Report: Bickle's accused sex abuse, 17 women, IHOPKC leaders complicit

Sliker, LaGuardia, Greaves, whole ELT, complicit in disturbing trend of control, coercion, coverup, says report (but first a correcting game-changing detail in the report)

UPDATE: Before I get into my take on this I feel compelled to interrupt myself with an important correction that makes a significant difference in the Firefly report when it offers its Implementation Strategies on Page 55. Because this changes the application of the law, I am highlighting it here first, but please continue below.

On Page 56, the report’s recommendations include this one. But it’s incorrect.

The strategies recommended here will be debated for some time, but Firefly makes a mistake many do (despite coming to Kansas City for interviews); it refers to Kansas law, not Missouri law. And in this case, the laws appear to be different. Tragically, there have been repeated efforts in KS to pass mandated reporters bills for clergy. But as the KS Catholic Conference reports on its 2024 session:

One proposal on the table last year was the legal requirement that clergy report instances of abuse. We have always supported this measure—our clergy already operate under this requirement as a condition of their employment. A version of this bill passed committee but did not advance further. HB 2300 Mandated Clergy Reporting

Across State Line Road, however, where the IHOPKC Board of (non) Trustees include licensed ministers and those who work with children, including outspoken adoptive and foster parent, Malachi O’Brien, children’s minister Lenny LaGuardia still running ministries for kids with IHOPKC sending emails on his behalf, and more… ministers are mandated reporters.

Section 210.115, RSMO is clear: on its list is “Minister (as provided by section 352.400, RSMo.)” Oh, you ask, what is a minister as provided by that section?

(3)"Minister", any person while practicing as a minister of the gospel, clergyperson, priest, rabbi, Christian Science practitioner, or other person serving in a similar capacity for any religious organization who is responsible for or who has supervisory authority over one who is responsible for the care, custody, and control of a child or has access to a child; Mo. Rev. Stat. § 352.400

Back to that mandate (and do note in this case, Dr. Dénouement is not adding emphasis; that’s from MO):

“When any individual identified above has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or may be subjected to abuse or neglect or observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances which would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, that person shall immediately report

• Reasonable cause to suspect means a standard of reasonable suspicion, rather than conclusive proof.

• The term "abuse" is not limited to abuse inflicted by a person responsible for the child's care, custody and control as specified in section 210.110, but shall also include abuse inflicted by any other person.

Failure to report is a Class A misdemeanor if one is a mandated reporter; mandated reporters may not make anonymous reports.

-I now return you to my original report-

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Stories of exploiting victims’ deepest fears, and hopes, manipulating victims into compliance, whether fear or guilt or just spiritual obligation, exerting power and control in so many ways it might take pages to tell a single story.

Stories of figures of authority that Stanley Milgram warned us about after World War II with his electric shock experiments exposing the depths of humans’ obedience to authority. The power structure that really looks like that awkward Uncle Bertram at the family picnic, who asks you how you spent that whopping $5 he (still) sends you every year for your birthday. He slaps you on the butt when he says it; and you put up with it because he’s dorky Uncle Bertram who is too dumb to know $5 won’t buy you your favorite overpriced coffee treat and butt-slapping is inappropriate, at best, so he’s not a pervert. He can’t be.

But what if that dorky uncle wink isn’t a dorky uncle wink? What if it’s all an act, a cover for a pervert who’s been playing the same role for so long he is still stuck in the 1970s?

“Sexual abuse isn't always apparent, even to the person experiencing it.”¹

This comment is a line directly from the report released on Monday by Firefly Investigations on Mike Bickle and IHOPKC, regarding the many sexual abuse and misconduct allegations.

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. These acts of abuse have had profound and lasting impacts on the lives of the victims, causing significant emotional, psychological, and spiritual harm. The survivors have shown immense courage in coming forward to share their experiences despite the fear and trauma associated with these events.

