For 17 years, Shelley Hundley devoted her life to prayer and worship at the Casa Internacional de Oración in Kansas City (IHOPKC). At the time, she believed IHOPKC Founder Mike Bickle was healing her of deep wounds caused by the sexual abuse of her missionary father. But today, she believes Bickle was grooming her so he could sexually abuse her friends.
In this gripping podcast, Hundley—who roomed with Deborah Perkins, one of Bickle’s abuse victims, and Misty Edwards, a prominent IHOPKC worship leader— shares her story for the first time.
She reveals how Bickle normalized extremely concerning behavior, like regularly visiting her house and hanging out in her housemates’ bedrooms.
She also explains how Bickle encouraged people in the 24/7 prayer community to crave his attention and affirmation, and how he cultivated an inner circle, creating a culture of secrecy and protection.
Hundley reveals how the scales finally fell from her eyes when she witnessed Bickle’s dark side. And she shares her epiphany years later, when some of her friends told her about their abuse.
But perhaps the most heartbreaking part of this podcast is when Hundley describes meeting with former IHOPKC friends she highly suspects are victims of Bickle’s abuse. Despite overwhelming evidence Bickle is a serial sexual predator, she says these women refuse to admit the truth or to escape his cult-like control.
Through her testimony, Hundley calls church leaders to stand for righteousness, justice, and transparency—first steps to finding healing and freedom.
Shelley Hundley
Shelley Hundley experienced a deep conversion from atheism during her Sophomore year in college and began her journey of healing from childhood sexual abuse. In 1996, she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to join Mike Bickle’s church. In 1999, she was among the initial group of interns, and later staff, who assisted Bickle in founding the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC).
She left her IHOPKC staff leadership role in 2013 to pursue marriage and motherhood. Today, Shelley is a graduate student focused on Biblical languages and the cultural history of the Bible. She also helps women who are struggling through their own sexual abuse stories. Shelley and her husband love raising their two young boys. Find her on Instagram at @shelleyhundley
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3 Responses
What a beautiful and strong individual you are Shelley.
God our Father has made you strong in spirit and a testimony of his enduring love.
All that we endure in life either makes us draw closer to the Lord or is breaks us and causes us to fall in defeat.
I am 75 and have made many ignorant choices and have found such a love from our Father, such a depth of care and forgiveness that no man can truly understand in this life.
My dad, a hard working farmer, passed away when I was 11, so my search for a fathers love took years before I began to understand the true love of God.
We grow as we read the word and draw close to him in communion -Psalm 91, dwelling in the secret place of the most high God.
Thank you, and thank you Julie for following the Lord to expose the wicked tactics of the devil through individuals who are following the lusts of their flesh and not the Holy Spirit.
En Cristo,
Georgia Howard
Marion, SC
I think it’s time we started talking about the demonology at Ihop and how harmful it was. Shelley was arguably a head leader in that department. I have not seen her or anyone else renounce those teachings and actions that devastated so many. It is irresponsible to platform cult survivors before they have a full understanding of what happened to them and Shelley even admits that of herself here. It is inaccurate to characterization Tyler and his friends as separate, and re traumatizing for pple here during this time because its exactly what leadership did- distanced themselves from young people they were in fact teaching and discipling. Pls update this interview and ask Shelley Hundley how many demons she’s cast out of people then and since. Maybe apologize to those 70k viewers who heard her touching life story sans the real trauma she inflicted on others via intense deliverance sessions she taught her students to engage in also-rarely if ever recognizing when a person is needing professional mental health support. Pls acknowledge your lack of understanding of this traumatized community before you report further on its stories -because you keep getting it wrong.
I have responded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xg5aHBLiME&t=1s