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Because of Send56's connection to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City in years past, the leadership of Send56 has felt it necessary to address recent situations and how they affect the ministry of Send56 both locally and internationally. The PDF below is a statement from the founders of Send56 regarding IHOP-KC.
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The International House of Prayer, Kansas City, and Mike Bickle played an important role in the spiritual formation of Send56. Our organization oversees mission bases in Africa with prayer centers that have aspired to 24/7 worship and prayer. Our core function is to train and mobilize African missionaries to the unreached. We have always been an independent organization and have never received financial support from IHOPKC. Yet, our founders were part of the organization at different times, attended the Bible School, and developed meaningful relationships with many members. Mike Bickle’s sexual abuses, lies, and prophetic manipulations have been particularly painful and disillusioning to us. In light of this influence on our ministry, we believe it is necessary to articulate our core practices and beliefs in a set of affirmations and denials. They are organized in the table of contents with phrases popularized within the IHOPKC community by Mike Bickle. This is intended to communicate our stance on the core messages and claims.
IHOPKC’s doctrinal statement fits within evangelical Christianity, and the organization was embraced by a large portion of Charismatics and Pentecostals. Yet, we acknowledge that IHOPKC had cultic tendencies specifically in relation to its prophetic claims, mandate, and toxic leadership patterns. It is evident that the prophetic history used to support the vision of building twenty-four-seven prayer and worship in Kansas City is unsound, and that it should not be a justification for such a mission. Mike Bickle’s sins existed alongside a strong proclamation of scripture and a call to love Christ with a whole heart. This document does not seek to explain that dichotomy, but rather to sort through what can be salvaged and what should be discarded. There are two primary aims here. First, to clarify some of our own doctrinal stances, and second, to do what the apostle Paul commended in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “test everything; hold fast what is good.”
Our prayer for Mike Bickle is that he would fully repent and be forgiven. We pray for his victims to receive full restitution and healing. We pray for those who were deeply connected to IHOPKC and have been wounded by these events to be restored and their hearts uplifted and strengthened in the Lord Jesus Christ.
WE AFFIRM that Mike Bickle is disqualified from public ministry. He needs to fully repent for lying about and exaggerating prophetic experiences, as well as victimizing women (https://www.tikkunglobal.org/scope-of-investigation/scope-of-investigation). He should make restitution to his victims. He should not be trusted to speak as a public representative of the gospel or to lead a Christian ministry.
WE DENY that everything Mike Bickle taught was wrong. Mike Bickle seemed to live in contradiction, having a mixture in his message and character. Many of his messages inspired love for the Lord and were biblically sound. Mike Bickle does not own biblical theology, and therefore, biblical truths are not false because he taught them. He had a profound influence on our ministry and our lives as we sought to engage in missions with prayer as the foundation of our work. Such influence is undeniable, and in many ways, we are thankful for it. His messages strengthened our resolve to love Jesus, to sacrifice ourselves for his work, and to make prayer and musical worship central to our mission efforts.
WE DENY that Mike Bickle is equal to a biblical prophet or apostle. This denial relates to the implications of his so-called chariot encounter, which seems to imply a heightened spiritual authority for him.1
WE DENY that any significance can be placed on Mike Bickle’s prophetic experience in Cairo, Egypt, and his repeated refrain that the Lord spoke to him, “I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in the whole earth in one generation.”2 Mike Bickle implied that this prophecy was related to the House of Prayer ministry in Kansas City and to the “prayer movement.”
WE AFFIRM that IHOPKC is a Christian ministry. However, the present leadership should repudiate the prophetic history. They risk insulating themselves from the truth and falling into further error by failing to clearly address the cult-like tendencies of IHOPKC’s past and the need for a full reassessment of their mission in light of the revelations about Mike Bickle and those associated with the prophetic history.
WE DENY that IHOPKC is the House of Prayer Jesus referred to when he cleansed the temple in Jerusale
WE AFFIRM the spiritual gift of prophecy in the Church today. We are not persuaded that prophecy has ceased. Christians, as Paul encouraged, should earnestly desire to prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1). Whatever disillusionment has ensued, stemming from the errors of the so-called Kansas City Prophets, does not change the scriptures.
