Advocate group upsets IHOPKC with new video allegations against Mike Bickle
A group of former leaders at International House of Prayer Kansas City, known as the advocate group, sought to defend themselves in a collection of videos Wednesday in an ongoing war of narratives about allegations of abuse against founder Mike Bickle that has left leaders of the 24/7 prayer ministry upset.
The former leaders, identified as Dean and Jeanie Briggs; Fran and John Chisholm; Jono and Shari Hall; Elizabeth and Peter Herder; Allen and Rachel Hood; Samuel Hood; Amanda and Wes Martin; and Dwayne and Jennifer Roberts, appeared to go on the offensive in defense of their campaign to hold Bickle accountable for his alleged abuse after five of eight Jane Does they claimed were victims publicly denied the allegations.
In a statement from the group published on X and titled "Response to the Jane Doe Appeal and Protest Statement" on Dwayne Robert's X account, the group denied presenting the protesting women as "victims."
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Along with links to three video conversations recorded on Dec. 20, 2023, they explained that in addition to their desire "to humanize and hear the hearts of this group," they hoped to "give some insight" into why they have found themselves "in this most difficult of situations."
"Regarding the women who have shared their recent statement, at no point has any representation been made by anyone in the 'Advocacy Group' that they were representing these women as victims. A number of women self-identified on social media on October 31, 2023, that they were not victims of Mike Bickle; it is assumed these are the 'Jane Does' of the recent statement," they argued.
"If this is the case, in these situations, more than two to three witnesses have come forward to speak with members of the Advocate Group with evidence of wrongdoing between Mike and each woman."
They further noted, "These [Jane Does] also seem to follow similar patterns to the wrongdoing of other Jane Does, who have willingly come forward as victims."
In a joint statement last October, Dwayne Roberts, an IHOPKC founding member, former IHOPKC Executive Leadership Team member Brian Kim and former Forerunner Church Pastor Wes Martin revealed they were the ones who first confronted IHOPKC leaders about the allegations against Bickle spanning "several decades."
They alleged that before meeting with IHOPKC's leadership team, they attempted to discuss the allegations directly with Bickle "in the spirit of Matthew 18:15-17" but were rebuffed. They claimed that Bickle also attempted to intimidate, isolate, manipulate and discredit his alleged victims.
In their "Report on Initial Findings," IHOPKC's executive leadership team said they treated the allegations against Bickle as credible and asked Bickle to step away from public ministry when they were first confronted with the allegations on Oct. 24.
The IHOPKC leaders identified five of the eight women whom the complaint group alleged were Bickle's victims and found the evidence thin. Three of the alleged victims called the allegations "lies.'" One of the alleged victims refused to communicate with the attorneys for the ministry. Only one woman, identified as Jane Doe, whom attorney Boz Tchividjian is representing, was found to be credible. The advocate group revealed that Tchividjian is also working with them as a consultant.
On Jan. 16, IHOPKC worship leader Misty Edwards released a joint statement on behalf of herself and four other women misidentified as Bickle's victims, claiming that the advocacy group members bullied them and tried to get them to create a narrative against the ministry that isn't true.
"Many of us alleged Jane Does have been silent throughout the months of the three IHOPKC investigations and difficult ordeal. While other voices have chosen to clamor loudly and insistently, we have maintained our silence, desiring to retain whatever measure of privacy of life we could that was left after our lives were invaded by the violating behavior of those involved in a calculated 'Jane Doe' campaign that is being done in the name of 'love, transparency, justice, and advocacy,'" the statement noted, criticizing the advocate group.
"While a narrative has been presented of many female victims whom the 'advocate' group is representing, the true story that has not come out is how many of those victims were involuntarily labelled that and had narratives constructed by others forced upon our lives, that we have been forced to defend ourselves from. This has been painful, humiliating, and traumatizing to all of us."
Advocate group members Dean Briggs and John Chisholm shared previously undisclosed allegations in one video of Mike Bickle's son, Luke, being involved in a multi-year extramarital affair with the wife of an IHOPKC department leader. They also accused Bickle and former IHOPKC Executive Director Stuart Greaves of conspiring to cover it up.
Briggs said when he tried talking to Mike Bickle and Greaves about the situation, he didn't find their response acceptable.
"I was told, 'There's two sides to this story. There's actually four sides. There's multiple guilty parties. Everyone has issues. There isn't actually sufficient evidence.' Then, 'They were confronted. The affair had stopped. And nothing else was going on," Briggs recalled. "Both Mike and Stuart told me the same story. ... The principle I was told was, 'You don't adjudicate a private sin in a public setting.'"
Reacting to the videos hours after they were published, General Kurt Fuller, IHOPKC's interim executive director, said he didn't understand why the advocate group chose to publish the videos publicly instead of submitting them to be a part of the ongoing investigation against Mike Bickle and questioned their motive for doing so.
"I can't understand why they would not have provided these videos to me to support their claims. I'm the one person who has both the authority and responsibility to properly adjudicate this case and hold people accountable. They haven't even given me a chance to do that," Fuller said in his video statement published on YouTube Wednesday night.
"I leave it to you to judge their motives for this. In my role as a general officer in the U.S. military, I've negotiated with our nation's enemies, with foreign officials at the highest levels of adversarial governments, and even with my own government up to the cabinet level," he said.
"My rules for these negotiations have always been the same. I work with truth and facts. Rumors and unsubstantiated claims have no place in these dealings. That is the way I've always operated and still do. The existence of these advocate group videos confirms to me that four members of The advocate group have looked me in the eye and lied to me," Fuller insisted.
He said he forwarded the videos to the independent investigator looking into the allegations against Mike Bickle, and he is confident that she has the skills and experience to determine their relevance to her work.
"Her role is crucial in ensuring that the investigation is comprehensive and unbiased. I have never said that these allegations are not true. I have never questioned whether the alleged victims are telling the truth. As I have constantly said from the very beginning of this, I want nothing more than to uncover the truth. That's still my goal," Fuller insisted.
"I've been steadfast in my commitment to a process that is fair, just, and transparent. Significantly, and at all times, the allegations were treated as if they were credible in order to care for any past or present victim while objective due diligence was being performed."
While IHOPKC leaders have publicly expressed a desire to engage with the advocate group to get their buy-in on their investigation, Fuller appeared to have abandoned that plan in his most recent comments.
"I remain open to any credible evidence that can illuminate this situation, and I'm dedicated to following through with this process until its rightful conclusion. I now know what I must do. I no longer need the unsolicited outside advice of people who have no authority here," he said.
"I'll await the independent results of our investigator and then compare those with what the new leadership here and I have found on our own and then use those findings to hold people accountable for their behavior and to correct all organizational shortcomings as necessary," he added. "We will not tolerate misconduct of any kind, and we stand against any form of abuse."
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