However, 17 is not enough corroboration for “The General,” it seems, because the report says, that IHOPKC Board Chairman Kurt Fuller said,

“The AGs were liars, and the sex abuse allegations were consensual.” (p. 8)

As the investigative summary gets underway, there’s simply no short version, but this comment sums up a lot of the Bickle takeaway:

“BICKLE, as a pastor and leader, was entrusted with the care of his congregation's spiritual wellbeing; however, he betrayed this trust by misusing his position of authority to engage in sexual misconduct with multiple victims. His actions not only violated the sanctity of his role but also caused profound harm to those he was meant to guide and protect.” (12)

The report, of course, details some of those 17 women with more of their stories:

• (IS) Tammy Woods (MINOR – 14-year-old)

• (IS) Terry Hartley (MINOR– 15-year-old)

• (IS) Deborah Perkins, an 18-year-old intern

These three, of course, are names that in some cases, we knew and others we did not until the release of the report. Hartley until now was publicly going by “TH” and earlier on Monday, Perkins gave her first public video interview with her name, to Julie Roys (watch it here, have tissues!). In the interest of space, I won’t recount all of their stories here, since these are the stories we know best, the ones which have captivated us all. Woods, in fact, blew everything open just shy of one year ago when she tiptoed in the room and dropped a bomb on the tea party.

Other names appear in the report, and sometimes the people (such as accused staff members) are obvious due to previous media. Many professional news services out there are writing more complete reports, but this is what stands out from one who has been in. Dr. Dénouement knows many of these “numbers” by name, many of these experiences, and many, many of these complicit creepers.

But let’s distill this:

IS#18’s collection of Bickle’s notes (p. 18)

More inappropriate behavior in the report details that witnesses would “often” see Bickle—during church services and prayer meetings—”grab girls by their throats, kiss them on their faces, and ruffle their hair” which the report says is a behavioral tactic that masks itself as “innocent affection… to desensitize his victims to physical contact, gradually pushing boundaries until they were normalized. By doing so, he created an environment where his actions were less likely to be questioned or resisted, further entrenching his control over his victims” (25).

The myriad other reports are just that: myriad. In itself that is troubling, but since most of the identities here of the witnesses are not public, seeing the list of numbers creates a stark reminder of a genuine dystopian nature:

• [I]nappropriate touching or behavior between BICKLE and women within the church were detailed by IW #18, IW #20, IW #66, IW #6, IW #32, IW #95, IW #175, and IW #92.

• IW #18 observed an adult female with her hands inside BICKLE’S pants in his office.

• IW #20, walking into BICKLE’S office, observed an adult woman rubbing BICKLE’S legs as he sat in his chair and the woman on the floor.

• One evening, IW #66 walked into BICKLE’S office and observed an adult female on her knees at BICKLE’S feet as he sat at his desk.

• IW#32 then says he “observed hundreds of secretive communications between his wife and BICKLE over six years. He noted that his wife would spend many hours alone with BICKLE in his office and other locations, bringing him food and providing personal massages using essential oils on bare skin” (28).

• Additionally, IW #175 reported an incident where, upon entering BICKLE'S office, they observed an inappropriate action involving BICKLE and IW 32’s wife, with her hand inside BICKLE'S pants.

• IW # 92, concerned about what was occurring between BICKLE and IW #32’s wife, advised they reached out to Stuart Greaves and Lenny LaGuardia about the inappropriate relationship, with no action being taken. (28)

The report also drops a stunning and sickening reality that was compiled from three independently gathered interviews: “During our investigation, (IS) Tammy Woods, (IS) Deborah Perkins, and IS #4 reported observing BICKLE in a state of undress, with an erection. Each encounter appeared to be deliberate and targeted towards the girls.”

That “dorky uncle” wink suddenly looks like a different wink, doesn’t it, ladies?

Other Staff Sexual Misconduct and Coverups

This section of Firefly’s report covers staff members of IHOPKC who have been credibly accused or even admitted in some cases (ASM #1 is an example) of sexual abuse or misconduct, and reveals some extremely disturbing trends of coverups—which Dr. Dénouement hopes the newest Jackson County, MO prosecutor will be also looking at, as some alleged crimes may fall within the statutes—especially criminal conspiracy charges. While that’s probably unlikely as well, it never hurts to ensure all interested parties have all necessary information. Firefly writes,

“Beyond the allegations against BICKLE, we uncovered numerous instances of sexual abuse and misconduct perpetrated by individuals associated with IHOPKC…. These findings highlight a broader issue within the organization that requires immediate attention and action” (34).