WE DENY the claims in the prophetic history of the International House of Prayer, Kansas City. The mixture of lies, prophetic manipulations, and sexual improprieties from the architects of the prophetic history, Paul Cain, Bob Jones, and Mike Bickle, renders potentially true miracles or prophecies obsolete in usefulness. Trying to discern the truth claims of known liars is neither helpful, wise, nor needed.4
WE DENY any reliance on the prophetic ministries of Mike Bickle, Paul Cain, or Bob Jones. We have a clear and accurate word in the sacred text of the Bible. The Scriptures are God-breathed and are sufficient for edification and equipping, so that we might serve Christ effectively in our generation and fulfill our calling.
WE AFFIRM that the gifts of the Spirit have not ceased and are available to members of the Body of Christ today.
WE DENY that because some individuals lie about prophecy, all are liars. The gifts of the Spirit are vital to the Church as we wait for the coming of the Lord. There are no super-apostles or elite prophets. No one should function in the gifts outside the accountability of an eldership, within the context of a local church. All things should be done in order and with humility. Prophecy must be tested.
WE AFFIRM a need within the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements for mechanisms of accountability and discernment. These movements face systemic problems that require ecclesiastical change. Churches need to implement biblical leadership structures, prioritize the protection of vulnerable people, and guard from abuse and excess. Let us cease boasting in men (and women) who are charismatic, building in ways that protect unaccountable leaders, and allowing prophecy to be untested.
WE DENY that the scriptures teach that there is a five-fold ministry outside of or over the local elders/pastors. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and pastors are not a separate governing body of the Church. Rather, the gifts of the Spirit are meant to operate within the eldership as servant ministries of the body of Christ.
WE AFFIRM that God may give charismatic gifts to people, which cause them to have influence. Some of these people may be itinerant in ministry. However, such persons should be submitted to elders and committed to a local church where they are accountable and live in Godly submission.
WE AFFIRM that there is a calling for the Christian Church to sustain efforts of continuous and sacrificial intercession and worship. The early church devoted itself to prayer and supported widows to pray (Acts 2; 1 Timothy 5:3-10). Such efforts of prayer have been carried out throughout church history. Examples include monastic movements that spread the gospel throughout the Middle Ages and made significant contributions to the preservation and advancement of the gospel and civilization.5 Within Protestantism, such efforts were made by the Moravians, who established the Herrnhut prayer chain, which lasted more than one hundred years. Monastic movements, or the Moravians, were not without errors; however, their contributions to the advancement of the gospel are undeniable. Moravians essentially began protestant missions, and they were catalytic to the Great Awakening.6
WE DENY that there is a Biblical mandate for twenty-four-seven prayer. While a precedent exists within the Davidic Tabernacle for night and day worship, it is not prescriptive for New Testament ministries or churches.7 Luke 18 exhorts Christians to persistent and continual prayer with pertinence to the Church as an eschatological community.8 However, it is a stretch to derive from this a literal mandate for twenty-four-seven prayer, as Mike Bickle did. Isaiah 62:6-7 is intended to inspire continuous prayer for Jerusalem with hyperbolic imagery. None of these verses can be used to establish an authoritative directive for twenty-four-seven prayer. However, they certainly inculcate a need for concerted efforts of intercession.
WE DENY an extra-biblical prophetic mandate to do twenty-four-seven prayer. Extra-biblical prophecy should never be binding on people or treated equally to scripture. Considering the prophetic history of IHOPKC and its influence on the twenty-four-seven prayer movement in general, we believe that ministries today should stop using modern prophetic narratives, specifically connected to IHOPKC’s prophetic history, as arguments to ground twenty-four-seven worship and prayer.
WE AFFIRM that the Lord may have guided people to participate in the twenty-four-seven prayer and worship effort in Kansas City. It is also possible that He led others to establish twenty-four-seven prayer centers. Many effectual, fervent, and biblical prayers have ascended to the throne of God from sincere Christians at IHOPKC and other prayer centers. Such prayers of the saints are not nullified by the errors outlined in this document. Neither is the fruit of God-glorifying worship leaders and singers whose music has blessed millions of people and inspired great devotion to Jesus Christ.
