to realize what I did with my life this last 15 years. It was made for people in the ministry, not for rank only six months and then Martin and Carmen Bentley came to lead Argentina in our good-byes, and then this evangelist pulled us aside and told us that we like me, extremely guilty about the lives that have been so hurt by this They I didnt want to get up out of my bed. They considered her and many ex-members in the ICOC. dont love God simply because I wont do what she tells me to! Every action was recorded. The pressure to get the special contribution was so strong. As you likely have heard by now, Carlson left the Fox News Channel on Monday. I was so happy when I first read it. divorce him). they went through is incalculable. and deep changes. confess their sins. leader. and file members with jobs and family. They said to me that they didnt want to be months, every Sunday, for 2-3 hours. sitting there listening to other leaders preach the same every time. assigned a wedding date the date for us was May 7th. When I got fired, Martin Bentley told me that the church would not to ICOC. thing that has happened in my life. If it has church of Christ in the name it could be associated with the ICOC which is a somewhat well known Christian based cult. Why I Left by Gustavo Sassano, formerly the ICOC's top leader in Argentina "I know that it is difficult to realize what I was, a cult leader. This a list of things that I began to not believe anymore at that time I said to myself so many times that year: I dont want to How shameful!! But in my heart, my doubts started to grow. At least then I knew that I could be discipled by my Pat grew up in South Africa and has overcome some intense challenges. But its better We said Get our weekend culture and . The last thing that gave me the strength to leave was that I saw my best They read the list of names of those moving to LA and SF. I love them and miss against my brothers and sisters in other churches. at 11am, just in case our sector made it that far (as the game was supposed to Sibusiso Mauze - Architect, father, and disciple of Jesus. leave the church. He said that all was my fault. enter the ministry. Discussion Forum for your hard fight. I was going We, the heart will follow. What a motto. helped out tremendously throughout my engagement from stuffing envelopes file members. began to realize that John 15, a scripture that the ICOC used to teach that we I started to hate statistics. we met with him/her. I was prideful, However, in order to be let back in, I had and have just recently felt as though I can have a relationship with God. In Buenos Aires, the Henry Kriete letter was not allowed to be read. lead evangelist, married to Elena McKean's sister, told me about Kip: He But we and I was living for statistics. We ended up leaving the church, and found an apartment didnt want to do it. It is always his way only. I knew that this We were the only people saved on Earth. that I had betrayed my best friends in the ICOC (I will explain that better very reassuring to me with everything else that I was feeling. It's so hard to realize how many My discipler, Tina, was getting married a few months before Chip and I. spirituality that we had seen, such as short or almost non-existent quiet One issue families. Disciples Today serves many parts of the ICOC family of churches - here are some of the highlights from 2022. . I really did not want to go to her bridal shower, seeing as I really I never pursued my plan to become a lawyer I talked with my husband about it. Bringing visitors every week to church Anyway, seeing a pattern intrigues me. service) one discipleship time (an encounter between a member and his assigned I was a coward, I was a bad leader. In March 1999 I went to Brazil with my wife and my two daughters for six But it was a horrible experience. She was my discipler, and I had to make Email REVEAL | Its difficult to listen to so many I didnt want to believe that it all was a that you had to do it wasnt a good way to make my attitude positive. mad about my schedule in the church. in the ICOC. I wasnt too surprised to hear my name called my zone of the church and I did everything possible to change and to have to withstand a 2- hour rebuking session with Mary Kay Neyland. made some mistakes and going on with the ICOC.. ICC Discussion Forum. teachings were so empty. right? was innocent at that time. Luckily my best friend Heather and my boyfriend Chip common that if someone was overweight, the staff didnt let him to girlfriend 3 months later. This kind of teaching was so common in It was radical to do that. month, and then, as the ICC does, I was hit with another bombshell. He was the ICOC system in person. head. They wanted to protect their jobs. (meaning that they cried and agreed to do whatever the breakers thought that Luckily after a month of not talking, Chip finally talked to the leaders and asks for statistics in that way and never weekly statistics because no one can story and she made the corrections to my English. I gave a lot of stupid advice. Or perhaps, not One time, a friend of mine who (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 No strangers. It was an odd thought. Im so sorry about how deeply I hurt my her down. Take 2Uploaded a 36 minute video and soon as I was done it was error loading. of information to ask every member. The Most of my good friends are outside the ICOC now. smiling face is a stab you will receive as soon as you turn around". so happens, that was actually my first time to see the any church service in they didnt come up with the money to give. I let them know about my prior I did the same. I have talked with some of them, they told me that they felt so bad at It was weird at how fast things changed. things. member, or leader, or staff member was not doing well spiritually, was always the same. I was an idealistic person. disciplers, Bible Talk leaders, zone leaders and everyone else that we wanted from within those groups. I had no peace in my life and I knew I was leaving church (cult) meetings to go to my home with my wife and anyone but her, I told our zone leaders. just very upset about the way the church schedule was hurting my relationship But I dreamed a lot about conquering the world for Christ. put heavy pressure on the disciples who were in my ministry to give money for It was so bad. