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Report: Mike Bickle Had ‘Inappropriate’ Sexual Contact with 2nd ‘Jane Doe,’ Likely Abused Power

By Julie Roys
IHOPKC bickle report
Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photos: IHOPKC / Courtesy image)

Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC), had “sexual contact” with a second, previously unreported Jane Doe victim, according to a report from IHOPKC’s highly-debated third-party investigation released last night. Bickle also “more likely than not” abused his power, the report stated.

The seven-page report by Rosalee McNamara of the Lathrop Group also confirmed that Bickle engaged in “inappropriate behavior” with a “primary ‘Jane Doe’” whose story was reported exclusively by The Roys Report (TRR) in November.

“Based on all the credible evidence, including his own acknowledgements of contact with the two Jane Does over twenty years ago, it is more likely than not that MB engaged in inappropriate behavior including sexual contact and clergy misconduct, in an abuse of power for a person in a position of trust and leadership,” McNamara’s report stated.

McNamara’s report was based on documents and interviews with some IHOPKC senior leaders, staff, and community members, as well a four alleged Jane Does who are denying abuse by Bickle.

However, the primary Jane Doe, her attorney, and an “advocate group” (AG), comprised of former IHOPKC top leaders who have become whistleblowers, refused to participate in McNamara’s investigation because they doubted its independence.

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In a video posted last night, IHOPKC Spokesman Eric Volz said that IHOPKC had “opened up a line of communication” with the AG and are considering forming a commission of respected leaders to “evaluate the matter.” The idea of a commission was first floated publicly last week by charismatic Christian leader Dr. Michael Brown, who claimed a “new direction” to resolve the Bickle scandal was needed.

“The talks are preliminary, but things look promising,” Volz said.

mike bickle
On May 27, 2022, Mike Bickle leads prayer at The Send prayer rally at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo: Facebook)

Bickle founded IHOPKC in 1999. But the 24/7 prayer ministry permanently separated from Bickle several weeks ago due to his “level of inappropriate behavior.”

According to the report, Bickle declined to be interviewed by McNamara but responded to McNamara’s questions in writing.

Referring to the second Jane Doe, McNamara wrote that Bickle (“MB”) “admitted to inappropriate contact on three occasions with an individual connected with IHOP around 2002 to 2003. He described the contact as ‘consensual sexual contact that involved her touching me but not me touching her.’”

McNamara added that Bickle claimed he and Doe agreed the behavior “was wrong and the conduct stopped.” The report said Bickle’s account and Doe’s account, which McNamara found “credible,” were “very similar.”

Regarding the “primary ‘Jane Doe,’”McNamara wrote the “evidence is clear” that Bickle publicly admitted that he “sinned by engaging in inappropriate behavior” with Doe more than 20 years ago.

Bickle reportedly wrote to McNamara that “over 25 years ago, prior to the [May 7, 1999] formation of IHOP, I recall five occasions where I engaged in inappropriate behavior with [her] (which includes two occasions when we kissed). We both repented and agreed that those actions were wrong. Our friendship has been entirely appropriate for decades . . .”

Bickle’s account conflicts with what the primary Jane Doe told TRR. She said her sexual interactions with Bickle over a three-year period included everything but intercourse. She also recounted a time in 1997 when she met Bickle for dinner in Paris, then blacked out and woke up “very disoriented” the next morning in her hotel room.

Four alleged Jane Does deny abuse

McNamara’s report also included denials from four alleged Jane Does that Bickle had ever abused them.

As reported previously by TRR, some women, claiming to represent the views of at least five women falsely named as Jane Does, released a “Protest Statement” last week. In it, the women accused a so-called “advocate group” (AG) of falsely identifying them as Bickle’s victims and then abusing them when they didn’t submit to the AG’s narrative.

The AG, former top IHOPKC leaders advocating for alleged victims of Bickle, deny they ever abused any alleged victims. They admit, however, that one of the women denying abuse was identified by initials in a 50-page-document given confidentially to former IHOPKC Executive Director Stuart Greaves. One AG member also said he shared a couple names of possible victims in a confidential discussion with Greaves, which he now regrets.

