The amount of control, manipulation, and coerciveness in this group is not like any other Church you’ll ever come across. Definitely a cult, and they'll even manipulate the Bible to justify why being called a cult is a good thing, supposedly validating their practices/beliefs. They're completely convinced that they are the only church who have Christianity right. This results in a very exclusive, ‘us vs them’ environment, where everyone not in their group is seen as unsaved and heading towards hell regardless of who they are and what they believe, and anyone who would criticise them are persecuting them. It’s ironic how they call other Churches/Christians ‘religious’ (with a negative connotation), when in reality, they’re a lot like the religious elite of Jesus day, who looked down on everyone else and were very confident of their own righteousness and understanding of things, but in the end were far from God. Just do a Google/Youtube search of ‘International Christian Church’ and you’ll find many articles and videos exposing the practices of this Church (even more if you include the content on the ICOC, which is essentially just a lighter, less culty version of the ICC that holds to most of the same basic doctrines). Please consider carefully before joining if you are interested in this group, a lot of people who eventually leave experience a lot of guilt and difficulty ‘unlearning’ all the negative things the ICC teaches, many also no longer are Christians because of their experience with this group. Be particularly aware of the leaders, they have a counter argument for everything you might say and have an incredible way of planting guilt and doubt in ones mind, to convince people to stay. They’re very persuasive. Be assured: there is salvation outside of this group!!! Because it’s God who saves through Christ, and gives the Holy Spirit to true believers, and he definitely can do that outside of membership to this Church… He doesn’t require believers to have the rigid, one size fits all theology of the ICC in order to be saved. Don’t fall for it, there are so many cracks/red flags in their doctrine. Read and study the Bible for yourself and these will come to light. For example the ICC teaches that the Holy Spirit is (only) received at baptism, when in Acts 10 you have the Holy Spirit being given to believers before they were baptised (Acts 10:47 key verse). It might seem trivial, but actually this error in the ICC’s doctrine creates a huge ripple effect. They’ve created a very rigid religious system via their studies that they take people through, and potential converts are often progressed through them so quickly that they have no time to stop and research/validate what they’re being taught for themselves

Disturbing to see the reincarnation of the Sydney Church of Christ lead by Kip McKean. I was part of this church back in the 80s & early 90s. There is no grace in this church, it’s all about your “good” works. We were made to evangelize, to meet quotas, to report back to a discipler (someone over you in the Lord) who would absolutely berate you if you didn’t meet some goal the minister set for that week. There was little encouragement, lots of legalism; that eventually led to a public outcry and dissolution of the original Sydney Church of Christ. Crazy notion that only Christians in the world are them, everyone else is lost because a true disciple is 100% preaching the word. I saw the truth after visiting a prison ministry runned by a man who was not from this church, but was so sold out in preaching the word to inmates. I thought, surely this man is saved by Jesus, he was without a doubt, motivated by grace. At 90+ years, he was so fervent and fired up. How can the Church of Christ claim he isn’t saved, just because he wasn’t going to their church? That didn’t make sense. The Bereans in Acts, tested to see if what the disciples said was true.. open your eyes, be skeptical and don’t be afraid to question, especially leadership, research Kip’s earlier works, this guy is quite an arrogant egotist & narcissist.. I wished I wasn’t so gullible, and as a result, allowed the church to abuse my faith, I paid a big price, mentally. I lost many friends, lost the love of my family and till this day, affects my life. 90s Church leadership abused their authority grotesquely. Humiliation was the order of the day, “you need to be humble and accept this rebuke” was the catch cry. They often went on incredible holidays together, at churches expense. Expenses that members gave, through sacrificial tithing. Special contributions were 10x normal tithing; and as Uni students we not only suffered to pay rent, food and yet expected to give sacrificial. I personally survived on student special rice & gravy towards the last days of week. As a result my uni grades suffered. Church leaders blamed it on my lack of discipline etc, it’s always your fault, your sin, you are pathetic never looking at the yoke they were placing on young impressionable kids. I worked starting 3:30am at bakery before uni, did full time Engineering at Usyd, expected to evangelise, attend church services mid week, Sunday and Bible Talks, etc.. looking back it’s a wonder how I even got through uni! Save yourself the trouble, go seek God elsewhere. There are many fantastic churches filled with God loving people everywhere. Don’t fall for the lie that they are the only church making disciples.