The report says it received stories of 16 accused staff members committing some type of sexual abuse and misconduct, but several feared including their experiences in the report “due to fear of retribution from the abusers and/or IHOPKC.”

ASM #1- Of immediate note is ASM #1. While the report does not say who it is, the identity is a major DUH to anyone who knows the story because even his victim came forward and revealed her own name, and all of the documentation in the Firefly report parallels the accounts we know—verbatim. As Dr. Dénouement has reported previously, at least until the recent purchase of Herrnhut, “ASM#1” was still living right next to IHOPKC. The report adds:

“The decision by IHOPKC not to publicly release the GRACE report reveals a significant disregard for transparency and the congregation's well-being. By withholding the report, the leadership has demonstrated a lack of commitment to accountability and potentially compromised the trust and safety of church members” (37).

This would have remained true at least through late 2024, and may presently be true. The entirety of ASM#1 is on pp. 34-38, and includes this letter at the start, which was sent to his victim (who has made her name public, and the situation itself public, in order to help protect others, much to her credit). That’s right, FOUR MEN and Tracey Bickle sent this email to a sex abuse victim. See the questions? The thing is, it’s really hard to tell who wrote it because the voice is very “IHOP-y” and the text is poorly written, in addition to being in poor taste. It’s unlikely it came from Anderson, Hall, or Hood, but I could be wrong.

Jono Hall and Allen Hood have said publicly they left after the investigation and IHOPKC’s refusal to dismiss ASM#1. I applaud the victim for responding with a basic “you are not qualified to do this—get a real investigator.” She was probably more tactful than I, but this letter is a hot mess ready to burn a lot of people.

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ASM#2 is also a familiar person to anyone following the account. While ASM#2 writes that he cannot participate due to pending legal action, the accounts in the report of IHOPKC staff are troubling, regardless—here they are with bullet points:

• IW #4 advised he contacted SLIKER about the allegations occurring during the youth outings, and that SLIKER stated, “he didn’t think it was a big deal.”

• ASM #2 was allowed to continue in the ministry.

• IW #2 noted that the situation was reported to GREAVES and LAGUARDIA, and nothing was done.

• IW #50 went to LAGUARDIA stating that ASM #2 needed to be removed from working around kids, and he was told, “No one could be banned.”

• IW #27, while working in the children’s department, was never notified of the actions being taken by the ELT during the investigation of ASM #2 and what occurred during the youth outings.

• IW #2 shared IS #24’s story of abuse with Ed Hackett, an IHOPKC board member, 11 days before IS #24 story went public on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

• IW #2 stated that immediately after telling Ed Hackett, he contacted Joseph Taylor, the Executive Director of IHOPKC, and informed him of IS #24’s allegation of being sexually abused by an IHOPKC staff member as a minor.

• On Friday, August 2, 2024, IHOPKC released a statement to the Kansas City Star, claiming this was the FIRST TIME they had learned of these allegations.

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ASM #3 Is what some might call an “open secret” around IHOPKC, in that most of us know the story, the name, and the connection the accused has via a family member to the Bickle family, and to the Sliker family (though the report does not mention this part—but Dr. Dénouement just did)—and wonder what is being done.

The report seems to show us that the answer is nothing. Nothing at all.

“Multiple girls lived in a basement apartment owned by ASM #3 and his wife. The bedroom door locks were removed to allow free access for ASM #3” (40).

Is it legal to have a private apartment with no lock? When Dr. Dénouement temporarily rented a condo from a woman (who of course was a Christian missionary) the woman, AKA “Psycholord” was busted for not changing the lock from the last tenant. If they paid rent, this seems shocking—even if the rent was a $1, there must be a law—even in MO.

Here, the victim alleging the abuse and assaults allows her name to be shared and, frankly, Olivia, Dr. Dénouement is amazed at your courage. The report says:

“Olivia Bauman-Pousseur (18-year old), an intern at IHOPKC, was physically and sexually assaulted by ASM #3 in 2010-2011. During this period, she had been punched and thrown to the ground and sexually assaulted on multiple occasions.”

