IHOPKC founder committed sexual abuse, misconduct against 17 women, investigation finds
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International House of Prayer-Kansas City founder Mike Bickle committed sexual abuse or misconduct against 17 women — including minors — over decades, amid a thriving culture of systematic abuse and coverups, a third-party investigation has found. “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,” said the scathing report by Firefly Independent Sexual Abuse Investigations.
The report said Bickle was entrusted with caring for his followers’ spiritual well-being as a pastor and leader. “However, he betrayed this trust by misusing his position of authority to engage in sexual misconduct with multiple victims,” it said. “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 investigation, an executive summary of which was released Monday night, also found that some members of IHOPKC’s Executive Leadership Team “were more focused on suppressing and minimizing reports of sexual abuse, misconduct, and rape rather than supporting the victims or staff who reported these incidents.” Neither Bickle nor current IHOPKC leadership responded to The Star’s requests for comment. The report said that “we have made multiple attempts to contact Bickle and have been unable to elicit any response from him.” Former members of IHOPKC’s leadership team and current board members also did not respond, it said. The 68-page report names the woman identified as Jane Doe, whose allegations about Bickle were made public in October 2023, causing upheaval in the 24/7 global prayer movement and inspiring other women to come forward.
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