International House of Prayer in Kansas City Will Add Independent Third Party Groups to Investigation of Mike Bickle

GRACE denies IHOPKC ever contacted them about a possible review of its recent report.

In addition to using a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of Mike Bickle, the executive leadership team at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC) has also contacted third parties to conduct an independent evaluation of its initial findings. It also promised to provide more frequent updates about the investigation.

“IHOPKC has contacted and is in communication with multiple third parties about conducting an independent examination of the allegations presented by the Complaint Group, as well as a review of IHOPKC’s Report on Initial Findings,” a recent update from the ministry read.

However, IHOPKC will continue with the law firm because it “understand[s] and will operate within the confines of the constitutional due process right.” The IHOPKC leadership further defended its choice saying, “[T]he law firms IHOPKC chose are very experienced in representing victims of sexual abuse, including victims of clergy abuse and victims in the Boy Scouts of America.”

“Serious allegations including sexual immorality” against Bickle were initially raised in late October by three former leaders at IHOPKC—Dwayne Roberts, Brian Kim, and Wes Martin.

Bickle was asked and agreed to step away from ministry while the leadership team assessed the situation. Later he was removed from leadership for “an indefinite time up to and including until we complete a thorough examination of the allegations and inquiry of the circumstances.”

Initially, the IHOPKC leadership announced it would hire law firm Stinson LLP to conduct the investigation, assess the allegations, and advise IHOPKC, but then after receiving criticism, it retained a local Kansas City law firm instead.

“IHOPKC Survivors” started a petition on Change.org asking the ministry to invite GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) to conduct the investigation. At the time of publication, the petition had over 3,400 of its desired 5,000 signatures.

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IHOPKC claimed in its November 15 update that it had tried to contact GRACE about its experts reviewing the report’s findings, but then later learned of a conflict of interest. GRACE’s founder and one of its board members, Boz Tchividjian, is “now the private attorney of the main alleged victim whose claim is from 20+ years ago.”

According to reporting by The Christian Post on November 22, GRACE claims it never received any inquiries or communications from IHOPKC.

However, IHOPKC says third parties who are “national Christian leaders, journalists, and investigative firms and were involved in #MeToo and investigated the SBC and RZIM” will also be included in the investigation.

On November 15, IHOPKC released a report on initial findings regarding the allegations against Bickle. The report says the team has so far been able to identify five of the eight alleged victims. “Three of those five have publicly called the allegations lies, a fourth has not wanted to communicate with IHOPKC’s attorney, and the fifth’s allegations relate to incidents that preceded IHOPKC’s founding.”

It goes on to claim that the original complainants “did not have permission to include at least four of the women in their list of alleged victims” and that the allegations presented by the complainants “lacked any semblance of reliability or due process.”

In its most recent update, IHOPKC leadership emphasized that the initial findings are not an exoneration of Bickle.

“The events of the past four weeks undeniably constitute a crisis. Every facet of the organization has been impacted and strained in the last few weeks,” said IHOPKC leadership.

IHOPKC plans to announce new protocols and organizational changes in the coming weeks, the statement said.

IHOPKC was founded in 1999 by Bickle after he broke away from the Vineyard Church movement following conflict with other leaders. It operates a prayer room 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bickle’s theology emphasizes fasting, prophetic experiences and end-times studies and is associated with the New Apostolic Reformation.