68-Page Investigation Finds IHOP’s Mike Bickle Sexually Abused or Harassed 17 Women!
An independent investigation tasked with investigating International House of Prayer Kansas City’s (IHOPKC) founder Mike Bickle has found that the charismatic leader sexually abused or harassed at least seventeen women during his tenure there, with the report summarizing:
Throughout the investigation, we have identified and interviewed seventeen (17) Survivors who
were either sexually abused or experienced sexually abusive misconduct, including sexual abuse,
rape, clergy abuse, and spiritual abuse, perpetrated by BICKLE beginning to our knowledge in
the mid-1970s. These acts of abuse have had profound and lasting impacts on the lives of the
victims, causing significant emotional, psychological, and spiritual harm.
What little remains of IHOP has been involved in an independent third-party investigation after founder Mike Bickle was accused of longstanding sexual abuse and predation that spanned decades, resulting in the ministry and organization imploding.
While Bickle has only admitted to sexually inappropriate behaviors with two separate adults, two minors have alleged they were victims as well of sexual abuse, with Tammy Woods saying that Bickle molested and groomed her when she was 14 and another, Terry Hartley, when she was 15.
Both of these claims are covered in the report, where it is alleged Bickle engaged in “sexual assault and deviate sexual intercourse” with Woods, and kissed on the lips and fondled the breatst of Hartley.
The 68-page report was released by Firefly, a neutral third-party team comprised of “current and retired law enforcement investigators, seasoned therapists, and forensic interviewers from throughout the country.” According to the executive summary, they “meticulously reviewed and analyzed over 6,000 documents directly related to this case,” received “224 intakes through various channels, including online survey responses, emails, and phone calls,” and conducted “210 initial witness interviews, along with 28 reinterviews.” Mike Bickle was not one of them, as he steadfastly refused to interact or cooperate with investigators.
Throughtout the report, they use the acronym “IS” for Interviewed Survivor, “IW” for Interviewed Witness, and “ASM” for Accused Staff Member.
Firefly notes that during the investigation, “we learned of numerous other potential victims who have been sexually harassed or experienced sexually abusive misconduct by Bickle and/or other staff on campus.” but that because “many of these accounts are based on hearsay, as we have not directly heard from the victims themselves; therefore, we will not disclose these stories.”
Kicking things off, the report accuses Bickle of engaging in an extensive pattern of sexual grooming, which he employed with great effectiveness for years.
BICKLE employed a variety of manipulative tactics against his victims. These women were systematically and intentionally groomed into harmful, emotional, and spiritual abuse. His calculated actions created an environment of control and exploitation, where the victims were coerced into compliance and silence. This deliberate grooming process not only inflicted deep psychological and emotional trauma but also eroded their sense of self-worth and trust… The victims were often isolated from their support networks, making them more vulnerable to BICKLE’S control. This consistent and deliberate approach further highlights the calculated nature of his actions and the widespread impact on the victims’ lives.
For example:
According to our interviews, BICKLE often commented on young women’s appearances in over-the-top and publicly embarrassing ways. While these comments were intended to be affirming, they often had the opposite effect, making the recipients feel uncomfortable and objectified. IW #85 remembered numerous interactions where BICKLE would make comments to women such as, “You know how much I love you,” “You’re mine forever,” and offer “Papa time.”
According to IW #85, he would shower the girls around him with gift cards, special movie nights, and food. Another example of BICKLE’S comments toward women was shown during the interview of IS 18, who had been collecting various phrases and clips BICKLE had sent her, assembling them into a scrapbook.
Some of these clippings from BICKLE consisted of the following, “I love you MUCH, Blessings, Mike,” “You are truly amazing—love Mike,” “Hey, good looking,” “How much does my own heart cost?,” and “My dear one, I don’t want you for what you can do for me…I want you, and I want you for life, for as long as the Lord will give you to me! You’re mine!”
These messages highlight the inappropriate boundaries that BICKLE had overstepped, as they reflect a level of intimacy and possessiveness that was unwarranted and intrusive.
The report spends several pages detailing all the other ways that Bickle would groom the girls, including using the promise of unique prophetic words over them and spiritual insight from the Lord over their lives, but also with the use of touch.
BICKLE was a master at the casual touch of a victim that appeared harmless, such as hugging, wrestling, kissing, choking, touching legs, touching thighs, and tickling. BICKLE would then escalate his touching to be increasingly more sexual with certain victims.
Witnesses would often see Bickle, during church services and prayer meetings, grab girls by their throats, kiss them on their faces, and ruffle their hair. This behavior, masked as innocent affection, was a calculated tactic to desensitize his victims to physical contact, gradually pushing boundaries until they were normalized.
Cases in point:
IS #28 stated that BICKLE would hug and kiss her on her forehead in the prayer room. She noted how it was “Alarming to think that other leaders knew of Mike’s issues and still allowed him to touch women in the prayer room without holding him accountable.”
IS #29 stated that while in the prayer room, BICKLE would touch her lower back, grab her from the back of the neck, and kiss her on her cheeks, forehead, and the top of her head.
According to IS #9, BICKLE created an illusion of affection and care by rubbing her back, running his fingers through her hair, and kissing her face…In a one-on-one situation, his behavior escalated as he placed his hand on her bare leg, ran it up to her thigh, and made the inappropriate comment, “Freshly shaved.”
IW #15 advised that he observed BICKLE touch a singer in the prayer room by her chin as he slowly ran his hand up her jaw. Alarmed by what he had observed, IW #15 reported the incident to Isaac Bennet, lead pastor at Forerunner Church, who dismissed the concern, stating, “That’s just the way BICKLE is,” and no action was taken.
