New ‘Pastoral’ Team Lays Out Restoration Path of ‘Chronic Sexual Predator’ Mike Bickle’s Return to Ministry
Weeks after an independent investigation tasked with investigating International House of Prayer Kansas City’s (IHOPKC) founder Mike Bickle found that the charismatic leader sexually abused or harassed at least seventeen women during his tenure there, including likely several minors, a Pastoral Recommendation Team (PRT) has come together and released a report recommending that while Bickle should never again serve in formal, paid ministry, on account of being a “long-term and chronic sexual predator,” there is a pathway for him to recommence “informal ministry.”
The recommendations were provided by the Pastoral Recommendation Team at the request of the Tikkun’s Investigation Coordination Team- the third party group investigating IHOPKC.
The PRT consists of “a balance of church leaders and professional therapists” who were “assigned to review the Firefly Investigation Report thoroughly and to make recommendations to the current leadership of IHOPKC, both for discipline and restoration for the violators and restoration for those who were violated.”
They explain that because Bickle did not participate in the investigation, which resulted in a 68-page report detailing his extensive history of unrestrained sexual sin, their recommendations are qualified by this statement: “If these allegations are true, then we recommend that…
These allegations include sexual abuse and misconduct, sexual grooming, toxic leadership, deficient accountability, spiritual abuse, misapplication of scripture, and misuse of prophecy. (Ie, “the report included numerous occasions where “prophecy” was misused to coerce and generally manipulate people into engaging in romantic conversations and/or repeated sexual sin.”
The PRT explained that they “worked from an assumption that God wants to restore Christian brothers and sisters” and that “While this restoration may not include a restoration back into the same position, at the same location or among the same people harmed by their sin, we believe it certainly does include a restoration back to healthy spiritual fellowship within the Body of Christ elsewhere.”
For this reason, they believe “present IHOPKC Board of Directors, using the recommendations from the PRT, should appoint an Independent Counsel of Presbyters (ICP) to help execute these processes. This Council should consist of seasoned pastoral figures and clinical therapists numbering between five (5) and ten (10) people who are not presently engaged in any capacity at IHOPKC.”
In order to carry out the following recommendations, as it pertains to the healing process of the victims and the restoration process for perpetrators, particularly Bickle, the PRT offers:
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.
Mike Bickle has confessed to some of these actions. The most egregious of his sins, however, is that Bickle pursued some victims who were minors and conspired to keep this hidden for many years. It appears Bickle’s ongoing sin and behavior during and before his time at IHOPKC was influential in the spread of abusive behavior through other staff members who then victimized more unsuspecting victims.
Therefore, the PRT recommends the following to be implemented by the ICP:
6.1. According to I Corinthians 5:1-5, Mike Bickle should be removed from ministry of any kind until a process of repentance, counseling, healing, and restoration has taken place. He also should be barred for his lifetime from ever holding a paid, professional, public ministry again.
6.2. He should publicly and in writing take responsibility for his years of inappropriate sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, manipulation, participation in minimizing and covering up his actions and the actions of other staff
6.3. He should publicly and in writing apologize to the victims, their families, witnesses, and the body of Christ for his abusive behavior.
6.4. He should submit to the recommendations for discipline, professional counseling for himself and his marriage and restoration process set forth by the ICP.
6.5. He should submit to clinical/psychological evaluation as well as long-term professional counseling with qualified professionals and accountability.
6.6 Should he desire to return to informal ministry, there must be a full release in writing from the ICP with the approval of any therapists with whom he has received counsel.
These recommendations should be implemented and overseen by the ICP and reported in
writing to the IHOPKC Board of Directors and made available to the IHOPKC congregation
and the public.
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About Author
“Yeah, I know I did those things to those 17 women (and hey, there are more than you know), but I pinky swear promise to go through your plan to let me have an “informal ministry” to put me back in a position of authority over anyone. Wink wink.” Want to see the rot that is in the American church? Look right here.