What happened next, however, is terrifying:

• Bauman-Pousseur contacted Dave and Tracey Sliker to assist her. (SLIKER was on the ELT as the President of the International House of Prayer University)

• SLIKER wanted to meet in person, so she asked IW #109 to attend the meeting.

• IW #109 stated, “What I came to realize very quickly was this meeting was about extreme grooming, repeated sexual assault disguised as “pastoring” and “one-on-one counseling” she was experiencing at the hands of her landlord.”

• The focus of the meeting according to IW #109 was “keeping her quiet and the only way to move forward was to forgive, forget everything and not to ask any more questions.”

• SLIKER told Bauman-Pousseur, “This is all a considerable misinterpretation.”

• During a second meeting, held at SLIKER’S home, Bauman-Pousseur was told not to bring IW #109 and to attend alone.

• She was surprised that the meeting was with ASM #3 and SLIKER.

• She was told that ASM #3 had repented and warned her not to tell anyone, including her parents, of what had happened.

• SLIKER told her, “Jesus doesn’t go spreading all of our sins, so we shouldn’t share the sins of others.”

• SLIKER also warned Bauman-Pousseur not to report the incidents to the police.

• Bauman-Pousseur was aware of a meeting with SLIKER, GREAVES, and BICKLE and never heard the outcome of the meeting.

• IW #109 attempted to reach out to GREAVES several times but never received a reply.

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ASM #9- This assault accusation details another familiar story that should never be familiar as IS #14 reports being sexually assaulted and raped to her supervisor, Donna Edwards (mother of Misty). Both meet with GREAVES:

• IS #14 was told that the word “rape” was too strong of a word to use for what happened.

• She attends multiple meetings, is repeatedly questioned about the incident, "which only crushed her spirit.”

• Church officials asked her to retract her story and apologize to the offender formally.

• They also told her that she should not go to the police.

• IS #14 stated that “How the church handled the situation was far more traumatic than the rape itself.”

Executive Leadership Team (ELT) Concerns

Here the report shoots as straight as it gets: “The investigation has revealed that certain members of the ELT at IHOPKC 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 (43).

It continues by noting, in particular, “troubling practices within IHOPKC involving SLIKER,” who responded at first, but “all correspondence came to an abrupt stop.”

Firefly notes a comment by IW #77 when he “questioned SLIKER as to why an alleged offender was still on staff, SLIKER commented, ‘We never take a guy out of his game when he's being restored.’” Firefly adds, “This attitude reflects a concern for prioritizing the offender's restoration over the victim's wellbeing” (43).

Firefly continues, describing SLIKER’s oversight of Matthew 18 meetings, saying he reportedly, “interrogated the victims in front of the alleged offender” (43).

Sliker is not alone here. The investigation essentially outs Greaves as a culpable bully, saying, “[t]o silence victims, GREAVES would hold meetings where victims were interrogated and, in many instances, forced to apologize to the alleged offenders. And Greaves also is reported as dismissing victims and saying their concerns “would be handled in-house and that law enforcement should not be involved”(44).

A deeply troubling reason not to report a criminal act to law enforcement also reportedly came from Greaves. “IW #2 confronted GREAVES about why he told IS #14 not to go to the police after they reported abuse. According to IW #2, GREAVES started to cry and claimed, ‘Another black man is going to jail.’ (45)”

Greaves joins LaGuardia for the next portion. Of course most affiliated with IHOPKC are also familiar with LaGuardia and his 7299362892 roles on the base. He seemed to be the person who was assigned every role that was not specific to something else. Firefly notes disturbing patterns here too, as he was not only on IHOPKC’s leadership team, Vice President of Ministries, and “local chaplain for the Kansas City and Grandview Police Departments” (there is no reference to when or if he was dismissed by KCPD for allowing ASM #1 to remain on staff after Judy L. Thomas’ Kansas City Star piece in 2018 revealed the facts of a known and admitted abuser being on staff). Firefly does, however, confirm that LaGuardia is similar to Bickle, Sliker, and Greaves when it reports, “We have made multiple attempts to contact LAGUARDIA via email and in person at his residence. Unfortunately, we have been unable to elicit any response from him” (45).

Silence is golden to these folks, it seems.