WE AFFIRM that there are reasonable and godly justifications for the mission of twenty-four-seven prayer in churches or other Christian ministries. IHOPKC expresses such an activity in a novel way, but it is not the first evangelical organization to do so in modern times.9 Such reasons may include the worth of Jesus being commensurate with unceasing worship. This is indeed the depiction of the heavenly throne room. There are pragmatic reasons to have unceasing prayer. It may be argued that prayer is more critical than McDonald's and Walmart, and yet they are open 24 hours a day. Why should prayer rooms or church sanctuaries not be? Furthermore, there is anecdotal evidence in history that unceasing prayer has had a profound impact on revival and missions. A biblical foundation of devotion in prayer, arguments for the worth of Jesus, and the effectiveness of intercession are sufficient grounds for twenty-four-seven prayer rooms moving forward, without requiring a prophetic mandate.
WE AFFIRM that historic-premillennial eschatology is a live option for interpreting Revelation 20. It is our preferred view and that of many biblical scholars.10
WE DENY hyper-literalism in interpreting the Book of Revelation. Mike Bickle’s claim that the text of Revelation “says what it means and means what it says” is misleading. Our view is that this approach subtly fosters elitism that is ungodly. The person who interprets a text most literally is often seen as the most correct or the most spiritual, rather than the person engaged in careful exegesis. Epistemological and hermeneutical humility is essential when teaching the Bible, since we understand in part and knowledge puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1; 13:2). The interpretation of Revelation 7:4 is a case in point. It is debatable whether the text refers to a literal group of 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each tribe. Presenting this view as a possible option with supporting argumentation is acceptable. However, asserting it with certainty and not giving alternative options would be irresponsible. Such assertions were often made at IHOPKC. A literal interpretation is not inherently better, because the correct interpretation is the one intended by the author, whether literal or not.
WE AFFIRM that there are important signs manifesting in the world related to the Second Coming of Christ and that Christians should discern them. For example, there are very few people groups on earth today that do not have disciples.11 Further, the restoration of the Jewish nation and people to the land of Israel is, in scripture, a sign of the end of the age (Ezekiel 36-39). Our Lord and the Apostles commanded believers to stay awake and to discern the season of Christ’s second coming (Rom. 13:12-13).
WE DENY that Mike Bickle has any special revelation or knowledge related to the timing of Christ’s return. His consistent refrain that he believes we are living in the last generation (and that he does not know if it is ten years away or fifty years away) is not relevant. Such statements were a circumspect method of date setting. We should always be ready for the coming of the Lord, and this is not a special project of certain groups of Christians.
WE AFFIRM the forerunner message, in so far as it is the calling of every Christian, of every age, to prepare for and hasten the coming of the day of God. Jesus and the Apostles called us to live as an eschatological people (1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3). The Church is living between the inauguration and the consummation of the Kingdom of God on earth. In this sense, we should be forerunners of the Lord, like John the Baptist, and prepare people for Christ’s second coming. Paul did this in Acts 17:31.
WE DENY that certain Christians have a privileged message and superior spirituality through asceticism. Preparation for the Second Coming of Christ is a universal aspect of the gospel for all believers, preachers, and pastors who believe the scriptures.
WE AFFIRM the importance of musical worship to the Church. David’s Tabernacle was a significant biblical historical event as David introduced the musical order to God’s people. His model was copied by the godly kings of Israel in seasons of revival. David’s tabernacle was prophetic in how it relates to the Kingdom of God, the reign of the Messiah, and the New Covenant Church (Amos 9:11, Acts 15:16, Romans 15:8-12, Revelation 5, Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19). Prophetic music is an important aspect of biblical worship and vital to the Church and missions (1 Chronicles 25:1).
WE DENY any reliance on Bob Jones' prophecy in which he claims to have heard the audible voice of God for Mike Bickle stating there would be, “Twenty-four-hour prayer in the spirit of the tabernacle of David.”12
WE AFFIRM that the harp and bowl model of worship and prayer coined by Mike Bickle, and made part of the International House of Prayer, Kansas City, is useful and edifying. We believe spontaneous singing, antiphonal singing, singing the scriptures, impromptu choruses, and the use of the scriptural prayers is beneficial.
WE DENY that the harp and bowl model is inspired by God.13 It is a tool, shaped by skilled musicians, worshippers, and intercessors over years of practice. It is not exclusive as an approach and can be learned from.
