On Sunday, Dec. 10, the executive committee of the board of directors of International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) released an update regarding the sexual and spiritual abuse allegations against Mike Bickle, the ministry’s founder.
In the update, it was announced that the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) would no longer be handling the “management of the crisis”—most of which was managed by Executive Director Stuart Greaves. Instead, the investigation will now be overseen by the executive committee. This decision was made “as a matter of wisdom, governance, and the growing size of the complexity of this crisis.”
IHOPKC leadership believes that allowing Greaves to pass this responsibility off to the executive committee will allow him to “focus on our community, the body, our base, and the healing of hearts.”
Additionally, Eric Volz, the managing director of the David House Agency, an international crisis firm that specializes in solving political and legal problems overseas, was named as IHOPKC’s official outside spokesperson.
Volz was wrongly convicted of raping and murdering his ex-girlfriend in Nicaragua in 2006 and has been recognized by The New York Times “as a highly sought crisis manager.”
IHOPKC also revealed that it has engaged a “new third-party” firm that “has extensive experience conducting independent investigations into high-profile cases across the Kansas City metro area” (including clergy abuse allegations) to conduct an independent investigation into the claim of sexual abuse against Bickle.
The firm, which will remain unnamed in an attempt to avoid any outside interference during the investigation, is trauma-informed.
IHOPKC said it is not controlling the investigation and has no “ability to dictate the process or outcome.” Leadership informed the public that the third-party investigative firm has no ties to IHOPKC and has been in contact with all of Bickle’s alleged victims.
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The duration of the investigation is unknown and “will depend on several factors, the main one being whether or not the alleged victims and parties involved are willing to participate,” the executive committee said. “We hope that they will participate, so that truth can be brought to light quickly.”
 Board of Directors released an update regarding the sexual and spiritual abuse allegations against Mike Bickle, the ministry’s founder.){kind=link}