In fact, it is so golden that LaGuardia joins Greaves in a dual confrontation with IS #14 in 2023:

• IS #14 confronted GREAVES in a recorded conversation at the Forerunner Church regarding his mishandling of her report of being sexually assaulted.

• GREAVES denied any cover-up of the assault.

• LAGUARDIA was also present during this confrontation.

• IS #14, LAGUARDIA warned her, saying, “If you don’t delete that, I’m going to give your name to somebody, and they’re going to contact you. It will cause trouble if she’s recording to trap somebody. It’s not going to be helpful for you.” (45) However, this took place in Missouri, which is a one-party consent recording state, which makes LaGuardia’s alleged threat far more ominous, especially since this conversation was reported to have occurred in a public meeting place. Public meetings spaces are often excluded even in two-party consent states, since people should have no expectation of privacy in public spaces).

• After witnessing concerning interactions involving a minor child and other young children, IW #25 contacted LAGUARDIA. According to IW #25, LAGUARDIA acknowledged observing the same behavior and assured IW #25 that appropriate actions would be taken. However, no measures were implemented, and the incident remained unreported.

• IW #20, IW #10, IW #50, IW #130, and IW #2 all shared stories of seeking assistance from LAGUARDIA with help on different disclosures of sexual abuse victims in which they were told that IHOPKC would be handling the situation, and they should not discuss the occurrences with anyone.

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- Facing abusers, “purity,” coercion, whistleblowing and retaliation -

In its concluding sections, Firefly’s report discusses such troubling areas of IHOPKC’s programs like the fact that new interns were “compelled to disclose sexual sins or experiences, often involving childhood victimization” (46). IHOPKC will likely deny this, if it speaks at all, but Dr. Dénouement can attest to this personally, so debate all you like, but the paperwork was in the forms, and the sign-up sheet was required material. We can cover all that when we cover other abuses one day. In fact, here’s an example in Firefly’s report:

IW #180 stated that there would be a “mass deliverance process” where they were made to disclose any sexual history that they may have.

IW #199 further advised, “Forced confessions were common, as we were often coerced with music and prayer in “pure heart” weekends, where we were to confess to strangers all of our sexual sins.”

IS #21 advised she was sexually assaulted as an intern and was referred to the IHOP’s counseling service, Living Waters, run by Tracey Bickle.

IS #13 had confidentially contacted her leaders seeking help about a situation with a female staff member who was sexually harassing her. She was told that she wasn’t following the biblical process, Matthew 18, correctly. No action was ever taken by the ELT against the staff member. IS #13 reached out to SLIKER, who reportedly told her to “Pull your big girl panties up; you signed up for this.”

The report commentary adds:

What we have consistently observed within IHOPKC is that often, when someone reaches out for help, they would be forced to say confessions and be silenced. Sadly, according to survivors, their “dirty laundry” was shared with the leadership, and nothing was done to rectify the situation with the alleged offenders. This was shown during our interview with IW #199, who stated, “The focus on purity and our sexuality in group settings was unsettling.” (47)

That tracks with many, especially when Firefly writes:

“Multiple victims reported that after the Matthew 18 meetings, they were required to attend IHOP’s Living Waters Program, which was run by Tracey Bickle (BICKLE’S sister). This program was intended to help individuals with sexual issues. However, the mandatory nature of this program and its connection to the leadership raised concerns about its effectiveness and the true intentions behind it. Many of the victims we interviewed felt that the program was another way to control and silence them rather than providing genuine support and healing.” (48)

What’s not there

Unfortunately, Firefly was not hired to investigate three key areas that people want to see. Two are addressed on p. 52:

1) Financials and 2) HopeCity.

The other is the spiritual abuse, which certainly is addressed in anyone who was sexually abused, since that is a factor, but many stories are untold due to the fact that we who were beaten and left for dead by coercion, control, manipulation, eschatological terrors, and those “deliverances” were not able to be included yet.

