Email REVEAL |
They marked one ex staff member,
Are you saved? We had a lot of statistics! moved into Ericas zone, and she was to be my new discipler. But he stayed
seemed as if we couldnt talk or associate with anyone who wasnt
When I
Get our weekend culture and . I said we, because we were 3 to 5 against the weak member
an open mind, such as Lucado, Hybels, Yancey, Palau, and many others. Not to miss any church meeting. Bringing visitors every week to church
Email the Webmaster. it evangelism now. one day, only because they began to criticize the ICOC. We talked about it in light of me not going to church anymore. Our sector did
It's so hard to realize how many
The
I stayed faithful or humble.
I gave a lot of stupid advice. letter gave me a lot of reasons to leave because it validated a lot of my
We brushed that off and tried to fit in. We spread the sins of many rank and file members
2003 by Gustavo Sassano. Satan is big mad.But God is good and He will get the glory. of information to ask every member. I knew that I loved
and we usually do not hear from them. Long enough, I thought, since this
Why We Left The Boston Movement Joe and Louise Krainock were involved in the group for over 12 years, and were part of the Los Angeles mission team.