Faith Higgins

M.Div. loading… untangling the webs we’ve found ourselves in.

[Mike Winger @MikeWingerii]

End church NDAs.

[Gabriel Higgins @HabeGiggins]

@bethkiraly_ The most recent place I was affiliated with would use the phrase, “destiny track” particularly when they were recruiting for their school.
Basically, come to our school, get trained, and you’ll be on your “destiny track”

[Mike Winger @MikeWingerii]

THIS is the open letter from whistleblowers about Todd White’s pathological lying and disqualifications from ministry.

I confirmed their identities and they are legit.

I’ve made it freely available at this link. (PDF)

https://t.co/UZGdYattab

[Richard Matthews @RichFMatt]

This is so real. These people could rob you blind, justify it, claim grace, and keep going. But if you raise your voice, every little jot or tittle will be used against your process, your tone, or your "heartset".

[Richard Matthews @RichFMatt]

I believe Jesus is worthy of all glory, honor, and power, as the Bible states. However, I am seeking a proper definition and execution in life.

I was taught that in order to live in the worthiness of Jesus, that meant selecting the most ministry-focused and sacrificial options on the table. In fact, I turned down a bonfire job offer with a State Law Enforcement agency in Virginia in favor of a pastoral position at the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace. Why? Because I truly believed that the LEO position was a test, and that by choosing a huge pay cut and move with a 10 week old baby, I was choosing the worth of Jesus. This belief was applauded by everyone in my ministry circle as a heroic sacrifice. We were told that our decision would help bring revival and that the LEO job was a lesser love anyway.

None of that was true. While God was faithful in that season, the resistance and struggle we met with there left us with a permanent limp.

My programming, started in my early childhood, extended at YWAM, and crystalized at IHOP, did not leave room for the idea that I could exalt Jesus fully if I was not sacrificially "engaged in ministry" and "fulfilling my calling". Conveniently, my calling always seemed to be the thing the leadership organizationally needed, not what I was actually gifted in.

We left Fredericksburg bruised and exhausted. We felt like worthless failures. And thanks to my charismatic programming, we felt benched, disqualified, and relegated to "the outer courts". This feeling was only bolstered by the fact that the leaders that claimed to be our friends forgot we existed when we left. See, we were not loyal enough to sacrifice more for the cause. We seemed to now have a reputation as salty malcontents. Probably more true now than it was then.

Truth is, none of my worth to Jesus was in question, even if everything else appeared conditional. It's not in question now, even though we are still in pain and struggling to find our place in the community of faith again. I could have just taken the State LEO job and served Jesus fully and faithfully. I wish I would have known that then.

Rant over.

#ihopkc #mikebickle #fpf #maps #awakenthedawn

[Faith Higgins @HaithFiggins]

@RichFMatt What a time. It’s almost like the time I was asked in a similar group to submit questions that I had assured that it would be anonymous and then they had the board meet with me to intimidate me to be silent 👀 #wewonderwhypeopleleave

[Richard Matthews @RichFMatt]

I once worked at a HOP that had significant leadership and culture issues. One senior leader articulated "we have a reputation for hurting a lot of people, but it's no one's fault and we need to figure out how to get them back "

Anyway, we created a survey to distribute to the staff and volunteers, anonymously, and encouraged forthrightness.

Boy did we get it.

As we compiled the data, the problems were clear and consistently represented. The course of action was obvious. Only it wasn't.

What followed was a process of data scrubbing of individuals who were deemed "bitter", "angry", and "compromised". The leftover data, far more benign with a much lighter representation of the organizational issues, was presented to the body as the results of the survey.

When we pressed the senior leaders concerning the results, which we knew to be faulty, we were told that the Leaders were being protected from negativity and that the bitter people were just offended, so their input was not pure.

The appearance of transparency and community is often substituted for the real thing, because by and large, these leaders think the stupid people will continue to give and serve if they think they are being heard. There is no actual value in it for them beyond a manipulative behavior modification exercise.

Rinse and repeat.

[Allen Hood @allenshood]

Since leaving Kansas City in February of 2019, I have personally reflected much on my nearly 20 years of leadership at IHOPKC. In light of the recent investigative report, I want to share this heartfelt apology.

https://t.co/0TRKLZwHB1

[Timothy Tennent @TimTennent]

What a tragic day today in the Oval Office. Ukraine should be thanked for their sacrifice of several hundred thousand lives to defend democracy against totalitarian tyranny. I never thought I would see the day when the US would side with tyranny against democracy.

[Faith Higgins @HaithFiggins]

@AlyssaDegraff @DavidFish7 HOPS systematically oppose diversity of belief, thought, and action.

[Faith Higgins @HaithFiggins]

@AlyssaDegraff @DavidFish7 100, working in some HOP environments that was and still is viewed as “a win”, “they want to learn and be led by ‘our culture’”, “they need to be trained by our culture”.

[Richard Matthews @RichFMatt]

One feature of my time in the prayer movement was the sidelining of people with actual experience and training in favor of products of the leadership's training, be it their internships, Bible schools, or their peers' internships or Bible schools.

My law enforcement training became, "Rich can do security", but never, "we have an abu$e situation, what insight can you give?"

