Understanding IHOPKC crisis

If you are trying to understand the issues that have become the scandals around Mike Bickle and the International House of Prayer, you are joining many people with more questions than answers. There has been no shortage of dishonesty from the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) that operates basically as congregational elders.

As many know, I have been around IHOP before there was an IHOP and I have been on “missionary staff” since coming back in 2020. I know many of the people involved on both sides of this and I was part of IHOPKC when some of these things were going on. When I found out about the sin, the “dots began to connect.”

On October 27th, (day I found out) the Holy Spirit spoke to me about four things that must happen prophetically.

• There must be no path for restoration for Mike Bickle
• Dave Sliker must be removed
• Worship leaders must live worthy of their call
• Prophecy must be revamped

In the days since all of these have happened. The Lord was very clear that this was not optional. Holiness is not a suggestion, it is a command.

God wants you to be holy. You must keep away from sex sins. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

Mike Bickle speaking at Metro Christian Fellowship in the late 1990’s.

Is this about Mike Bickle?

At the core of the scandals, you must start with Mike. He is believed to have committed several sins including sexual immorality, spiritual abuse, and most concerning, prophetic abuse.  He is believed to have had multiple affairs, at least on an emotional level (and some on a sexual level) off and on for over twenty years. There also has been spiritual abuse using the language of David. The problem is we are not called to be like David. We are called to be like Jesus.

The most concerning of the things Mike is believed to have done is the abuse of prophecy. Adultery is sin but adding claims of God spoke to him about his wife dying and re-marrying these women among other things is completely unacceptable on many levels. Prophecy is very serious and when someone abuses it, it must be confronted in the strongest of terms.

Peter told believers in Asia Minor (Ephesus, Smyrna, Derbe, and  Pergamos) about false teachers who do things like teach destructive heresies, follow their sensuality, degrade truth, and give false prophecy. (2 Peter 2:1-3)  Doctrine aside, the reality is biblical themes and prophecy were used by Mike Bickle to convince young women to engage in compromising activities with him. Biblically, we have no choice but to regard him as a false teacher and false prophet at this point.

On October 20, he claimed to have a “dream” about his rejection knowing he had been confronted by victims the week before and refused to meet them. You don’t get to claim a prophetic dream about something you know is about to happen in the natural. By all accounts, this is a lying dream and it is manipulation.

Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness… (Jeremiah 23:32)

Stuart Greaves and Dave Sliker during May 2023 fast.

The wider fallout at IHOPKC

In my opinion, there has not been much leadership to speak of. It has been the lack of it that has created some problems. Several of the leaders, Stuart Greaves, David Sliker, and Misty Edwards have all been with Mike Bickle since the beginning days in the trailer. In some ways, they are where they are today because of their loyalty to him. As a result, they were seeking to protect Mike the best they could and according to many, delay any inquiry.

In the end, Stuart named Kurt Fuller, a retired Major General (US Army) to the board of directors and shortly after resigned from leadership. Dave Sliker went on vacation and while gone, it was announced that he was “parting ways” with IHOPKC. Misty has not been seen for the most part until very recently.

Beyond the Executive Leadership, there have been many leaders who have left such as section leaders, teachers at the school, worship leaders, prayer team members, etc. All in all, there have been about 100 staff members resign. This is about a third of the “missionary staff” currently at IHOPKC. Many more are making plans, like myself, to exit in 2024.

On a wider scale, there has been such a fallout that Forerunner Church is going from two services on Sunday to one service. I would guess that 300+ people have left Forerunner Church since October 2023.

Taken December 31, 2023 at Forerunner Church’s one service

How big is the scandal?

The truth is that sexual sin is not just Mike Bickle. It has been treated as not a big deal by many over the years. In IHOP’s theology, you are “weak and broken vessels” and “are in process” so you are “dark yet lovely.” All of this is used to justify sinful behavior. In truth, we must learn to hate sin like God hates sin and that has not been a feature at IHOPKC for many years. The use of Songs of Solomon and other passages for what they call “Bridal Paradigm” has given language to compromise on many levels and with many people.

There has been a culture of sexual immorality where “grace and mercy” have been applied to cover all types of sexual sins including sexual assaults and homosexuality. There has not been a strong call to purity and personal holiness for many years. In short, people have not been living worthy of the call of God and cut off ties to the old nature. IHOPKC has a sanctification issue.

Part of the reason that people got where they were is because of doctrine. The focus went from holiness and being Christlike to developing extra-biblical “revelation” about eschatology and becoming experts on Israel’s geopolitical outcomes. Judgment for sin was for Isreal’s enemies, not for each of us who live in ways that scripture tells us not to do.

Examine yourselves…Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right… (2 Corithians 13:5-7)

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