On p. 55, Firefly offers its implementation recommendations. One victim with whom I spoke, who didn’t want to say anything on the record and others who are not officially commenting yet here (but possibly have on other sites—I’ve read and written this without looking at others’ post or speak yet), feels like many would about recommendations. Certainly Firefly can only make logical recommendations, but the idea that IHOPKC is going to suddenly create clear and honest processes is not really realistic at this juncture. They allege they do background screenings of some already, they allege that ole’ Theresa Sidebotham’s “education” arm is already teaching and educating. IHOPKC will say they are already on top of it, but what they are on top of smells like something that should be flushed.

Meanwhile, IHOPKC absolutely should be supporting these survivors of abuse, but I think perhaps Firefly got a bit blinded by the nightlight with IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES #6

IHOPKC should offer support and counseling services for those impacted by sexual abuse within their congregation. This can be accomplished by creating support groups within the church that are led by outside professionals who specialize in sexual abuse and mental health services.

No one, not a single one of us, sex abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, financial abuse, you name it—is going to that place for support groups. That statement is whackadoodle dandy.

It should say, “IHOPKC should sell its assets and pay for all the counseling and trauma therapy for the victims they silenced.” FULL STOP.

(Here’s my original paragraph of the correction, until I looked up the differences and birthed some cows… This one is major):

One correction, respectfully, to Firefly, on Strategies #4, “Clear Reporting Procedures,” the recommendation adds “Although not mandated by Kansas law, IHOPKC should train staff and volunteers as mandated reporters of abuse…” Again, IHOPKC is going to say it is doing this already, but the ministry is in Missouri, not Kansas, and is, therefore, bound by Missouri laws.

Conclusions (Firefly’s and Dr. Dénouement’s—for today)

First, here’s the bulk of the conclusion from the report:

[T]his investigation concludes that BICKLE has committed spiritual, emotional, and sexual abuse within IHOPKC. BICKLE’S reported abuse was an ongoing course of action and patterned behavior starting as early as the 1970s based on victim accounts. Through the identified IHOPKC programs, BICKLE systematically groomed and developed inappropriate relationships with women in the congregation while using “Matthew 18 Meetings” to conceal, minimize, and silence victims of sexual abuse within the church. In further support of the above, victim accounts show BICKLE’S repeated behavior in using prophetic language to speak to victims, isolating victims from others, purchasing gifts, frequent visits to church-supplied apartments where victims resided, controlling behavior, public praise and attention, frequent touching of victim’s bodies, kissing victims, and creating circumstances where victims would observe him undressed and aroused

Furthermore, this report finds a deliberate indifference by BICKLE and the ELT in minimizing reports of sexual abuse, requiring victims to confront their offenders, and discouraging victims from seeking law enforcement assistance. Their actions, or lack thereof, contributed to an 55 environment where victims felt unsupported and vulnerable. By downplaying the severity of the abuse and failing to take appropriate measures, BICKLE and the ELT failed to protect the victims and uphold their duty of care. This indifference not only exacerbated the trauma experienced by the victims but also allowed the perpetrators to evade accountability and continue their misconduct. (p.54)

That’s a lot better than the passive whimpering of “more likely than not” (though I concede that McNamara was using a legal phrase typically used in a report like that; it’s unfortunate she could not practice better writing.)

One might hope law enforcement and the IRS help break the forced silence and coercion and read these many stories, and likely laws broken under current statutes. Perhaps some measure of justice might be served.

And no, of course Dr. Dénouement is not finished.

1. [A note from Dr. Dénouement for citing/formatting to produce this quickly: This initial report is essentially a distilling of the 68-page report, attempting to highlight the major findings for those who may need it broken down a bit. To do this, I have followed the style used in the report by FIREFLY ← As an example, that is the style, all caps, when referring to itself. So Mike Bickle is BICKLE, David Sliker= SLIKER, Stuart Greaves = GREAVES, Lenny LaGuardia= LAGUARDIA. People interviewed have numbers, even if they chose to use their names. IS = Interviewed Survivor, IW= Interviewed Witness, ASM= Accused Staff Member. Finally, I have intentionally pulled out the key elements of the sentences, comments, so you can tell easily who said something and focus on what they said. Unless otherwise indicated, any bolded elements of quotations is from me emphasizing that part. You should, of course, read the entire report for yourself. As I always do, I have uploaded a copy to my files, just in case the original file moves locations sometime in the future. You can always access it here.]