In the wake of the recent forced retirement of Kip McKean due to his “spiritual faltering” it would be right to question how it all fell apart. Most certainly, Kip is culpable for his own downfall; church founders don’t simply lose their jobs ingloriously for no reason. However, it must also be said that the finger should be pointed at others within the International Christian Church (ICC) who partake in creating such an organisation that wrongfully elevates individuals – even if it’s with the noble intent of global evangelisation.

The Apostle Paul once said to the Corinthians – “So then, no more boasting about human leaders!” (1 Corinthians 3:21a NIV). Paul’s rebuke was a timely one since the Corinthian church had begun having a warped understanding of Christian leadership. For them, having an outward impressiveness is what counts to be a worthy Christian leader, very much alike the views of the culture of their time. However, Paul corrects this misunderstanding by teaching the Corinthians that leaders are merely servants of God:

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 

1 Corinthians 3:5-7 NIV

Not only would elevating human leaders rob God of His rightful glory, but there is also a real danger of destroying the leaders themselves, as it becomes a breeding ground for pride which in turn sets them up for a massive fall (Proverbs 16:18).

So it is no wonder that the Lord Jesus says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12 NIV)

Examples of human exaltation in the ICC

Sadly, we can easily find examples of human exaltation within the ICC.

1. Leaders with fake doctorates

The International College of Christian Ministry (ICCM) is the ICC’s theological college for training church members in its soldout doctrines. However, as reported in an earlier blog post, this college is actually unaccredited as an educational institution. Which means, it is NOT recognised anywhere outside the walls of the ICC.

However, that doesn’t stop the ICCM from liberally handing out doctorate degrees to its leaders! What’s worse is the fact these “doctorate” holders don’t reserve their titles for inhouse-use only. They would write books and distribute them to the outside world with “Dr.” in front of their names whilst being fully aware that their degree is a dud. Unfortunately, the outsider doesn’t know this.

Yes, it sure looks impressive to have a church full of leaders with “Dr.” in front of their names. Yet this is also the type of worldly impressiveness that Paul warns the Corinthians to guard against. And it also sits uncomfortably with the words of Jesus who forbids his disciples from adopting special titles in order to elevate themselves:

⁷ [The teachers of the law and the Pharisees] love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. ⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

Matthew 23:7-9 NIV

2. Cheering on the preacher at the pulpit

Whenever I watch an ICC sermon, I cannot help but to notice how often the crowd cheers on the people at the front, especially if they are preaching. While there is nothing wrong with giving the timid public speaker some encouragement from the audience, it is an entirely different thing when it’s a constant “Come on bro!” a dozen times per minute.

This type of crowd behaviour is spiritually reckless as it fosters a glorification of the speaker at the front, and which ironically robs God of the attention that He deserves from the preaching. It’s not hard to imagine that this type of incessant ego-boosting of the preacher would eventually morph them into a narcissist over time (if they’re not one already). This is also the type of thing that the Apostle Paul has warned Christians about in 1 Corinthians, and yet it is the norm within the ICC.

3. Nothing but praise for Kip McKean

Throughout the history of the ICC, there has been a regular praising of their now-former central leader Kip McKean that were made by prominent leaders within the movement. This is often done in public conferences where Kip is in attendance, but we also see it in book dedications and on social media.

In his book “20/20 Book Two: 20 More Convictions For The Whole Church”, Tim Kernan wrote the following about Kip and Elena McKean:

Notice the words chosen to describe Kip: “warrior-statesman”, “heroic” and “victorious”.

In a similar vein, Kernan also compared Kip McKean to the Apostle Paul himself!

This type of “Kip-adulation” praising Kip’s bravery and comparing him to biblical heroes is regularly heard inside the ICC echo-chamber. Even as recent as 12th April 2024 (less than 3 weeks before his forced retirement), ICC Evangelist Mike Patterson was still singing Kip’s praises on social media, calling him “the closest person I have ever met to Jesus Christ”:

Surely there is no higher praise than comparing Kip to the Son of God himself!

Alas, even AFTER Kip’s eviction, ICC Evangelist Jason Dimitry continues to compare him to Moses…. calling Kip a prophet and “a Moses of our generation” in this video (dated 1st May 2024):

However, is this comparison warranted? At least when Moses “spiritually faltered”, the Bible was extremely transparent by disclosing the reasons for it in Numbers 20:1-13. But has there been any disclosed reasons for Kip’s firing? Nope. Not now anyway. So how can one make that comparison between him and Moses then? Given all that we know so far (which is nothing), Kip McKean may have committed embezzlement. Or adultery. Or God-forbid, he may have even started worshipping at a mainline Baptist church! (…. actually, I would prefer that!)

Conclusion

Pride certainly comes before the fall and Kip McKean is a prime example of what happens when church leaders are placed on a giant pedestal. Since he’s been regularly talked-up by prominent ICC leaders who compare him to Moses, the Apostle Paul and even with the Lord Jesus himself… is it any wonder why an eventual fall happened?

Sadly, against the warnings of Scripture, the ICC has consistently been guilty of exalting people in leadership by giving them fake degrees and authorising the planting of seeds of destructive pride.

However, now that Kip is gone, my prayer for the ICC is that there will be a recognition, admission and repentance of their sin of human elevation, followed by a reformation and renewal from within.

I genuinely long to see the day when God is at the very centre of this church, not man.