We also read:
IW #32 stated he observed hundreds of secretive communications between his wife and BICKLE over six years. He noted that his wife would spend many hours alone with BICKLE in his office and other locations, bringing him food and providing personal massages using essential oils on bare skin.
IW #175 reported an incident where, upon entering BICKLE’S office, they observed an inappropriate action involving BICKLE and IW 32’s wife, with her hand inside BICKLE’S pants. IW # 92, concerned about what was occurring between BICKLE and IW #32’s wife, advised they reached out to Stuart Greaves and Lenny LaGuardia (Editor’s note. Members of IHOP’s Executive Leadrship Team) about the inappropriate relationship, with no action being taken.
On October 28th, 2023, BICKLE called Interviwed Wintess W #17. According to IW #17, BICKLE stated, “I need to let you know about a little fire—Deborah Heibert has come forward.” According to IW #17,
BICKLE went on to disclose that when he (BICKLE) and (IS) Deborah Perkins were in Paris, “he was praying hard with her, and he started kissing her.”
BICKLE also told IW #17 that on another trip, he had booked a hotel for (IS) Deborah Perkins to stay in for a night, stating that Diane was out of town. BICKLE told IW #17 that he had taken a shower, and when he got out, he had left the door open, and (IS) Deborah Perkins saw him completely naked. When IW #17 questioned him about it, BICKLE stated that “he wasn’t the most righteous man.”
Apart from just Bickle, the report notes that it has “uncovered numerous instances of sexual abuse and misconduct perpetrated by individuals associated with IHOPKC.” Specifically: “we identified sixteen (16) Accused Staff Members (ASM) implicated in sexual misconduct claims.” While noting that “these instances are not directly related to BICKLE,” these findings “highlight a broader issue within the organization that requires immediate attention and action.” For example:
IS #8, after being sexually assaulted by ASM #5 at IHOPKC, sought help from trusted leadership figures. Instead of receiving support, she was told that the term “assault” was too strong and was discouraged from going to the police or disclosing the incident to anyone. IW 16 said, “You are Holy if you don’t talk. If you talk, you are toxic.” This statement was made many times throughout the investigation by other victims. IW # 191 stated there was a “code of silence” at IHOPKC.
IS #14 was sexually assaulted and raped by ASM #9, a staff member of the Nightwatch program. She reported what had happened to her supervisor, Donna Edwards, and they met with GREAVES, the director of the Nightwatch program. IS #14 was told that the word “rape” was too strong of a word to use for what happened.
She attended multiple meetings with different people who questioned her about the incident, which only crushed her spirit. Church officials asked her to retract her story and apologize to the offender formally. They also told her that she should not go to the police…”
The report also lists four men in positions of leadership at IHOP who either covered up the sexual abuse, dismissed it, or minimized it, namely Lenny LaGuardia, David Sliker, Stuart Greaves, and Isaac Bennett. Ironically, these are the four men who made the initial announcement from the IHOP stating that Bickle was being accused of sexual abuse, sharing how heartbroken they were about it, despite allegedly frequently hearing reports of inappropriate behavior from Bickle firsthand.
Keeping in this vein, the Firelfy investigation reveals that reporting sexual abuse at IHOP was highly problemtatic:
The investigation has revealed that staff members who reported sexual abuse victims to their supervisors often faced retaliation. Instead of being supported, these whistleblowers were frequently disciplined by being transferred to different positions or having their work hours reduced, despite the assurances in the IHOPKC Whistleblower Policy.
This punitive response staff members received, despite the policy set in place, discouraged staff from coming forward. Alarmingly, the policy also pushed to keep complaints inside the organization, with all reported complaints and allegations going directly to the compliance officer and the Executive Director.
The report ultimately concludes:
Based on the documented statements of victims and witnesses interviewed and the evidence in the form of documents and correspondence with the accused, this investigation concludes that BICKLE has committed spiritual, emotional, and sexual abuse within IHOPKC. BICKLE’S reported abuse was an ongoing course of action and patterned behavior starting as early as the 1970s based on victim accounts.
Through the identified IHOPKC programs, BICKLE systematically groomed and developed inappropriate relationships with women in the congregation while using “Matthew 18 Meetings” to conceal, minimize, and silence victims of sexual abuse within the church.
In further support of the above, victim accounts show BICKLE’S repeated behavior in using prophetic language to speak to victims, isolating victims from others, purchasing gifts, frequent visits to church-supplied apartments where victims resided, controlling behavior, public praise and attention, frequent touching of victim’s bodies, kissing victims, and creating circumstances where victims would observe him undressed and aroused.
BICKLE’S correspondence on December 12, 2023, acknowledges his “inappropriate behavior” but attempts to minimize it by stating it occurred decades ago and was not the “… more intense sexual activities that some are suggesting.”
Regardless of the intensity, BICKLE’S grooming, sexual solicitation, and abusive misconduct involving seventeen (17) women, some of whom were minors, is evident and should not be downplayed. This behavior has caused significant harm and trauma to the victims, and it is crucial to recognize the severity of his actions.
Furthermore, this report finds a deliberate indifference by BICKLE and the Executive Leadership Team in minimizing reports of sexual abuse, requiring victims to confront their offenders, and discouraging victims
from seeking law enforcement assistance. Their actions, or lack thereof, contributed to an environment where victims felt unsupported and vulnerable.
By downplaying the severity of the abuse and failing to take appropriate measures, BICKLE and the ELT failed to protect the victims and uphold their duty of care. This indifference not only exacerbated the trauma experienced by the victims but also allowed the perpetrators to evade accountability and continue
their misconduct.
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