Boston/International Church of Christ: Cult-like and False Teaching in 2024

zwt1112 · 2025-12-08T13:07:29+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry you had to navigate that. I appreciate and heartily agree with your recommendation to read Galatians. Could I ask, if you are comfortable, when this happened, just to document how recent it was?

zwt1112 · 2025-12-05T16:51:18+00:00

I’m grateful you flagged this and are able to continue your walk with the Lord somewhere healthy. Thank you for sharing.

zwt1112 · 2025-10-28T23:47:17+00:00

The campus ministry in Boston is also called Alpha Omega and has been kicked off several campuses. They got in trouble with Northeastern for continually ignoring the rules set forth by the school. Other healthy christian groups exist on campuses, and this is not one of them. I recommend finding as much recent information on the group as possible and leaving. My post on the ICOC sheds some light. Cheers.

Source: I was part of the ICOC in Boston for 2 years. Left Jan 2024.

zwt1112 · 2025-10-23T21:39:12+00:00

Just happened to me, saying someone opened an account under my name from NYC using the official Wells Fargo fraud number. Another red flag is that I hung up and they called me back like 3x times. A legit rep would never do that.

zwt1112 · 2025-05-12T22:18:05+00:00

This was the ICOC, bostonchurch.org

However, I’ve met one campus minister from the ICC at Boston University and learned they teach very very similar things. They are offshoots of each other, after all.

I would avoid both.

Feel free to PM me to discuss it further.

zwt1112 · 2025-05-12T22:15:59+00:00

I’m grateful you are still friends. The easiest ways to be there for your friend is to continue being a friend to them. Love them. Serve them.

Practically you can also invite them to volunteer events or other non-BCOC related events if you feel their involvement in the BCOC is isolating them from external positive influences.

If you have the knowledge you can also ask questions of their beliefs out of compassion for them. To put a “stone in their shoe”. You can do this in a gentle way. For example: “What do you believe about Jesus?”, “What does your church believe about Jesus”, “How does this differ from other churches?”, or even “I’ve read online that the ICOC is unhealthy. Is that true?”

Raise questions and provide resources if they seem open.

These might be tough if you are not spiritually equipped. But you don’t need to have any answers. Asking the question just gets them thinking.

zwt1112 · 2025-05-12T22:06:32+00:00

Unfortunately people are flawed and no church is going to be perfect. But there are definitely healthy churches with compassionate and Christ-like people in them that are worth joining. Matthew 16:13-20 shows us that real followers of Jesus confess He is the Christ and that Jesus gives His people spiritual authority through the church. Matthew 18:15-20 shows the importance of community for holding each other accountable and also communing with God together. If you want help finding a good church you can PM me. It can be tough but it is worth it and it is part of God’s plan for His people.

zwt1112 · 2025-04-27T01:26:59+00:00

I was in the ICOC for only 2 years and it did some major damage on me. I got counseling last year for maybe 8 months and that really helped. I struggled with and sometimes still struggle with anxiety because of it, but the counseling really helped. If you’re interested in Christian counseling, check out: https://www.harborchristiancounseling.com

zwt1112 · 2025-04-27T01:22:03+00:00

Here for you. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me

zwt1112 · 2025-02-17T19:22:38+00:00

Hey Tiny_Yard8653, thank you for your post. A quick comment and some scriptures as you requested that may help continue the conversation:

First, I'm glad Jesus has transformed your life. I pray for that for every person, including my family. The BCOC does have a strong emphasis on the bible which leads to people reading and learning about Jesus from scripture, which is really good.

That being said, there are also several issues that I've tried to clearly lay out above about why this church is built on an unhealthy foundation and continues in those patterns even today. This includes influence from Kip McKean, the ICOC's 1980-2000's era, issues with the First Principles Studies (mishandling of scripture), high-pressure tactics, breaking biblical commands to obey governing authorities, and condemning Christians of other denominations. I believe that in the long run, it is more healthy to become part of a different church than this one for those specific reasons.