WE AFFIRM that what Mike Bickle termed the Bridal Paradigm of the Kingdom of God is a biblical idea (Isaiah 62; John 2; Matthew 9; Ephesians 5). Furthermore, the Song of Solomon has been interpreted as an allegory about Israel and the Messiah, as well as Christ and the Church, throughout history. This allegorical interpretation of the Song of Solomon is not unique to Mike Bickle.
WE DENY that Mike Bickle’s interpretation of specific Song of Solomon passages should be held as authoritative. The allegorical interpretation of the Song is speculative.
WE DENY that the message of God’s love and grace for the sinner can ever be used as a cover for sin. The Lord is not mocked, “the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8). While God certainly enjoys us and loves us in our weakness, we are “dark but lovely,” he also calls us to resist sin, put to death the deeds of the body, and make no room for the flesh to fulfill it’s lusts (Romans 8:13, 13:14).
WE DENY that believers should see themselves individually as the Bride of Christ. The metaphor in Ephesians 5 is about Christ and the Church, not Christ and the individual. If the corporate image is conflated with an individualistic application, errors are likely to ensue.
We DENY relying on the prophetic claims of Mike Bickle and Bob Jones, as well as the assertion that he heard the audible voice of God say that Song of Solomon 6:8 would be a key focus of the global Church before the Lord's return.
WE AFFIRM the practice of fasting for Christians. Throughout church history, various movements established “orders” that included regular fasting regimens. Any excesses in fasting at IHOPKC do not diminish the importance of this Biblical practice.
WE DENY that fasting can add anything to our justification or salvation. It is a good work done in and by the grace of God. Mike Bickle taught this publicly and often.
WE AFFIRM that a simple life of voluntary poverty is an option in Christian devotion. Church history is replete with those who chose a lifestyle of simplicity, even poverty or celibacy, for the sake of the kingdom of God.
WE DENY that pressure or manipulation should ever be used to persuade individuals to engage in fasting regimens or celibacy. Fasting in a corporate environment should always be respectful and honoring of an individual's autonomy.
WE AFFIRM that hungering for the Lord’s return is a powerful motivation for fasting (Matthew 9:15).
WE DENY continued participation in the monthly, three-day Global Bridegroom Fast, which Mike Bickle started.
WE AFFIRM that the Jewish people are God’s covenant people. The gospel is to the Jew first. When Christ returns, it will be to Jerusalem and fulfill the Davidic Covenant. Romans 11:25 means that the nation of Israel will embrace Jesus as their Messiah in the eschaton.
WE DENY dispensational and replacement theology in their extreme forms. It is true that the New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant. However, this does not mean that God has no more dealings with the Jewish people specifically and that they are not part of his eschatological calendar.
WE AFFIRM that Gentile believers in Jesus as the Messiah should pray for and serve the Jewish people. We also believe that the events unfolding with Israel in the present time are supernatural and of ancient origin. IHOPKC was not in error to make this an emphasis of their ministry of intercession.
WE AFFIRM that it is Biblical to support specific individuals to pray and study the Bible (Acts 6:4; 1 Tim. 5:5, 9). However, we prefer to reserve the word “missionary” for a person whose primary work is cross-cultural disciple-making among unchurched regions. The concept of a “missionary” is Biblical, but the word itself is not. Therefore, such definitions are by inference to the biblical basis for the use of the word.
WE AFFIRM that intercessory prayer is important for missionaries and that all missionaries should engage in intercessory prayer and supplication. Prayer is central to missions.
WE DENY that believers should wait for a special, end-time outpouring of the Spirit's power before obeying Christ to go into the whole world with the gospel. It is right to seek the Lord for a baptism of the Holy Spirit and supernatural gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). However, after Pentecost, we understand the Apostle Peter's words in Acts 2:38-39 to indicate that the promise of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers now. We are not waiting for a new eschatological season to be empowered for mission. We are in that eschatological season and receive the Spirit's empowerment by “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:2-5). This reality does not preclude unique seasons of the Spirit’s outpouring where he is powerfully manifested in “times of refreshing” and revival (Acts 3:20).
