EGN NEWS DESK
(CP) International House of Prayer Kansas City has denied a report that the ministry is within the means of shutting down however says it is in a restructuring part that may shutter some features of its operations this 12 months, together with its faculty of ministry.
“In a phrase, IHOPKC is NOT closing,” the ministry informed The Christian Post in a press release Monday.
“To state the apparent, the final six months have been a take a look at to the strengths and fortitude of our missions-based group. Over the course of those final months, our management workforce has tirelessly endeavored to overview and analyze the complete IHOPKC organizational construction and the various missions we now have undertaken over our 24 years of existence,” the assertion continued. “That overview and reflection has led to inside choices to start a transition and reorganization course of, which can enable us to deal with our foremost mission but take care of the realities of finance.”
The Roys Report, citing a leaked recording from leaders at an inside IHOP University workers assembly in addition to an electronic mail from IHOP University President Matt Candler, reported this week that IHOPKC was within the means of shuttering for good as a result of monetary impression of founder Mike Bickle’s sexual abuse scandal. IHOPKC completely minimize ties with Bickle final December.
In the assertion to CP, IHOPKC insisted that the ministry intends to proceed regardless of phasing out IHOPU, its ministry faculty.
“We are NOT closing the 24/7 prayer room; it stays a foremost keep of our existence. We do intend to overview the performance of varied operational places and can possible consolidate a number of. We have additionally determined to conclude the operation of IHOPU, our ministry faculty, after this 12 months’s commencement,” the ministry stated.
Officials with the ministry additionally appeared to disclaim claims that they’re in search of to flee legal responsibility linked to the allegations of sexual abuse towards Bickle.
“We have supported and can proceed to help any and all victims of abuse, sexual or in any other case, whether or not right here inside IHOPKC, or anyplace in the neighborhood. To be clear, there have been no lawsuits filed towards IHOPKC; the allegations of prior misconduct pertained to a person, not our group,” the ministry stated.
“As we search to create a ‘bettered’ model of IHOPKC, we might shut some home windows of our mission whereas opening others, however as soon as once more, IHOPKC is NOT closing,” officers added.
Leaders of IHOPKC, together with IHOP University President Matt Candler, revealed that the ministry was shedding some $500,000 per thirty days resulting from donors being too linked to Bickle, The Roys Report famous.
“IHOPKC as a corporation is starting to wind down,” Candler stated within the leaked recording of the assembly. “We’re going to be sustaining our prayer room and ultimately starting a brand new group.”
Isaac Bennett, who leads IHOPKC’s Forerunner Church, additionally famous that lawsuits from the victims in Bickle’s sexual abuse scandal introduced the ministry with “important liabilities.”
“We’re the individuals to sue on the finish of the day,” he stated. “That produces important liabilities.”
Boz Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson, an legal professional and longtime advocate of sexual abuse survivors who’s representing one in all Bickle’s alleged victims, stated if IHOPKC leaders consider the ministry can simply shutter then re-emerge as a rebranded group to flee legal responsibility, they’re residing in “fantasyland.”
“The notion that they’ll simply shut it down and begin a brand new group and all of that prior potential legal responsibility is wiped away is fantasyland,” he informed the information outlet. “To out of the blue take all of the property, put it in title of [a] new group to restrict legal responsibility that might what I consider be referred to as a fraudulent switch. A court docket wouldn’t enable that.”
Bennett reportedly defined within the leaked recording that whereas IHOPKC has been taking a look at other ways to navigate the Bickle scandal, they’ve discovered no approach across the legal responsibility the group has been uncovered to on account of the allegations of the ministry’s mishandling of the abuse allegations.
“In instances the place there’s clergy abuse, the place there’s allegations which might be excellent — when there’s now curiosity in having an investigation that goes again by means of all of our 24-year historical past to search out instances the place there’s been mishandling of abuse, or the place there’s been cover-up, or no matter else it’s individuals consider has been gone on — these issues will produce inevitably a contingent of people who’re desirous to get restitution,” Bennett stated. “And they are not going to go knock on Mike’s door as a result of, effectively, he most likely will not reply. But they are not going to knock on Mike’s door as a result of he does not have any cash. But IHOPKC has amenities.”
© The Christian Post