McNamara said she spoke with four of the five alleged victims denying abuse. She said she was unable to interview one of the five alleged victims because she reportedly did “not want to be named in any manner.”

Rosalee McNamara of Lathrop Group
Rosalee McNamara of Lathrop Group

According to McNamara’s report, the alleged victims who spoke with her “were not happy about hearsay and rumors suggesting that they were victims or in any way subject to abuse or inappropriate treatment . . . by MB or others connected with IHOP.”

The report added, “Each emphatically and persuasively denied that any inappropriate conduct, attempts at inappropriate conduct, or any relationship or conduct other than an appropriate, professional relationship and conduct occurred.”

McNamara said she had “not seen evidence inconsistent with their accounts” and found the women “very credible, assertive, and cooperative in the interview.”

According to McNamara’s report, one of the women reported that “a story was circulated about someone allegedly seeing MB (Bickle) drive his car into her garage.” The woman reportedly told McNamara that she had borrowed Bickle’s car on a few occasions, “including overnight when he did not need it.”

McNamara said she confirmed with other witnesses that Bickle frequently lent his car to people.

McNamara also stated that another alleged victim claimed that her ex-husband and an AG member had called her father, “claiming that his daughter was delusional and didn’t comprehend what happened between her and (Bickle).” McNamara said the father asked the ex-husband and AG member to exclude his daughter from “the situation because he knew both his own daughter and (Bickle) well, and he knew what his ex-son-in-law’s motive was.”

Glaring omissions, accusations, and “apology”

When IHOPKC announced it had hired McNamara in December, the primary Jane Doe, her attorney Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian, and the AG said they would not participate. Tchividjian and the AG noted that McNamara’s firm boasted about its successes defending church groups against sex abuse allegations on its website.

“Why would reported victims of sexual abuse and misconduct sit down with an attorney from a law firm who represents churches and then brags about their successes?” Tchividjian said at the time.

IHOPKC Spokesman Volz has consistently promised that the investigation would be independent.

And in her report, McNamara stated, “My investigation was unfettered. I was requested and encouraged to find the truth about the allegations. No entity or individual has attempted to limit or sway the investigation, its outcome, or this Report in any way.”

For the past several weeks, IHOPKC and the AG have participated in private talks about involving an agreed-upon investigator to work with McNamara.

However, those talks reportedly led to an impasse last week and prompted the AG to publish a series of videos, revealing the group’s failed attempts to work with IHOPKC to hold Bickle accountable.

Those videos then prompted acting IHOPKC Executive Director General Fuller to publish a defiant address in which he accused the AG of lying and announced his intentions of moving ahead with McNamara.

IHOPKC Fuller
Acting IHOPKC Executive Director Kurt Fuller says he won’t negotiate further with AG in announcement on Jan. 25, 2024. (Source: Video screengrab)

Volz later clarified the lying accusation on X, stating that Fuller had asked three members of the AG whether the group was producing a documentary and they said no.

AG member Jono Hall responded on X  that Fuller had asked if Hall was “editing a documentary” on IHOPKC and Hall said no. Hall said he didn’t tell Fuller about the videotaped interviews because he didn’t consider them a documentary.  

In an email to IHOPKC members this week, Fuller wrote, “I regret that I said publicly that I was lied to. No one knows which members of the Advocate Group I was referencing, and I intentionally didn’t mention any names, but it is clear to me now that I should have found another way to say it. I apologized to those who felt those words were direct at them—and my apology is genuine.”

Fuller also wrote that IHOPKC needs to “undergo a major organization and cultural reset to become the ministry the Lord intends us to be.” Fuller stated that IHOPKC is completely updating its HR policies and plans to teach everyone on its mission base how to report misconduct. It also is instituting new training for leaders, reorganizing its leadership structure, and improving its security, Fuller said.

IHOPKC Spokesman Eric Volz
IHOPKC Spokesman Eric Volz

Similarly, Volz took a more conciliatory approach in his video last night, saying that “the primary stakeholders in this crisis are all godly and righteous men and women lovers of Jesus. So, it’s time for disarmament—for all sides to come together in humility and love.

