Bethel Cuts Ties With Four Ministry Leaders

The California megachurch has also announced governance reforms.

Bethel Church will no longer platform Todd Bentley, Mike Bickle , Shawn Bolz, or Bob Hartley, according to an update posted on the church’s website May 28.

Photo by Clayton Young / Google Photos

After acknowledging that its platform carries “weight and responsibility,” the church stated that “[i]f there are proven patterns of behavior that do not align with biblical standards, we cannot continue to platform, endorse, or support that person for ministry leadership here.”

Bethel also recognized that while restoration is possible with repentance and healing, reinstatement to leadership must be approached with greater care and wisdom — given the influence and responsibility such roles carry.

Bickle, the influential founder of the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC), a global missionary group, committed sexual abuse or misconduct involving at least 17 survivors, according to an independent report released Feb. 3, 2025.

IHOPKC has also banned self-proclaimed prophet Hartley from its 24-hour prayer room following allegations of sexual assault and predatory behavior, according to reporting by the Christian Post.

Bentley was sanctioned in 2020 by a panel of charismatic and Pentecostal church leaders for what they called “credible accusations of a steady pattern of ungodly and immoral behavior, confirmed by an independent investigator’s interviews.”

Bolz was platformed by Bethel as recently as 2019, despite allegations of sexual harassment and false prophecy made against him.

In 2025, Bethel leadership released a statement addressing allegations of sexual harassment made against Bolz by a church employee. When confronted, Bolz acknowledged the behavior but said it had stopped, according to church leaders. Bethel then recommended those affected seek a remedy through the justice system and took a “step back” from its ministry relationship with Bolz.

The apologies from Bethel leadership came after Mike Winger, an apologist who runs the website Bible Thinker, released a lengthy video examining the false prophecy and sexual harassment claims against Bolz.

“I specifically want to apologize to victims of Shawn: those who experienced Shawn’s inappropriate and sexually harassing culture, and those who struggled to process or made life decisions as a result of prophetic words that they’d received. I am very sorry,” Kris Vallotton, Bethel’s senior associate leader, wrote in January 2026.

Governance and Culture Reforms

Bethel also outlined “intentional changes” it has been making since February 2026 to improve its leadership structure and culture.

In April, the church began soliciting feedback from staff about areas needing improvement and established a team to “help strengthen accountability, connection, and mission.”

It also engaged external leadership consultant Martin West and the firm XGap to review the church’s governance, organizational structure, leadership culture, and operational health.

Bethel’s day-to-day operational, financial, and leadership is now being carried by an Executive Team led by Steve Moore and Richard Gordon.The church also claims to have “increased involvement and oversight” by its Board of Elders.

Senior Pastor Bill Johnson is currently on sabbatical — one that was planned last summer — according to the church statement.

The church also pointed to the implementation of its Safe Church platform for reporting inappropriate or harmful conduct. Reports can be made anonymously through a third-party provider, Miratech.

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