Most of you are undoubtedly aware of the horrible events that have been revealed concerning the predatory sexual misconduct of Mike Bickle. Numerous other sinful actions took place at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City that implicate former staff members and leaders. If you are hearing this for the first time, I encourage you to visit www.julieroys.com and read the many articles that have been posted since the Fall of 2023. You can also watch two videos where Roys interviews the first of several so-called “Jane Doe’s” who were victims of Bickle. Her name is Deborah Perkins, a truly courageous and godly woman that I have known for close to 30 years.

It isn’t my purpose to rehearse or describe the sordid events that took place at IHOPKC and in the many years preceding its establishment. My purpose here is to express my deeply sincere and profound apologies to those who suffered under Bickle’s leadership or abuse because of my former endorsement of him.

Ever since I first met Bickle in January of 1991, through the years when I served as one of his associate pastors at the church he led, up through the present day, I have been his most vocal defender and advocate. I’ve written articles praising the ministry of IHOPKC and have responded to the many criticisms that were launched against Bickle. I must confess that I thought I knew the man. I regarded him as one of my closest friends. When I first heard of his indiscretions (that word is far too lenient for what he has done) on August 2, 2023, I couldn’t believe what I was told. That is, until I had a long zoom call with Deborah and her husband, Murray, followed by several telephone conversations. The evidence began to mount with each passing day that the man I so passionately defended and admired was a wicked, two-faced abuser of women, most of whom were much younger than he.

I’m heartbroken beyond words. When people ask me why I didn’t discern anything during my 35-year relationship with Bickle, I have no good answer. My only solace is that no one else detected anything amiss in the man. I’m not trying to excuse my blindness and lack of discernment. I simply don’t know why God waited as long as he did to uncover Bickle and his sins. I am truly deserving of whatever ridicule or criticism that comes my way for being blind to this man’s true character. It forces me to ask, why would anyone ever trust my judgment again. I can’t undo the past or gloss over my mistakes, but I can speak honestly and sincerely to many of you who are deeply wounded by my vocal support of Bickle through the years. It grieves me beyond words that some of you have walked away from the Lord and from his church because of Bickle’s betrayal of all of us.

However, I also want to acknowledge the spiritual blessings and growth that many of you experienced during your time at IHOPKC and at Forerunner Church. In spite of what has been revealed of Bickle’s behavior, I’m sure that there are people who look back on their time in Kansas City with fond memories and gratitude for what God did in their lives. That being said, I now proceed with the main reason why I’m writing this.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from my immediate family members (my two daughters, six grandchildren, my sister and her husband, and all their extended family) for the way I influenced them through my misguided endorsement of Mike Bickle.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who may have moved to Kansas City and joined IHOPKC on the strength of my endorsement of Bickle. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who suffered under his abusive leadership because of words that I spoke in public in support of him. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from anyone who was sexually victimized by Bickle, having put yourself in a position to endure such sin because you trusted my words of affirmation. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who invested considerable sums of money into the “ministry” of IHOPKC and into Bickle personally, based on what you may have heard or read from me saying that he was trustworthy. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who suspended your critical judgment of Bickle simply because I did. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who have lost confidence in the truth of the Bible because of Bickle’s sinful conduct and my failure to warn you about it. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who have grown cynical or suspicious about the work of the Holy Spirit and the charismatic gifts because of your trust in my misguided belief that Bickle was a good and godly representative of what being a biblical charismatic should look like. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who have walked away from your faith or from the church or are in process of deconstructing because of Bickle’s transgressions, having put your confidence in him because you heard my endorsement. Please forgive me.

I apologize, repent, and ask forgiveness from those of you who suspended your pursuit of higher education or a career or even delayed getting married and having children because of the teaching of Bickle concerning the urgency to be prepared as “forerunners” of the imminent appearing of Jesus. Some of you may have embraced this approach because you knew that I had spoken highly of the “ministry” IHOPKC. Please forgive me.

I am certain that there are others to whom I owe this apology and request for forgiveness. I will continue to search my soul for insight on this, and whenever I discover other ways in which I misled you concerning Bickle and IHOPKC and caused you to suffer spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially, sexually, or theologically, I will quickly and sincerely repent and ask your forgiveness.

Until then, may God bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you.

Sam Storms