November 5, 2023 11am
We love our global family and are grateful for all of your support, prayers, and solidarity. We want to say we are grateful for you. But now we need to have a family message, primarily directed to the local IHOPKC community and staff.
Firstly, we want to impress upon you that IHOPKC’s mission remains the same as it has always been for over 24 years, which is to engage in the great commission through 24/7 prayer with worship and the proclamation of the Beauty of Jesus. This will not change while we address these recent allegations. We want you to know that there is still a place for you at the table and as a leadership team we are committed to continue growing in love and serving one another. Our Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and Mike Bickle have agreed that out of the best interest of the organization and the integrity of IHOPKC, Mike will step away from public ministry for an indefinite time, up to and including until we complete a thorough examination of the allegations and inquiry of the circumstances. Mike has agreed to not engage in public ministry, our platform, attend our prayer room, or engage in social media messaging.
External Allegations & How We Are Responding
As previously disclosed, there have been several allegations raised and we are taking this process seriously. So far there is one allegation from 26 years ago that has some credibility. Other allegations have been more difficult to verify due to the fact they are either anonymous or represented by third parties. Some of the alleged events predate the founding of IHOPKC. Additionally, some of the women who were named in the allegations have publicly refuted that they were ever victims of abuse and even denounced the representatives of the alleged victim group for using their names without permission. In accordance with best practices, the ELT has retained a national law firm, Stinson LLP to conduct an impartial examination of these allegations with the goal of assessing their merit and advising the ELT regarding appropriate steps to take. The firm has already started its work, but it will take time to complete. When this examination is completed, and based upon its findings, we will be able to determine what steps should be taken to see healing for all who have been affected as well as our community. As always, continue to pray. If you are experiencing shock, pain, and confusion we want to say we understand and this response is valid. Many are grieving, but at the end of the day, we are choosing to fix our eyes on Jesus and we invite you to do the same. We as a leadership team love you deeply. We are grateful for the IHOPKC community. We pray for grace to love in this time. Lastly, we understand that statements like this coming from our leadership team is new for our community, but what has occurred in the last week is unprecedented here at IHOPKC. Even in this time of crisis, we trust in the leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The IHOPKC Executive Leadership Team