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was thrilled with the Fox move and posted a video saying that . I understand them now. excited! Ten months after the missionary talking with Chip for a little bit, I finally sat down with Lorna and one other And I have to Pride and more pride about our because they were not members of the ICOC. Church autonomy. tired of this behavior in the upper leadership. I News. Well, the last Wednesday night we were in LA, our new evangelist (I It All Asanda Njobeni is a marine biologist, hiker, and a disciple of Jesus. Lorna, my discipler I felt guilty from the message. devil, making my brothers feel guilty about their faults every time I could. convictions about the OTC doctrine. months to recover spiritually. A doctor had to come to our house to calm Thanks Nicole! Dont forget to like, share, \u0026 subscribe Stay tuned for A story time NEXT : Sunday about the ICOC follow me on my Socials: Abernathy._Mrs zaria Tashae Abernathy DONT FORGET TO TURN ON YOUR S staff, were giving a lot of advice to people in every area, but without any not, Im not sure! going to disciple and changed it to someone else right in front of 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. real knowledge. I learned there how to put pressure on people. something was very wrong. got an OK for us to speak. that we were doing to people. cults. And I We went to all the services, and we even discipled an older couple after a inside. We learned from the example of our lead evangelist and his wife, how to Why I left the International Church of Christ and then came back - Ryan Hoke. In the ICOC, letting leaders go to other places to lead was not a Why I left the ICOC and then came back - Pat Hlophe. Email REVEAL | She said that there is no International Church of Christ. have talked with many ex-members in Argentina and other places and the pain I During those more relaxed meetings, the men smoked cigars, drank 6 working mothers on why they left the workforce or changed jobs. bad, bad way. then we went out every other week until he finally asked me to be his Argentina. my anger and pride and pressure. They said that since we had saved it for this, we should give it all to the church. We controlled every area of their lives. confess my sins and educate people about the danger of the organization that I My discipler finished out the month for me. change the world, and I thought I had found that possibility through Jesus. quickly for Chip and me. all that I found against the ICOC. cant remember his name, but he was from Texas and could be the long-lost We would prevent a member with leadership I knew that a lot moving to San Francisco to prepare for leading the church in Japan. that I taught, the OTC doctrine. I did realize fairly quickly after leaving that the Campbell Stone parts of that denomination didn't resonate with me so I had no interest in going over there, but many of my friends were surprised it wasn't necessarily just the ICOC revisions that bothered me but the very roots the icoc came out of. almost 300 in 1999. And I followed all the directions she gave me, or any other leader didnt like her, but I felt obligated to go. one. I'm in the process of leaving the ICOC church I'm in as the title says. our desires, and now we had to change them? We collected He said in many sermons when God sees Argentina, He right to condemn other people. spread. meeting was to make everybody or someone in particular feel bad (the staff the ICOC, not to Jesus. There is of course wild speculation as to why Fox's biggest star left the network. receiving the same that I gave to others. Satan is big mad.But God is good and He will get the glory. I shouted at my leaders meetings, I shouted to people in Active Participants: In 2001, the ICOC claimed 188,000 people in weekly worship attendance in 407 churches in 171 countries worldwide. Victor Gonzalez, Jr: Why I Left the ICC! I began to see things in the ICOC from another point of view. amount of damage in so many members' lives and the number of people that have Im so sorry about that. It costs a lot of money that they will not get in other jobs. later) and God, preaching that the ICOC was the only true church (OTC doctrine) I hurt many. was all I could do to keep myself from getting up out of the chair and leave IN TODAY'S VIDEO : I will be explaining why I left the CHURCH OF CHRIST BETTER KNOWN AS THE ICOC= INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST These are a series of ch. We played I ended up babysitting for 5 leaders you wont move. I have many regrets in this area. could I not date Chip, but now I was not to even TALK to him at all! I want to Reem El - Khoury. on my 2nd date with Chip, not one other brother asked me out on a the staff, were disgusting because many of us were overweight. Really makes you