Metro Manila Christian Church

Metro Manila Christian Church

Brief History of The Metro Manila Christian Church (MMCC)

The International Church of Christ (ICoC), also known as the Boston Movement or the Boston Church of Christ originated from Gainsville, Florida. It was there that a young student named Kip McKean was personally discipled and trained by Chuck Lucas, a campus minister of the Crossroads Church of Christ at the University of Florida using the principles in Robert E. Coleman's "Master Plan of Evangelism." Lucas was terminated by Crossroads CoC leaders due to 'recurring sins in his life' and the movement was taken over by his protégé, Kip McKean.

In April 1977, McKean and Roger Lamb were both terminated from their position as campus ministers in Charleston, Illinois by the Memorial Church of Christ of Houston, Texas due to reports of unbiblical practices like the following: "...confession of sins, peer pressure to conform to human judgmental standards and intimidation. ... The judgment of humans that mature knowledge must be gained before one is allowed to be baptized. ...elitism." [1] After his termination, he and his wife Elena McKean found a Church of Christ in a suburb of Lexington, Boston Massachusetts named Lexington Church of Christ, later named the Boston Church of Christ, in June 1979 and began to established an aggressive evangelism and discipleship program that resulted to an increase number of church attendance from 30 to 1000 members in just a couple of years.

Growth And Expansion

The Boston Movement or the Boston Church of Christ were planted and established in the key cities of the world, namely London (1981), Chicago 1982), New York City (1983), Toronto and Providence (1985), Johannesburgh, Paris and Stockhold (1986), Mexico City, Hong Kong, Bombay and Cairo (1987-88). In 1989, Kip & Elena McKean and Preston & Sandie Shepherd which comprised 28 members of the Boston Movement from five (5) U.S. ICoC churches penetrated the Philippines. After much planning and discussion in a prominent hotel in Manila they targeted the major universities of the country like U.P. and as a result established the Metro Manila Christian Church (MMCC), then followed the Metro Cebu Christian Church (MCCC) in 1990, Baguio Christian Church in 1992, Metro Davao Christian Church (MDCC) in 1994, Batangas Christian Church, Daanbantayan Christian Church, Laoag Christian Church, Cagayan de Oro Christian Church and Metro Olongapo Christian Church (MOCC) in 1995, Negros City Christian Church and General Santos City in 1996, Zamboanga Christian Church in 1997.

The Boston Church of Christ: "The Only True Church?"

The Boston Movement (aka MMCC) has a vision to convert the Philippines and the whole world into their own exclusive movement. Kip McKean has this to say, "True churches [ICoC] are now established in 53 of the 216 nations of the world." [2] Baird, an ICoC elder, admitted that, "If you walk away from the church [i.e. ICoC] you're leaving Jesus, and you absolutely lose your salvation." [3] In the Philippines, they are creating many innovative ways in luring prospective converts into their fold. In fact, one Christian friend told me of one MMCC member who wants to invite him in a concert sponsored by their movement of course.

The growths of the Boston Church of Christ in the Philippines are as follows:

1989.............28 1990............317 1991............741 1992............920 1993..........1,135 1994..........1,831 1995..........2,141

[Adapted from their booklet, "Back to the Future" released by MMCC, p. 2]

It's hard to get an exact number of the Boston Movement population today in the Philippines due to lack of available resources.

Personal Experience With the MMCCs

I have talked to a number of MMCC leaders, asking them questions, observing their behaviors towards one another, how they worship, how they meet and "study" the Bible which is actually not the Bible but the prepared lectures of Kip McKean, how they invite people, etc. These young people are really that serious in their Christian life. However, theirs is a Christianity of works rather than grace. One former MMCC member who is now an active Christian herself in one of the U-Belt churches said that it was hard for her to adjust from what she did before and in what she's doing right now. Before, she used to spend the night, even past midnight doing MMCC style discipleship and she felt condemned in the inside by thinking, "How come I'm no longer active in the Lord. Before I used to exert all my effort in doing things for Him but now it is as if I've grown cold." It took us many months to pray and minister to her by explaining that discipleship, evangelism,

prayer, Bible study, and all those stuffs must be done not because you are force to but these things must be done because of your love for Jesus that compels you to do it. This is just one of the dilemmas of an MMCC member once he/she becomes born-again. The MMCC churches are fond of "love-bombing" by hugging one another, kissing each other cheek-to-cheek and feels dismayed to see that born-again Christians does not show their affection towards one another. That former MMCC young professional is now being used by the Lord in inviting her MMCC friends to attend a Christian fellowship in her church. And yes, she is more effective in reaching out to them because she knows the heart of being an MMCC.

Once an MMCC member gets saved, you have to deal all those condemnations that were spoken on that person when he/she decided to leave the movement. The Boston Movement founder, Kip McKean, wrote that "to leave the family of God, the true church [ICoC], is to leave God." [4] You also have to uproot every false teaching and start to build from the basics. This young girl who was a former MMCC member turned Christian has to undergo a series of meeting with us just for her to understand that water baptism is not essential for a person to be saved but must be done only out of your obedience to Christ. Even the Apostle Paul did not regard water baptism as essential for he said, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…" (1 Cor. 1:17, NIV) An apostle to the Gentiles like Paul surely would not ignore water baptism if such was "essential" to salvation. But what he taught was, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (past tense) - you and your household." (Acts 16:31, NIV) [5]

A Spiritual Discernment Ministry to Help Churches and Ministries to Share the Gospel with the Cultists

If you know of someone who is in a cult group and you need advice and help on how to effectively share the gospel to that person, then call or inform the ministry. I can also give you some free tracts and articles on how to evangelize the cultist in gentleness and respect. The Bereans: Apologetics Research Ministry (Acts 17:11) was formed to help church leaders, lay members, and individual Christians on cult awareness and in reaching the cultist, as well as, new agers for Christ. We also conduct Cult Aware Seminar for interested churches and ministries.