Incredible church, very diverse, and very loving (John 13:34-35). I highly recommend it! Response after reading 1 star reviews… I always find it interesting that people can review a church as if it were a cafe you casually stumble upon. Nonetheless, some of the comments you will see for the Sydney International Church are just that (feelings and opinions not based on biblical convictions). Consider Proverbs 18:17. Helpful Example: If a person who lives a lifestyle of getting drunk and sleeping around decides to attend this church, I can confirm that the Christians would warmly show them the scriptures informing them to repent if they genuinely wanted to be a “member” and improve their relationship w/ God. Some ppl would welcome this challenge. Many others would simply leave resentful/angry. (Acts 26:20-21) The point is, It’s very difficult to understand a person’s heart/intentions by a google review comment. Some questions to consider: 1. What did the majority of people say about Jesus’ ministry in the first century when many people visited him or his disciples? (John 7:12, John 10:19-21, Luke 9:57-62, Acts 28:22) 2. Should a church have reviews that would be consistent of Jesus’ ministry? 3. Or should a church in 2023 have only positive reviews similar to a popular cafe? Truth is, the majority of people that met Jesus had distinct reactions. Many were initial fans and followed to get free stuff (food, healing, counseling, encouragement). But the only people that stayed faithful following him were his disciples (not fickle fans that would eventually change their mind and persuade others to get rid of Jesus) Anyone can read for themselves what this church believes here [click link for webpage] Also, the Sydney International Christian Church does have a strong conviction that God looks down on Earth and sees only two categories: lost people and saved people (Implying ONE church. Not various denominations) Refer to Ephesians 4:4-6 for clarity If you are looking for a biblical church that is - Controversial - Challenges sin - Has ongoing examples of miraculous repentance - Experiences consistent persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), and - Generates untrue but interesting, and sometimes funny, “hearsay” from religious haters… This is definitely the church to check out! =)

I strongly urge people to not go to this church. The weekend I attended, the entire sermon was about money and how much money each patron should give to the church. The theme was “waiting for a miracle” and the leader repeatedly stated that the miracle that people were waiting for will never happen unless they either double their contribution or go overseas on a mission. Everything was focused on the church getting money and the whole church felt brainwashed, cheering for their leader, Joe, as he publicly called out members during the sermon for not doing or giving enough to the church. There was no mention of what happens with the money that people are contributing. If you search up their parent church which originated in the US you will see that there has been a lot of issues surrounding the finances of their “charity” Mercy Worldwide where in previous years, almost all of the incoming money went to the board rather than to projects. I genuinely felt sorry for all of the brainwashed followers in attendance over the weekend. I felt unsafe with the amount of manipulation coming from the leaders presenting. The entire set-up felt like a cult targeting vulnerable international students trying to find a sense of belonging. I strongly urge you to not attend this church. Please understand that every follower I met was really nice, friendly and very welcoming but they were all brainwashed. I hope everything comes unravelled and people can see this operation for what it really is. They tend to target International students on University campuses. I recommend just keep walking.

Warning- THIS IS A CULT. They mostly target at international students, and take advantage of the loneliness often experienced by them. They will shower you with compliments and act really friendly- DO NOT FALL FOR THAT. They’re manipulative and scheming. Never have I felt that uncomfortable during a bible study. They’ll berate you for your beliefs if they’re contradictory to theirs. They even told me that I wasn’t allowed to hang out with people that are non Christians. If you only surround yourself with believers, how are you going to spread the gospel? They aren’t really Christians as well, as they baptise you very quickly and hold the belief that you have to be baptised in their church for it to count- they say this to welcome you into the kingdom of God but in fact what they teach and do are unbiblical. They lurk on university campuses a lot and have created something called disciples on campus, so be aware. They’re also around train stations (especially parramatta) so if you ever get approached by someone and invited to a Bible game night please gently refuse them and walk away immediately.

I love this church so much! The singing and sermon are just amazing! The Bible studies they provided are very Bible-focused and people volunteering in the study were extremely patient with my questions. It is mind boggling to see how much help and accountability I got from the Christians in regards of reading my Bible and building deeper personal relationship with God. Whenever I got questions about anything, they always patiently use scriptures to answer. It was incredible to meet with so many Christian friends who have the same passion and love for God. Definitely recommend this church! -Carol

They proof-text the bible to support their unorthodox church doctrines, rather than allowing the word of God to speak in it's entirety and context. They also use heavy-sheparding, require periodic and substantial tithes, and push a work based salvation (which again they proof-text scripture to justify). Seemingly, they also look down on most other Christian churches and criticise other Christians who evangelize or preach the bible differently to what their church classifies as "biblical" doctrine. Seek a church which stays faithful to scripture elsewhere.

Definitely would recommend! Currently no longer going there as I moved countries, but spent a substantial amount of time with the Christians here. By doing so you can definitely see a Spirit-led group that is trying to live according to the Word of God and love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Anyone who says otherwise most likely just doesn't know them that well or are making quick judgements without Biblical evidence. If you're looking to follow Jesus, this is the place for you!

