What is the International Church of Christ (ICOC), and what do they believe?

The International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is a spin-off of the Churches of Christ; both groups are non-denominational, worldwide associations of churches and part of the Restoration movement. The ICOC, officially formed in 1993, currently has a network of over 700 non-denominational churches in about 150 countries. Some of the ICOC’s distinctive beliefs were modified around the turn of the twenty-first century in response to criticism*.

The International Churches of Christ goes by other names, as well: the Boston Movement, the Discipling Movement, the Crossroads Movement, and Multiplying Ministries, for example. Often, the city in which a local assembly is located is added to the name, for example, Milwaukee Church of Christ and Sarajevo Church of Christ. The ICOC originally taught that there should only be one church per city. The current ICOC uses a regional approach of cooperation between member churches.

The International Churches of Christ has several distinctive characteristics. One is a strong emphasis on discipleship; however, “discipleship” in the ICOC can look very different from what most other churches practice. Many who left the ICOC reported “heavy shepherding” tactics. That is, they experienced high-pressure, intrusive, and abusive or spiritually manipulative tactics at the hand of the leader they were assigned to. This is one of the techniques from which the modern ICOC seeks to distance itself.

Another distinctive is that the International Churches of Christ focuses its evangelism almost exclusively on college students through campus groups such as Campus Advance, Christian Students Association, and Disciples on Campus. This fits well with the ICOC’s preferred method of “love-bombing”—suddenly and purposefully surrounding a person with high amounts of friendly contact, various forms of aid, and an overall sense of being immersed in a community—things first-year college students especially crave. While none of these things are unbiblical (indeed, community, service, and friendliness are all excellent aims for Christians), the International Churches of Christ have been accused of using these virtues as a façade and manipulative tool to increase membership.

Theologically, the International Church of Christ holds to the basic tenets of Protestant evangelicalism, with important exceptions. The early ICOC was exclusivist, claiming that the church was meant to be divided only by geography. Any church outside of their unified system, i.e., not under the ICOC’s leadership, was not a part of the “true church.” Such claims of exclusivity raised red flags. Any church or denomination that claims to be the “one true church” and that all others are false churches is itself teaching falsehood. The current ICOC has softened this stance to accept other denominations as legitimate.

The International Churches of Christ also departs from sound doctrine in its teaching of baptismal regeneration, the belief that water baptism is required for salvation. The ICOC believes that anyone who is not baptized is not saved and must be evangelized and brought into the church. Originally, the ICOC taught that only baptisms performed by the ICOC were valid. Further still, baptism was not allowed until a person was a “disciple” committed to the organization. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, apart from works (Ephesians 2:8–9)—including the work of baptism. The ICOC still holds to the errant belief that one cannot be saved unless he or she is baptized. However, their stance on baptisms performed outside of their churches has softened.

The International Churches of Christ is historically associated with a strict and invasive power structure using manipulation and indoctrination to control its membership. Many people have been hurt by this group emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Thankfully, many of those complaints were addressed after a major leadership change in the early 2000s. In 2006, the ICOC gave rise to another group, the International Christian Church, which more closely follows the ICOC’s original doctrines and practices. Because of possible manipulation and an errant view of salvation, we must caution those considering involvement the International Churches of Christ, and even more so for its spin-off, the International Christian Church.

If you have been negatively affected by the International Churches of Christ, International Christian Church, or another manipulative group claiming association with Jesus Christ, we encourage you to seek healing. You can be firm in the knowledge that, even though God’s name may have been used to hurt you, God Himself is loving and able heal those who have been spiritually abused.

*The International Churches of Christ has issued an apology for some of its past actions and has made some changes to its leadership structure and discipleship approach. See https://christianchronicle.org/revisiting-the-boston-movement-icoc-growing-again-after-crisis.