Volz also announced today that his “time providing crisis management services to IHOPKC has come to a close.”

“Absolute Trash”

Response to McNamara’s report and IHOPKC’s statements has been scathing by some in the charismatic Christian community.

Well-known author and teacher Joel Richardson called the report “absolute trash.”

“Based on numerous conversations I have had with very credible witnesses, the report addresses maybe 5% of the things Mike Bickle is (allegedly) guilty of.”

Similarly, a former missionary, Kyle D. Christensen, commented, “It’s truely (sic) amazing how you guys come out swinging and accusing the AG of lying . . . and then a few days later submit this plea for us all to move forward and pursue unity and forgiveness toward each other. Still haven’t heard apology 4 saying AG lied.”

One commenter Nate Hagerty, said after hearing Volz’s video, “This is a start. Not nearly enough, but it is definitely a different tone and direction.”

Hagerty later posted, “Now having looked at the report, I am much less encouraged. Junior grade stuff that indicates very little investigative curiosity. Yikes.”

Rebecca Hopkins contributed to this report.

Julie Roys is a veteran investigative reporter and founder of The Roys Report. She also previously hosted a national talk show on the Moody Radio Network, called Up for Debate, and has worked as a TV reporter for a CBS affiliate. Her articles have appeared in numerous periodicals. 

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5 Responses

  1. The remaining inmates of IHOP have gotten used to a sickening stench. While he was overseas, Eric Voltz was found guilty of rape and also of the murder of his girlfriend. He spent one year in jail for this overseas. Why is it that their PR representative has such an outrageous, heinous past? Brad Tebutts, Bob, Jones, Paul Cain et. al., all had openly confirmed,sexually predatory behavior. In each and every case IHOP has put up real resistance to distancing itself from sexual abuse The weak received no protection.

    The new predators and the established leader predators had an agreement among wolves. They would attracted sexual activity. They would cover for each other. They would defend it. They would crush those who questioned them.

    The depth of this evil has yet to be plummeted. It is in fact satanic. The real tragedy is not the fury of Satan‘s assault against the vulnerable by
    his determined followers, but the quiet compliance of the people to the evil that they know,to be hateful to Jesus Christ. The IHOP bride is terribly sick. The leaders leave plenty of evidence of being perverts who attract perverts and promote perverts. There is no other conclusion possible with this track record of decades.

    1. I agree that IHOPKC is a sick place led by sexual perverts, but you should actually look into the Eric Voltz case, the man is innocent (he is, however, not innocent of participating in this massive IHOPKC coverup of church leadership sexual abuse).

  2. Snakes will be snakes. Choose someone to blame and throw them under the bus. Bickle is so obviously guilty that he was chosen. Follow what every other fake Christian org has done. Do an in-house investigation. Admit that which is obvious and cannot be denied. Act like public jerks in defending yourselves and casting dispersions upon those bringing light to evil. Do the min. possible. Release a report of the obvious, claim changes will be made and then go back to doing all things as before with whitewash. In this case also keep denying that your way of doing prayer is in absolute total defiance of Jesus’ actual teaching on prayer. In a couple of years more scandal will emerge and because you did this before rinse and repeat. This is not Jesus’ church. He has been locked outside knocking to get in since day one.

  3. Please. Where’s the evidence?? MB has had everything taken away from him by women who have nothing but claims. Where’s the evidence? And do we know if these women are being offered money to make these allegations? The first Jane Doe’s case was all claims. The women in the AG group say they weren’t victims. So all of that didn’t work to get to IHOPs money. So now they’re trying this again with a different woman and again without evidence. It looks like Mike Bickle is becoming the victim of all of these baseless claims in an effort to get to IHOPs money.

  4. Stephanie – the Eric Volz case was on all the major networks and a 5 minute google search would tell you that he was falsely accused, falsely imprisoned and totally innocent. Your unresearched, blanket condemnations of all these leaders who are genuinely trying to resolve this very difficult problem reminds me of the Pharisees condemning the woman at the well. I hope you find more mercy from others than you are extending to them.

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