International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC) Founder Mike Bickle is a “chronic sexual predator” who should never serve in paid public ministry again, according to recommendations released yesterday, following an independent investigation by Firefly.
Firefly’s investigation found that Bickle sexually abused 17 women from 1970 to 2023. It also found that several of IHOPKC’s former leaders “shielded perpetrators” in a “systemic” leadership failure to respond to abuse.
IHOPKC did not participate in the investigation.
Yesterday, Tikkun International, which commissioned the investigation, released 16 pages of recommendations by a seven-member team of church leaders and professional therapists, referred to as the Pastoral Recommendation Team (PRT).
The PRT includes Jerry Dirmann, pastor of The Rock multi-site church in Anaheim, California; Mark and Nicki Pfiefer of the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders; Marriage and family counselor, Steve Prokopchak; Rabbi Emeritus Rich Nichol of Ruach Yisrael in Needham, Massachusetts; as well as a trauma therapist, retired clinical psychologist, and a biblical counselor. The PRT was convened by Dan Juster, director of Tikkun America.
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“The FIREFLY Report provided evidence indicating that Mike Bickle is a long-term and chronic sexual predator who used his leadership position to obtain power and control to groom, manipulate and intimidate his victims into being spiritually, emotionally and sexually abused for his personal gratification,” the PRT report stated.
The PRT stated that it was tasked with coming up with a restoration plan for both victims and the violators. The PRT said Bickle could serve in “informal ministry” if he meets several conditions and gets approval from a therapist and a third-party council.
The PRT also called for Joseph Taylor, IHOPKC’s executive director, to step down from public ministry for two years. The PRT also suggested IHOPKC should never rehire him.
The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to IHOPKC’s press email to seek Taylor’s comment on this recommendation but received no response.
The PRT’s report has been met with both praise for calling out Bickle’s sexual misconduct and criticism for leaving the door open for him to minister again.
“The Firefly Report has confirmed what so many victims already knew: Mike Bickle is a wolf, a master manipulator, and the most self-deceived man I’ve ever met,” wrote former IHOPKC member Mark Slezinger on Facebook.
“How DARE they leave a path open for informal ministry,” wrote former IHOPKC staffer Susan Tuma on X. “The Old Guard loves the Old Ways and they will sacrifice us on the altar of power as long as they live. . . If you’re young and in ministry: leave. Let the dead bury their own dead.”
“The PRT to Mike Bickle: Welcome back,” wrote former IHOPKC member Blaise Floret on X.
The PRT’s recommendations
The PRT listed several examples from the Firefly report of Bickle’s sexual abuse and grooming, including unwanted kissing, leg touching, exposure of his privates, and two potentially criminal instances of sexual assault and sexual contact with a minor. The PRT also stated that IHOPKC engaged in toxic leadership, deficient accountability, spiritual abuse, misapplication of scripture, and misuse of prophecy.
“Patterns of behavior that shielded perpetrators and minimized victims’ experiences were embedded within the organizational structures,” the PRT stated. “Moreover, the lack of external oversight and accountability allowed these practices to continue unabated.”
TRR reached out to Bickle for comment but received no response.
The PRT recommended that Bickle, the IHOPKC board, and several former leaders make public apologies to victims, families, witnesses, and the body of Christ.
Bickle and several former leaders should engage in counseling, discipline, repentance, and outside accountability, the PRT suggested.
IHOPKC should also form an Independent Council of Presbyters, who aren’t currently engaged with IHOPKC, to carry out the recommendations. This council should engage with Bickle regarding his discipline, repentance, and restoration plan. The council and Bickle’s therapist should be the only ones who can release Bickle to “informal ministry,” the PRT stated.
Advocate Alyssa DeGraff wrote on X that the lack of definition of “informal ministry” is concerning.
“The disciplinary recommendations don’t explain what a return to ‘informal ministry’ even means,” she wrote. “Home groups? Podcasts? Books? As I’d anticipated, this part was quite forgiving given the weight of the Report.”
IHOPKC’s board should also publicly accept Firefly’s investigative findings and acknowledge the violations of Bickle and other IHOPKC leaders, the PRT stated. The ministry’s current leaders should also acknowledge the bravery of the whistleblowers and victims, the report stated.
“Present leaders should continue to publicly honor those who bravely came forward to report the sexual misconduct and those who have stayed at IHOPKC to continue the long healing process,” the PRT stated.
The PRT also recommended that IHOPKC allocate up to $5,000 in funds for trauma counseling for each victim.
TRR reached out to the IHOPKC press office for comment but received no response.
Since allegations about Bickle’s misconduct were made public in late 2023, IHOPKC has faced a financial crisis, at one point, losing $500,000 a month. IHOPKC has cut most of its staff and its camps, ministries, IHOP University, and church services. The 24/7 prayer and worship ministry remains open.
