David Sliker joins list of leaders leaving IHOPKC amid Mike Bickle investigation
International House of Prayer Kansas City has announced the resignation of IHOP University President David Sliker as the ministry continues losing leaders weeks after permanently cutting ties with founder Mike Bickle, who remains under investigation for "serious allegations including sexual immorality."
"After seven years of faithful service, our dear brother in Christ, David Sliker, has decided to step down as President of IHOPU," the ministry announced in a statement Friday.
"David is also stepping down from the IHOPKC's Executive Leadership Team, effective immediately. This was a mutual decision made in the best interest of the IHOPKC community and David's family," the ministry added.
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The executive committee of IHOPKC's Board of Directors, the Executive Leadership Team, and IHOPU's leadership team "all unanimously agreed to have Matt Candler appointed as the new President of IHOPU effective immediately."
"Matt and his leadership team will be communicating all the necessary information with the faculty and students in the coming days. Thank you for your continued prayers in this season," the ministry's statement added.
Sliker's departure comes approximately two weeks after IHOPKC spokesperson Eric Volz announced that the ministry permanently parted ways with Bickle, who founded the 24/7 prayer ministry in 1999.
"Since taking over management of the crisis, the executive committee has received new information to now confirm a level of inappropriate behavior on the part of Mike Bickle that requires IHOPKC to immediately, formally, permanently separate from him," Volz said in his announcement.
Executive Director Stuart Greaves also resigned from the ministry, including his role on the board of directors, Volz noted but did not offer a reason for Greaves' decision.
Greaves was replaced by Gen. Kurt Fuller, who took over the management of this crisis on Dec. 10.
Brad Tebbutt, another leader who most recently served as admissions manager at IHOP University, resigned in December after former staff members at IHOPKC raised concerns about past sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Volz noted that an independent investigation into Bickle's behavior is currently underway under new IHOPKC leadership and released a letter from Rosalee McNamara, an attorney hired by the ministry, stating that she is "free from any influence by any individual or organization, including IHOPKC."
On Dec. 12, more than a month after IHOPKC leaders announced that at least one allegation of abuse, including "sexual immorality," made against Bickle has "some credibility," the embattled minister confessed to sinful misconduct he committed over 20 years ago.
"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. "I am not admitting to the more intense sexual activities that some are suggesting."
A woman identified as Jane Doe by The Roys Report alleged that for approximately three years, from 1996 to 1999, Bickle paid for her apartment, gave her a key to his office and engaged in every sexual act with her except copulation.
She claimed the IHOPKC founder wooed her with Scripture when she was just 19, and he was 42, then made her a kept woman for several years as he established his now popular ministry.
IHOPKC founding member Dwayne Roberts, former IHOPKC Executive Leadership Team member Brian Kim and former Forerunner Church Pastor Wes Martin said in an October joint statement that they are 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.
"When these allegations were brought to our attention, we were shocked. We could never have imagined that inappropriate conduct with women as something we would ever need to be concerned about," Roberts, Kim and Martin said in the statement. "The allegations seemed out of character to the man we thought we knew, but they were so serious we could not ignore them."
IHOPKC released a "Report on Initial Findings" in November, stating that IHOPKC's executive leadership treated the allegations against Bickle as credible and asked him to step away from public ministry on Oct. 24, when they were first confronted with the allegations.
The report also stated that IHOPKC was able to identify five of the eight women the complaint group alleges were Bickle's victims. Three of the alleged victims called the allegations "lies," while one of the alleged victims refused to communicate with IHOPKC attorneys. Only Jane Doe was found credible, and Bickle said in his statement that he believed he had repented of that sin long ago.
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