Three years ago there was a Unity meeting in Los Angelos to discuss the future of “our churches”. It’s hard to believe that it was three years ago – it seems like an eternity of time and space from that day to this.

Recently, I reread Henry’s letter and thought about our Post-HKL-Renaissance(tm). Have we really come so far? Have we changed at all? Henry himself is no longer part of the ICC (if my information is correct), but still visits them from time to time. He even has speaking engagements in various places. The question I have is have we missed our best chance to change?

Henry mentioned four fundamental issues in the ICC and then enumerated 40 specific areas of concern.

1. 250,000+ people have left the ICC
2. A thriving subculture of those concerned with the ICC. The ICC Discussion forum has been in the top ten of all Delphi Forums for years. There are several related forums that also thrive. Many are based on geographical areas.
3. Leaders are not trusted, even reported ‘pillars’
4. The Cult of Personality lives
5. A lack of courage and confidence – the sheep have been sacrificed in order to defend the shepherds.
6. Too many have dined at the King’s table.
7. Loyalty, expedience, years of service and favor-swapping are more important than what is moral or pleasing to God.
8. Great meetings and councils do not address the real issues.
9. The large gap between clergy and laity.
10. The ICC as a religious culture that controls by fear and intimidation, and also a culture of cowards and conflict avoiders- right to the top.
11. Thomas’s letter did not address or repudiate the real ills of ICC Culture. Without address and repudiating these issues, no change can occur.
12. We deny teaching the ‘One True Church’ or more correctly the ‘One True Denomination’, but actively live it our in our lives and expect it from church members.
13. The ICC has crystallized into a denomination.
14. The ICC movement is not the ‘Kingdom of God’
15. KNN is preceived as a propaganda tool. It reinforces comformity, not unity.
16. Coercive giving is widespread.
17. We have burdened our membership with special contribution goals and financial budgets that could be dramatically reduced if we did not waste so much, or stopped spending so lavishly on things we really don’t need, and had much more accountability and input from non-paid staff.
18. Third World ministers do not get anywhere near the benefits and perks of their First World counterparts.
19. Conformity is not Unity
20. Discipleship partners, as praciticed, failed miserably. I do not deny the phenomenal amount of good that has come about from godly ‘discipling’ relationships- but as a formalized, authority laden institution it is doomed to fail and must therefore be dismantled.
21. The Pax Americana must end.
22. We have protected the shepherds and their sins more than the sheep.
23. We fear men more than we fear God.
24. Whatever we crystallize, formalize or institutionalize, that cannot be unequivocally defended by the Bible, will always be open to criticism and debate from men of good conscience- whether that be expedient titles and offices of authority, or our methods or theologies or cultural norms or whatever. This must never be stopped, but encouraged. We must fight for our God given right, our mandate, to always be restoring-especially the restoration of our freedoms in Christ.
25. By and large our preaching is man oriented, works oriented, mission oriented, duty
    oriented and law oriented.
26. So many thousands of men have been effectively emasculated by legalism and compliance to authoritarian leadership.
27. Elders are overseen by evangelists despite the ‘tougher’ criteria required to be an elder.
28. So many men have been lost from leadership because of conscience and not sin.
29. Missing on Feb 2, 2003 copy.
30. We need teachers who are prophetic as well as academic.
31. Official ICC events and institutions must end.
32. The practice of wholesale pruning must end.
33. ICC teachers have been largely discredited. Some have spoken up and been ignored, others have said nothing and are cowards.
34. Power and pride corrupts to the core: We enjoyed our titles and have enjoyed some rather grand ones like ‘Kingdom Mission Evangelist’, ‘Kingdom Teacher’, ‘World Sector Leader’, ‘World Sector Elder’, and ‘Geographic Sector Leader’.
35. Many in the full time ministry are now so damaged, so emotionally immature, so guilty, so insecure, so yielding and compliant, and even seared in their consciences, I am afraid it will take years for them to fully recover.
36. So many women in the ministry are conflicted and other roles for women of paid staff have not been adequately explored.
37. Countless hundreds of good hearted family group leaders and Bible talk leaders have stepped out of their roles because of discouragement and weariness. The meetings were more about accountability, making the targets, and forced follow-ups rather than prayer and worship.
38. Local autonomy must be explored and embraced.
39. Different churches will always be at different stages of maturity, and will have
    different needs. However, there is no proof of one church ‘over’ another one. Once a young
    congregation is on its feet, is filled with the Spirit and has ‘commended’ leaders- it must be set free, allowed to walk, run and even fall on its own
40. The lack of centralized control is clearly biblical, increasing our dependence on God, not man.

Where are we now and is it too late to address the rest of these items?