(RNS) — Mike Bickle, the influential founder of the International House of Prayer, a global missionary group, committed sexual abuse or misconduct involving at least 17 survivors, according to an independent report released Monday (Feb. 3). The allegations range from spiritual abuse to rape.
“Bickle, as a pastor and leader, was entrusted with the care of his congregation’s spiritual wellbeing; however, he betrayed this trust by misusing his position of authority to engage in sexual misconduct with multiple victims,” the report stated. “His actions not only violated the sanctity of his role but also caused profound harm to those he was meant to guide and protect.”
The report was conducted by the investigative firm Firefly but overseen by Tikkun Global, a Messianic Jewish network that had previous ties to Bickle and IHOPKC, based in Kansas City, Missouri. Tikkun was asked to oversee the report by the so-called Advocate Group, which consists of former IHOP leaders who raised concerns about the alleged abuse. The report was based on a review of over 6,000 documents and interviews with 210 individuals. The current IHOPKC board of directors and Bickle did not respond to Firefly’s attempts to contact them.
Bickle was initially accused of clergy sexual abuse by former IHOPKC leaders in October 2023 based on allegations from several women that spanned multiple decades. In December 2023, he confessed to “inappropriate behavior” but not the “more intense sexual activities” he had been accused of. IHOPKC leaders soon cut ties with Bickle. Bickle did not respond to an email request for comment.
The Firefly report describes how Bickle allegedly groomed and isolated many of his victims. The report says most victims were at least two decades younger than Bickle, and said that by targeting people who were younger, he was able to “exploit his authority and influence over them.” He would single out victims, the report claims, give them gifts and attention and position himself as their “spiritual father.”
Eventually he would isolate his victims, in some cases exerting control over their eating habits and lifestyle, according to the report.
A livestream of the International House of Prayer Kansas City 24/7 prayer room on May 8, 2023. (Video screen grab via IHOPKC)
Firefly notes that a culture of idolizing Bickle and other leaders led to a lack of accountability at IHOPKC and that Bickle routinely touched people inappropriately, normalizing the practice. “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,” the report claimed. “This behavior, masked as innocent affection, was a calculated tactic to desensitize his victims to physical contact, gradually pushing boundaries until they were normalized.”
The report names three women who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Bickle, two of whom were minors at the time. In some instances, the report says, he would use prophetic words to suggest his actions were “guided by a higher power.” One survivor said Bickle would have her pray the Bible’s Psalm 51, a psalm of repentance, after the abuse occurred, distorting her perception of the situation.
Brief overviews of several other instances of alleged abuse involving 16 IHOPKC staff members appear in the report, which gives recommendations for how IHOPKC can improve its response to abuse.
“(T)his report finds a deliberate indifference by BICKLE and the ELT (Executive Leadership Team) in minimizing reports of sexual abuse, requiring victims to confront their offenders, and discouraging victims from seeking law enforcement assistance,” the report finds.
RELATED: IHOPKC cuts ties with Mike Bickle over ‘inappropriate behavior’
Gracia, the founder of a group called Recovering From IHOPKC who said she appears anonymously in the report and wished to be identified only by her first name, called the report a “really good first stepping stone.” She said it provides compelling evidence that certain IHOPKC leaders, including Bickle, “participated in an environment that not only contained abuse, but allowed that abuse to thrive.” But she felt the report failed to go far enough and included some important errors she hopes will be addressed in a future version.
“I feel like the report really put so much of a focus on Mike’s survivors, and then kind of spent the last half of it giving very, very little detail on the other survivors, and didn’t necessarily do justice by the intensity of those stories,” said Gracia, who has reported being sexually assaulted by a colleague while on IHOPKC staff and being pressured not to go to police.
The Firefly investigation follows an earlier report from Lathrop Group, which was hired by IHOPKC in December 2023 to investigate allegations against Bickle. The Lathrop report, published last February, found Bickle engaged in “inappropriate behavior” with one primary victim and had “sexual contact” with a second victim, according to the Roys Report. The primary victim and a group of IHOPKC whistleblowers had declined to participate in the investigation, citing concerns about its independence.
In 2024, IHOPKC hired the Telios law firm to investigate how its leaders handled allegations of abuse in the organization. The status of that investigation is unclear, and IHOPKC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The founder of an international round-the-clock prayer ministry and missionary group, Bickle had long been one of the most influential leaders in Network Christianity, a movement of nondenominational charismatic churches.
Attorney and abuse advocate Boz Tchividjian approved of the way the Tikkun report documented not only Bickle’s abuse and misconduct, but detailed how he went about grooming abuse victims. Tchividjian said he wished it had included more details about alleged abuse by other leaders, which he said still matters, even though those leaders aren’t famous.
He said the report shows that abusive pastors can’t hide forever.
“Let that be a warning to those in leadership now who are engaged in this same or similar conduct, who have also bought the lie that rules don’t apply to them,” he said. “Because ultimately, the rules will apply to them. It may take a while, but it will catch up to them at some point.”
Tchividjian said he fears that the current leaders at IHOPKC will never change the group’s culture nor learn from the report. “If I was king for a day, I’d shut them down,” he said. “Sometimes church doors can close, and that’s not the worst thing that can happen.”
In a statement posted online, the Advocate Group expressed thanks for the report and the investigation, while acknowledging some of its limitations.
“As former leaders, we are coming to terms with the reality that we dedicated years of our lives to a system that, while doing good in some ways, also caused significant harm,” the statement read. “We grieve alongside those who have been wronged and humbly ask for forgiveness for the role the institution played — and continues to play — in perpetuating harm.”
RELATED: Mike Bickle, leader of IHOP movement, accused of sexual abuse