The PRT also recommended that former IHOPKC leaders Stuart Greaves, Daniel Lim, Marci Sorge, Dave Sliker, Isaac Bennett, and Lenny LaGuardia also step down from ministry for a minimum of two years for “discipline, counseling and restoration.” Each of these leaders may return to ministry only upon release by the ICP and their therapists, the PRT recommended.
LaGuardia, whom IHOPKC released last year as executive director, recently launched a children’s ministry called M4 Initiatives.
Sliker, IHOPKC’s former president of IHOP University, maintains a website that takes requests for speaking and sells books he’s written as resources.
Bennett, the former pastor of IHOPKC’s now closed Forerunner Church, also keeps a website for a speaking ministry.
TRR reached out to LaGuardia, Taylor, Sliker, and the other former IHOPKC leaders to inquire about their ministry status in response to the PRT’s recommendations but didn’t receive any responses.
IHOPKC should also conduct training for all current staff to recognize abuse and become mandatory reporters, the PRT stated. They should also have access to training and resources that get to the heart of narcissism and abuse.
“The entire IHOPKC community should be given access to group personal growth training experiences where healthy relational brain and maturity skills are taught and practiced together with others,” the PRT stated. “If these had been the norm at IHOPKC the abuse being addressed would not have happened.”
The PRT also made recommendations for victims to access counseling services that IHOPKC is supposed to provide.
The PRT also stated that since none of the accused chose to be interviewed, they qualified their recommendations with this statement; “If these allegations are true, then we recommend that. . .”
Jono Hall, a former IHOPKC leader and member of an Advocate Group that confronted IHOPKC with allegations of Bickle’s sexual misconduct, questioned PRT’s approach.
“Question for Tikkun – At what point do allegations become established fact?” wrote Hall on X. “Based on both Old Testament law and New Testament ecclesiology which it seems that you are desirous of following. You require 2-3 witnesses. You have a lot more than this and yet you still leave the door open that these are just allegations. What is that about? Mike and the IHOPKC leadership had every opportunity to give their own account to the investigator and yet refused.”
Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado.
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10 Responses
Did I read this correctly? Investigators recommend that the executive director and six so-called leaders exit ministry for two years but Big Man On Campus is permitted to engage in (undefined) informal work? Are seventeen identified victims not enough?
I had the same thought. Doesn’t make sense; perhaps TRR can elaborate?
We don’t make the news; we just report it. But personally, I don’t get it either.
“Public but not Informal”?
Sounds like “LOOPHOLE! LOOPHOLE!” to me.
I guess PRT missed that verse in Corinthians that says ” expel the wicked person among you”, Paul was quoting from the OT and in context of the OT, this included the death penalty. Under OT Law – Bickle would get the death penalty but it’s ok if he engages in “informal ministry”??? How about fully confess to everything publicly and we will allow you into fellowship or expect a foot up your -your know what!
To Jamie👍. Right on! I heard about a pastor of a church who “fell”. His church’s discipline was he had to step down from ministry while he received help and pastoral care for 2 years. And reportedly helped out with janitorial and maintenance work the whole time… with humility and cheerfulness. This indicated he cared about submission and restoration to GOD FIRST. Where is this in these fallen leaders?! And accountability from all??
Did anyone (survivors, witnesses, IHOPKC, Tikkun) report these allegations to the proper legal authorities and Child Protective Services? Does the State of Missouri have a Statute of Limitations? If not, there must be follow up reports to the legal authorities who can actually hold Bickle and all of the other IHOPKC sexual predators accountable to the fullest extent of the law. As noted, the Investigative Report and the response from the Pastoral Recommendation Team are non-binding, and Bickle and the other perpetrators refused to cooperate with the investigation. These survivors and witnesses were brave to come forward, and they deserve justice. The payment of $5,000 per survivor is insufficient compensation for the sexual, emotional, and spiritual trauma endured. Bickle/IHOPKC and their accomplices should face criminal and civil charges. Tikkun’s role in this investigation appears to be a conflict of interest, given the organization’s longstanding relationship with Bickle and IHOPKC. Spiritual healing and restoration is the church’s role to offer, but sex offenders are subject to the law. Until this happens, there is no true justice or closure for the survivors.
Until these criminals and those who cover first them get life long, hard labor prison terms, this will just continue. Schools, military, churches, etc. should not be allowed to “investigate and punish”. All crimes should be immediately reported to police.
Mike Bickle should have no ministry, informal or formal, ever again. Seventeen victims is far more than enough to permanently disqualify him.
And can you really trust any restoration plan? I don’t. Turns out the Todd Bentley restoration plan supposedly administered by Rick Joyner was just for show.
I understand the Pastoral Reommendation Committee is revising their recommendations due to concerns and questions that Tikkun Global received after the initial report and subsequent Pastoral Recommendation Committtee released its report. What is the status of this revised or corrected report? Why the delay? Seriously, the survivors and the Body of Christ deserve truth and justice.