Allen Hood, former associate director at International House of Prayer of Kansas City (IHOPKC), has issued a public statement on the recent allegations that IHOPKC founder Mike Bickle has committed sexual and spiritual abuse. Hood emphasized the need for IHOPKC leaders to learn from the ministry scandals that have occurred in organizations such as Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
“As the former associate director of IHOPKC, I want to speak clearly and firmly: it is imperative that the IHOPKC leadership team investigates these allegations by engaging an independent, third-party organization that specializes in handling allegations of abuse in a church context,” said Hood in a statement issued Tuesday, Oct. 31.
My public statement concerning allegations of spiritual and sexual abuse against Mike Bickle. pic.twitter.com/lgR35q4WCu
— Allen Hood (@allenshood) October 31, 2023
“Historically, leadership teams have been unable to effectively lead internal investigation processes,” Hood continued, citing RZIM, Willow Creek Community Church, Hillsong Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the SBC as examples of organizations that have handled such investigations poorly. It would be foolish, he said, “to think that IHOPKC is immune from institutional blind spots.”
“The burden upon my friends in the IHOPKC leadership is too weighty for such a task,” Hood added. “An independent, third-party investigation is the only pathway for a godly and fair process for all parties involved. I have spoken with IHOPKC leadership, and they have assured me this is their intent.”
Former IHOPKC Associate Director Allen Hood Speaks Out
Mike Bickle, 68, was formerly a pastor in the Vineyard Fellowship movement and founded IHOPKC and International House of Prayer University (IHOPU) in 1999. According to its website, IHOPKC “is an evangelical missions organization that is committed to praying for the release of the fullness of God’s power and purpose.”
IHOPU was founded with the goal of “equipping people to intercede and lead a lifestyle of prayer.” Moreover, Forerunner Church in Kansas City describes itself as “a local church expression” of IHOPKC.
IHOPKC has faced controversy in the past in part because of sexual abuse allegations some followers have faced. Some people have also seen Bickle and his ministry as suspect because of its ties to the New Apostlic Reformation (NAR), an ideology characterized in part by a particular view of spiritual warfare, ecumenism, and the end times, as well as the idea that Christians should have positions of influence in the major spheres of society. NAR is not a formal organization, but a term that refers to certain beliefs and practices.
According to his website, Allen Hood (M.Div., Asbury Theological Seminary) has been involved with IHOPKC since its founding. He was associate director of the IHOPKC Mission Base from 2000 to 2020 and served as president of IHOPU from 2003 to 2016.
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