Victim's Letter Containing Confessions Adds to Sexual Allegation Investigation of Mike Bickle, Founder of IHOP
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Feb 20, 2024
A 57-year-old mother and grandmother recently penned an open letter alleging that International House of Prayer Kansas City founder Mike Bickle sexually abused her when she was 14 years old.
Tammy Woods, who used her maiden name, published the letter detailing the alleged abuse through The Roys Report on Jan. 30.
“Please do not conclude this to be defamation of character, attention seeking, gold-digging, or vindictive revenge. We have too much history for such impositions. You have said over and over throughout the years and in this crisis that you trust my judgment. Please trust me now. This letter is the culmination of a 21-day fast and a resolve to live in light and truth instead of shadows and lies,” Woods explained.
“I step into the arena not with a smoking gun of bravado hoping to take down the great man of God and his legacy, but with a bleeding heart as one masterfully duped and an appeal to my mentor, friend, and abuser — please own these chapters in vulnerability, humility, and repentance,” she continued, urging him to free other survivors of his alleged abuse to stop covering for him.
In addition to the letter, Woods also told her story in an interview with the Kansas City Star, noting that the abuse began when Bickel pastored a church in St. Louis, Missouri, before moving to Kansas City and starting IHOPKC in 1999. At the time, Woods was 14 years old and began babysitting his two sons.
“He would kiss my neck, he would kiss my cheeks, he would kiss my forehead,” Woods told the Star. “The first, like, ‘kiss’ kiss was in my house. He kind of pulled me into my bathroom. And he kissed me like a man kisses a woman.”
According to The Christian Post, she also alleged that Bickle told her that she could potentially be a mother to his sons and that his wife, Diane, would die young. Woods explained that the abuse took place in his car, at her home, in the church, and in his office, but it did not end up in sexual intercourse.
In an investigative report released to the public on Jan. 31, Bickle confessed to engaging in "consensual sexual contact" with a woman connected to IHOPKC’s 24/7 prayer ministry as well as a prior relationship with a primary Jane Doe, who alleged she was Bickle’s kept woman for several years.
"Based on all the credible evidence, including his acknowledgments of contact with the two Jane Does over twenty years ago, it is more likely than not that MB engaged in inappropriate behavior, including sexual contact and clergy misconduct, in an abuse of power for a person in a position of trust and leadership," attorney Rosalee McNamara wrote in the report. "As previously stated, after these allegations emerged, in December 2023, IHOPKC announced it was 'immediately, formally, and permanently' separating from MB."
"MB also admitted to inappropriate contact on three occasions with an individual connected with IHOP around 2002 to 2003. He described the contact as 'consensual sexual contact that involved her touching me but not me touching her,'" McNamara explained. "He said they both agreed it was wrong, and the conduct stopped. MB's account and the account of the individual are very similar, including that it occurred in 2002 to 2003, and I find the individual's account credible."
Last December, Bickle confessed to engaging in "inappropriate behavior" but not "the more intense sexual activities that some are suggesting” after he received abuse allegations spanning several decades made by a group of former IHOPKC leaders known as the advocate group.
"With a very heavy heart, I want to express how deeply grieved I am that my past sins have led to so much pain, confusion, and division in the body of Christ in this hour. I sadly admit that 20+ years ago, I sinned by engaging in inappropriate behavior — my moral failures were real," Bickle said in a statement posted to his Facebook page.
"I am not admitting to the more intense sexual activities that some are suggesting,” he continued.
Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Mike Bickle Official Page