Greatest church ever in my opinion. I have been in this church for 6 and half years and the church has been genuinely helped me at my darkest time. They helped me with finance, my academic, my career and my spiritual life with God. People are incredibly loving and more importantly. They held the standard of the Bible and challenged me to live out the Bible which I am forever grateful. This movement is definitely from God.

There's a long history of spiritual abuse that's associated with the International Christian Church, and its founder Kip McKean. That's why many people regard it as a cult. Simply Google the terms "International Christian Church cult" and you will see many stories of abuse spoken out by ex-members. Rather than addressing these allegations, they simply brush off them off as "persecution". Beware!

Ive been privileged to be in this church for the past 2 years. It's first and foremost a Bible church. Without them I wouldn't have gotten to know about God on a deeper level). The church is very much like a family as well. They're constantly giving and serving. They're an awesome community of true believers who strive to do awesome things for Christ

I feel confused about some negative reviews saying about this church as judgmental and close-minded. As a Christian, i won’t judge any other churches as judgmental or close-minded even I don’t agree with them. By saying that, I’ve already felt that the judgements from those 1-star reviews are not trustworthy

I've been with this church for ten years now. It has been incredible! The teachings at this church have helped me to grow as a person in my schooling, relationships and life skills. I never knew Christ, but now I know God so deeply! I am grateful for God giving me this wonderful spiritual family.

I cannot stress enough how much God has worked through this church to better my relationship with Him, help my marriage flourish through consistent counselling and improve the quality of my relationships with people as a whole! Couldn't sing it's praises more ☺️ Thank you SICC ❤️

So grateful for the Sydney International Christian Church. Sacrificial love, family, and deep biblical convictions are what I love most about this congregation. The 5 years I spent in Sydney with them forever helped change and shape my relationship with God …

I’ve attended at least 10 different churches and in all different denominations but for the first time I’ve seen lives change and lives been saved when attending this church. This was the only church that genuinely cares about your

Was a part of this church family for 6 years, people are incredibly loving, like no other community I’ve ever seen before and I feel like I’ve gotten to know God and his word so much more compared to before! 10/10 would recommend

Joined a group. Really great on first few meetings but rear its ugly head. You will notice that they are judgemental and very close-minded as you go along. Be very cautious with this church or better yet just stay away.

Great church with warm-hearted, passionate, loving people. That really make me feel like a family. Great, radical, inspiring sermons were preached, literally opened my mind and helped me find God in my life.

Very judgemental and close-minded. Not a Church but a sect. They woundn't allow anyone who doesn't strictly follow their commands; they don't help but judge you as if they were superior. Stay away.

Love going to this church so much! People are so friendly and treat you like family. They really hold on to the teachings of the Bible and they have fun doing it! Would definitely recommend.

Incredibly convicting sermons. Great fellowship. You can tell a great church not only by their service but also by their lifestyle. These guys live and breathe God's word. So inspiring.

Such an incredible church! The people and atmosphere is just great! Very friendly, cheerful and helpful bunch of people. A must visit church for sure !!

Love this church!! A great family, all the members are caring and there for anyone in need. Services are high energy and focus on the word of God …

It is an incredible spiritual family! Full of love and bible teaching, with fire up people from all around the world!! Totally recommended!!

我在今年二月份的時候第一次到了這個教會參加活動，他們唱歌很好聽很有活力，整個過程的氛圍充滿著喜悅。他們講的東西用的是英文，但有很多會說中文的人會幫助我去理解台上的人在說什麼。遇到的每個人都特別友善，讓人有種回到鄉下老家的感覺。蠻建議大家去看看的，能認識很多來自世界各地的朋友。

Incredibly loving and serving community that follows the biblical teachings! I feel really supported here in my faith journey with God

I’ve been attending this church for a little over 5 years. It’s a home and a family. Wouldn’t be anywhere else. :)

The Sydney International Christian Church is awesome!! Incredible teachings and fun hangouts Would recommend!!

This church is great at building people's lives and faith. Thank you for all the help throughout the years!

This church follows the radical teachings of Jesus and loves like no other. Never found anything like it

This is a group of people do their best follow the whole bible. They are true truth seekers !

absolutely good church, excellent vibe. all people there are very passionate about GOD!!

Great food. I strongly encourage everyone to come for the free food.

Lovely people. Bible based. Lots of mentorship. Highly recommend.

Very dirty toilets If toilets dirty, imagine how dirty the souls?

非常國際化的教會，能見到許多不同國家、文化背景的虔誠信徒，會眾多是火熱、勇敢的年輕人，在這信仰越趨冷淡的時代裡，為福音爭了一口氣！

Amazing church, powerful singing and exceptional preaching!

Amazing people who truly make Jesus their Lord of life!

All that glitters is not gold. Please do your research.

Teachings and practices are on point and biblical! <3

Amazing church with great GOD loving people!

Hands down you gotta check it out!!

A real family

Nice church!

Great