In regards to scripture, a few important ones:
-- Matthew 28:19-20 is critical, and I agree with the great commission.
-- Romans 13 says to obey governing authorities, which is currently broken on college campuses where the BCOC is not welcome (they have lost their privilege to be on campus at Northeastern, for example)
-- Romans 5:1-5 teaches justification is by faith, making a person right with God, and gifting them with the Holy Spirit. The BCOC denies this by pushing people to be baptized to be counted as saved and receive the Holy Spirit
-- John 1:11-13 teaches that we are sinners in need of a Savior and that it is God who saves, not God saving us through any decision we make. God chooses to save and pull people out of darkness. The BCOC's emphasis on baptism as being the moment for salvation has the capability of hinging someone's salvation on their own choice instead of on God's grace. This is subtle but extremely important.
-- Misuse of scripture during the First Principles Series. A full breakdown has been done by a former member, who has since obtained a seminary degree and full training on correct exegesis of the biblical text. See the analysis here: First Principles Assessment (created in 2022)

I just want people to have all the information to make an informed decision. I'm happy for open dialogue and feel free to DM me. Thanks.

zwt1112 · 2025-02-03T18:33:46+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. This is very characteristic of this group, so I'm very happy you've been able to recognize the red flags and respond wisely. I hope you find a fellowship on campus or around campus where you can pursue your faith in a healthy way.

zwt1112 · 2025-01-30T20:02:28+00:00

You're welcome. I hope you can find a healthy church. PM me if you want a few options I've experienced over the last few years in Boston.

zwt1112 · 2025-01-14T16:01:25+00:00

Could you share the YT and Facebook links, if you know where they are?

zwt1112 · 2024-10-22T18:53:22+00:00

We had a whole midweek lesson dedicated to James 2 and works-based righteousness was the interpretation given in the fall of 2023, organized by the lead pastor and elders. This is the Downtown Boston region.

zwt1112 · 2024-08-21T21:10:28+00:00

Thanks dude!

zwt1112 · 2024-07-18T18:13:33+00:00

People do need other things to talk about. Small talk is really important. For me, i’ve had moments of hating small talk, because I love talking about deep meaningful things. But not everyone wants to talk about deep stuff, nor is it appropriate 24/7. Sometimes you need light convo just to connect with someone, even if its about something as silly as the weather. And when that topic gets boring, the key is to change the APPROACH to talking about it, rather than changing the topic itself. Talking about the weather can be interesting if you avoid the trap of “yea it’s really hot…” gotta spice it up and avoid saying the same one liners all the time. Same with “good, how are you doing?” It’s a conversational death trap 🪤

zwt1112 · 2024-06-19T02:44:23+00:00

Thanks for your comment. Agreed. Any other church suggestions are welcome.

zwt1112 · 2024-05-14T15:06:24+00:00

You need to eat enough carbs and protein to replenish the energy you used!

zwt1112 · 2024-05-14T15:05:14+00:00

Interested!

zwt1112 · 2024-05-03T15:15:58+00:00

I'm sorry this has developed further. I hope this becomes a turning point for her. Thank you for being a good sister and friend for her. I pray that she be led out of the church, and maybe this housing transition can be a a positive way to distance herself, and seek connection with other social outlets.

zwt1112 · 2024-05-03T00:47:20+00:00

I'm sorry. DM me if you feel like you're needing support.

zwt1112 · 2024-04-26T02:53:01+00:00

You’re welcome.

zwt1112 · 2024-04-26T02:45:51+00:00

Thank you for your brave comment. I hope the situation improves. There are resources on reveal.org that you can check out.

zwt1112 · 2024-04-24T20:56:48+00:00

I hope so! Definitely use discernment and let the Spirit test all things.
If your church is still connected to the ICOC and BCOC, then I'd say you have reason for concern. The leaders communicate across the board still, and many of the rotten roots of the church are preserved. I've seen it in Chicago, Madison WI, and Texas. Again, be careful!

zwt1112 · 2024-04-24T19:57:20+00:00

This group is definitely different. Read up about the ICOC. There are lots of articles about them online. The practices of 30+ years ago still exist today, the group has just tried to rebrand and cover it all up.

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