WE DENY that full-time intercessory missionaries can be justified by reference to the prophecy of Bob Jones.14
1 ChurchWatch, ”What is the ‘Highway of Holiness’ vision (aka ‘The Vision of the Chariots’)?” Accessed July 15, 2025, https://churchwatchcentral.com/2018/05/13/what-is-the-highway-of-holiness-vision-aka-the-vision-of-the-chariots/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
2 Mike Bickle, “ENCOUNTERING JESUS: VISIONS, REVELATIONS, ANGELIC ACTIVITY FROM IHOP–KC’S PROPHETIC HISTORY,” accessed April 21, 2025. https://cdn.subsplash.com/documents/JWB53X/_source/057ec3aecdf5-4f97-bab4-ff1d6d0b6036/document.pdf
3 This statement is simply for clarity. Mike Bickle and others regularly stated that the real House of Prayer was historically the Temple in Israel and metaphorically the Church worldwide.
4 See extensive resources on John Collins' website https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/paul_cain. Paul Cain worked with William Branham, responsible for the Branhamite cult. The use of data mining, fake miracles, stage personas, and false miraculous birth narratives was employed by both men. Mike Bickle associated himself with Paul Cain in the 80s and 90s, making him one of the primary arbiters of the “prophetic history.” An example of Mike Bickle’s own unfaithfulness with prophecy is evident in his sermon on betrayal, given with the knowledge that his sexually abusive misconduct may become public (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwAI0AVmFio). Recently, the Branham/Cain mantle was being passed to Chris Reed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwl-GR2CbfE). However, Chris was also exposed for data mining and sexual immorality (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tGIeu3vMo8).
5 Winter, Ralph D.; Hawthorne, Steven C. “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (4th Edition): A Reader" (p. 582; 653). Kindle Edition.
6 Greenfield, John. “Chapter 1: A Modern Pentecost.” In Power from on High. The Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Great Moravian Revival. pdf. http://www.path2prayer.com/site/1/docs/Greenfield_Power_From_on_High_complete.pdf Accessed January 22, 2015. Anderson, Phil. Lord of the Ring: In Search of Count Von Zinzendorf. Bethany House, 2007. 154.
7 1 Chronicles 6:31-32, 9:33,16:1, 4, 6, 37.
8 Luke 18:8 and 1 Peter 4:7
9 Osanri Prayer Mountain accessed July 15, 2025, https://fgpray.com/en/about-osanri-prayer-mountain/. Jeruselem House of Prayer for All Nations, accessed July 15, 2025 https://jhopfan.org/about.
10 Lane T. Dennis and Wayne Grudem, eds. “The ESV Study Bible.” Accordance electronic ed. (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008), paragraph 25288.
11 For completely Unengaged People groups left in the world with no Christians or any missionary engagement at all, the numbers are debated and difficult to determine with accuracy. The International Missions Board has the number at approximately 3,000 people groups (https://grd.imb.org/research-data/). Finishing The Task (FTT) put out a report in 2020 with the number at 140 people groups. Those 140 are comprised of only 3 million people in total. As far as I can tell, no other report has been done by finishing the task in recent years. IMB’s 3000 UUPG number does not include Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or other Christian groups in determining if a people group is reached with the gospel. So, a people group with an Eastern Orthodox population and no evangelicals may be counted as a UUPG by IMB. Furthermore, in IMB’s 2023 “Annual Statistical Report,” they sent 13 “explorers” to 75 of their reported UUPGs. They discovered that 53 of the 75 were “already engaged with church-planting strategies,” and only 22 of the 75 were considered truly unengaged. They plan to continue to send “explorers” to all the 3,000 people groups for more accurate assessment (as of 2023). This implies that there are far fewer than the 3,000 completely unengaged people groups that are reported by IMB.
12 Mike Bickle, “ENCOUNTERING JESUS: VISIONS, REVELATIONS, ANGELIC ACTIVITY FROM IHOP–KC’S PROPHETIC HISTORY: Session 1 The Early Days, Cairo, and the 1983 Solemn Assembly” accessed April 21, 2025. https://cdn.subsplash.com/documents/JWB53X/_source/057ec3ae-cdf5-4f97-bab4-ff1d6d0b6036/document.pdf
13 Again, this is simply for clarity. We are not aware of anyone claiming that God inspired the harp and bowl model.
14 Ibid.