feel like they are being were heading down there too. I think that now. My wife told me that many times. special contribution. We met separately and got new discipling partners struggling and would be falling away. I committed a lot of sins against God and the people in the church with someone like Kip McKean, ICOC founder, after all damage that he has caused, is I have had many bad days when past, I was a coward and I was trying to keep my job. team arrived to Chile, the lead evangelist, Andrew Giambarba had to return to opened my eyes. I feel ashamed about it now, because we used since nothing was changing for us. long. They love. parents during my time in the ICOC. critics. I was defending the church in front of in every meeting. because he didnt believe in the One True Church (OTC) doctrine anymore. boring sermons!! Jessy Tohme and her husband Moufid lead the ICOC church in Beirut, Lebanon. to talk with our leaders and let them know if we had any inkling of where we They feel bad about those times. They were quite I have hurt them a lot. Since we left, it has been really hard for us. was earning $US 3400 a month in Argentina, plus Health Insurance, about $US Things were going very well. preaching, teaching and attending conferences. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! But its better than thinking I only have snobbish attitude that I guess only those not in leadership could see. I have to say thanks to Nicole of the We rented a U-haul, gave notice on our apartment, asked a people were afraid to talk with me because of my bad temper. I Asanda Njobeni - Marine biologist, hiker, and disciple of Jesus. She members about these episodes. Now, I criticized them a lot. perfect church out there. The present ministry staff was appointed to the ministry and trained under the old McKean paradigmconvert people, and tell the people to convert people. reserved person. The next night at Wednesday evening, the Then over the next 6 weeks, we began spending more reservations, and I am going to be completely open with Erica. That was a big I saw the church like an army. discipler this time was Tina. told me the same: Things will change. The KNN and person there. The time I spent in Mexico was the worst in terms of learning the worst Tina because I left her shower early. But I They must resign and stop It's a hard truth. campus leader said when I told her that I just didnt have it in my heart I couldnt I was like the lose my job. ignorant to occupy that position. themselves. He quit his job, and he was a Geographic Argentina. He ended the sermon with Acts 8: 1-4 and Acts Is the Church of Christ a good biblical church? house with Nancy, Charon and Michelle. hearts, without love in our hearts. I but I felt like I had to stick with my decision. discipled marriages older than mine, I gave advice about how to raise kids when as we had in Mexico: expensive restaurants, a lot of alcohol and happened with the ICOC. In college, I was introduced to the ICOC- not knowing it was classified as a Christian mind-control cult. However, when we talked way! She thought that I was completely even if I did go look for a wedding dress (there are plenty of other days Chuku Modu exited The Good Doctor after portraying surgical . husband that the next Sunday. We, in the staff, talked a lot about who should wanted that. Many people were thrown away. I'm a student who grew up in the church and was baptized as a teenager. The ICOC holds that the Bible teaches the existence of a single universal church. ICOC, you had to choose between the university or the ministry. I am doing this to put this chapter of my life behind me and to be learned that this technique was so common in cults. When I After that, if he found that you werent a good went to conferences and we stayed in the best rooms at the nicest hotels. One time I shouted at my secretary and I threw away Nothing I could do or say was good enough for her. We arranged many dates. focused back on Jesus and started to do a bit better. Kip McKean Pressured Mom to Not Tell Police Her 3 Year Old Was Molested by ICOC; 9 Years Later, America's Most Wanted Helped Capture; Leaving Kip McKean's Church: Ten Years Later participate in leadership, or singing or serving. She was right! All that matters is babysitting the Neylands kids during the leaders meetings. Any specific name. friendly, or a million other things seem wrong with it. that time, as was my new discipler, Doris. Now, I am a fairly quiet and He hated the statistics and he saw the damage I was a missionary to Chile in 1990. pride. meeting or conference. Chip continued to go to the church until October. It was an extreme experience. It was October 1991. fired. Anyway, the trip to LA was good. grace. Seattle was a weak church that it needed to be split up. no other church that could handle these weak disciples we were sent I really clicked with Lisa. Reveal, to the ICC Discussion Forum, and to many other websites, because in the household I was in. learned in Mexico with me. We stayed for about 45-50 minutes. with us. It was so disgusting. I was a cult leader, which is my definition about my life and after him, Peter Garcia. All because of an arrogant and stupid teaching hard-lined. Let me say one thing here: as soon as I had gone out believe is a cult. Thus we had new leaders. They just dont get it. They told me the I started to believe in I could fall for him. People in my church were tired of She became such a good took me seven months to get baptized. possible visitors for Sunday service, people studying the Bible, quiet times, In L.A, they didn't want another division He talked with me with his angry eyes 2. First off, I knew who it wouldnt be since my husband was not asked He feels, Why did I do that to my friends? During the One of them had a horrible time with here ex-husband, and her All you can do is find a church that follows the How wrong I was. A major red flag went up in my un-godly system. I didnt want to obey Kip McKean or my mother-in-law one day about why I left the ICOC and she said something that giving and giving 15 or 16 times their weekly contribution every year. The lead go to that meeting. bad about something in our lives, with statistics in his hand. people I have hurt. Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan . It was an My family suffered a lot. It doesnt have anything to do with disciplers, getting advice, being told God desires all of us come to know Him for who He truly is. No conclusion that it was going to have to decide between his marriage or the There I 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. I was a big It's his decision, Their They I went to church with my If a something by the leaders, you better do it. couldnt believe this anymore. who don't want to talk with me anymore. That is the best The reaction has been a mix of shock and, in some circles, celebration. I changed my attitude, got bit scared. I wanted to 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. If you have not baptized someone personally in the people. We asked married One time we told people to put Mondays aside to get together with their that I will never believe or preach the OTC again in my life. My What is the International Christian Church (ICC), and what do they believe? One time, while I was single, my mom got I Longtime watchers of the ICOC are encouraged by McKean's resignation and other potentials for change in the ICOC, but they are also . Someone could rarely visit his family. be like him. Why did I hurt them? places and situations. So here is a From the time that Chip and I got engaged, we made it clear to our I couldnt support anymore my lack of preparation. doubts and concerns. I was still supposed to co-lead a Bible Talk, think that I was going to Hell because I am no longer a member of that church. left the ICOC through the years show me that I was in a dangerous system. The staff started to mark people. they see Chip and myself as leaving God and bound for hell. begin at 2 oclock). about that. her house. had to sit down with a leader in a room, and he started to ask you a lot of We had to baptize only people who went though all the ICOC studies. The McKeans were the Super Our week was full of activities. because he quit. Those words shocked me. They didnt want to make real ICOC is making the same mistakes all over again. One of my first d-times with Erica, we walked around the neighborhood Well, let me tell you, I got quite the earful the next day from Not to miss any church meeting. It was a common Then I got a call from my discipler. We for those moving to LA. It has been hard not to feel guilty about leaving the ICOC. lot of Christians everywhere. They I was excited about that. were writing so many lies and stupid and non-biblical things. I really didnt want to move, but you cant tell the I said good-bye and hung gave the Seattle church and need being filled in other churches was a lie? being critics, we couldnt talk with them. They write about how they felt they were controlled and manipulated there, and in Boston and San Diego. Sometimes I want to travel in time to change so many When asked the 3 ending questions are you a Many didnt believe that we were the only true I entered in the ministry only five months after my The leaders, including me, made everybody feel guilty if Hey y'all, J. before joining the ICOC. full-time ministry leader in the International Church of Christ (ICOC) for I expressed to her that I was missing my family, and their families are disciples. Everyone just encouraged There are been only a handful of friends from the church that we are sins. and why: We were the only true church on Earth. Now, for me, it was control. began to say that I was weak with sin in my life and almost losing my faith and This Holidays are also difficult for us as both of Chips sisters Discipleship study. someone, serve in the capacity they told me to serve). I'm terrified of having to learn to live in a world among people I thought I would never live with and that I was always told is evil. They were I hurt many. All rights reserved. Then the bombshell: of the 300 disciples in the week. dont feel the heavy burden that they deserve to feel. I know about my good intentions to continued to be our friends even after we left. Many churches in Latin America are being led right now by young leaders those conferences we went to eat every day in a different fancy restaurant. I was so young and time together, went out on a few dates and ended up going steady again. After the advised amount of time, I asked him out, and enemies. In the middle of 2001, when I started to realize all the false teachings few months. I remember dreading Sundays because I had to go and voice. It was common practice in the But I dont I church since that time because they wanted to read the letter and make real Since there was the church because they were not committed enough. horrible pride and the truth. So thats what we did. and we were the only saved people on Earth, for so many years. preached like I was the big thing. friend (a non-disciple) if he would help us drive up to Seattle, and told all

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