Believers with mental health backgrounds ignored in favor of staff that took a SOZO course, leaders with no training trying to conduct investigations ignoring those of us with significant experience, MDiv recipients ignored in favor of kids who read "God's Generals" and got excited.

I could go on forever. If I had a nickel for every time I offered help in my area of professional training and experience (leadership, communication, investigation, legal process, management) and got the predictable eye roll followed by "you don't understand our org and you don't have a shared history with us, so we don't trust your perspective", I'd be able to retire.

These guys thought they could do no wrong because they were special. So they did everything wrong and destroyed people. The "I don't know what happened" vibe from these clowns is laughable.
@HabeGiggins

[Susan Danielle @realprophetguy]

One thing that’s disappointing about adulthood is that your mental image of “cult” is replaced by a strip mall in Missouri.

[Faith Higgins @HaithFiggins]

@EthanByerly @blaiseforet @RichFMatt @HabeGiggins with those of us that challenges what they believe. They’ve been told to tune out all other thoughts and beliefs explained that the prayer room theology is supreme and the ultimate manifestation of what God desires in the earth. It’s their pride that keeps them away.

[Faith Higgins @HaithFiggins]

@EthanByerly @blaiseforet @RichFMatt @HabeGiggins It’s rough and is a hard lesson. A year has gone by and all the people that said they would still want to be friends have not once reached out. People leaving challenges the system and the group think they’ve all bought into. They can’t stomach keeping in relationship…

[Blaise Foret @blaiseforet]

PSA:

If you hear a pastor or leader tell you that a person bringing an allegation against them is “bitter because _________”

It’s a good idea to question that narrative.

I’m finding as I hear more stories like this that often (not always, but often) the allegation regarding bitterness “because of _________” is not always true.

It’s often the perfect timing to bring an accusation of “bitterness” when any legitimate allegation of spiritual abuse or clergy sexual misconduct begins to surface.

HEAR ME: there are 100’s of 1000’s of amazing pastors that are not this way.

But HEAR ME: there are also many many pastors that do this.

When you see a former church member or church leader suddenly gone from the church staff and when you ask about them there is a statement made that “they became bitter” just know it would be a good idea to look into this. Because often when you go to the so called “bitter” person, you’ll find that the details are much different and often they are hurt, but not “bitter”

Often the leader will tell their people to avoid that person because you could get the same bitterness.

But you as an individual should have the ability to hear and discern. Otherwise you are watching what’s called NARRATIVE CONTROL.

All for now. 🎯

[Barry Bowen @barrybowen]

Fun fact: Last year, Sean Feucht Ministries spent more on California parsonage ($3,450,000) than the federal government spent on grants to Christianity Today ($1,835,073) from 2021 to 2023. CT's 2024 Form 990 is not available. Sean's finances are secret. https://t.co/CvOuwgzRPm

[Gabriel Higgins @HabeGiggins]

One of the toxic teachings I remember from my days in the house of prayer movement was to not adopt a “critical spirit”. While this sounds good at face value in the ways of keeping a tender heart and being slow to judge, it also taught people not to think.

[Ron Cantor @RonSCantor]

Back in July, our leadership engaged with the board of IHOPKC. The goal was to get them to endorse our investigation. They did not. But there was a shocking moment during that first meeting.

You see, a few months earlier, in February 2024, the new IHOPKC Chairman of the Board, Kurt Fuller, upon hearing that Mike Bickle had molested a 14-year-old girl, wrote me that Mike Bickle should be in prison. He was rightly disgusted that a 14-year-old would be manipulated by a grown man for his own lustful purposes. Of course, I agreed.

Now, just a few months later, with a new millionaire board member, he had a completely different take. Now, Mike was the victim. They destroyed his life. If he has repented, then God has forgiven him, and we should too (When did he repent of sexually abusing 17 women... I must've missed that?). Kurt referred to Mike as a “massive asset to the kingdom of God” who needs to be restored.

He must have forgotten that IHOPKC had “formally and permanently separated from [Mike Bickle],” a few months earlier.

Though I was stunned, I did not say anything at the time because the goal was to seek their endorsement of the investigation (though I knew it was unlikely—we just thought that it would be the best witness for both the Advocate Group and IHOPKC to endorse). However, I did want to make sure I could quote him accurately in the future, so I wrote everything down. I also have 10 witnesses. I knew that I could bring this up later and ask for clarification. Later is now!

Actually, a few months after this, after they had already rejected the idea of endorsing the investigation and the investigation was underway, I saw a tweet that suggested what I had already suspected—that their new board member, Steve Brandt, had a relationship with Mike Bickle—again, from whom IHOPKC had formally and permanently separated. I also have an email from a friend who is a credible witness testifying that there is active communication between IHOPKC board member Steve Brandt and Mike Bickle.

I assumed that Mr. Brandt was helping IHOPKC financially. I don't know that for sure, but why is he on the board? So I emailed both Kurt Fuller and Joseph Taylor asking about all these things ... I never received a response. I also recently emailed Mr. Brandt about this and have not received a response.

Brandt did disclose during our meeting that he was an active philanthropist. He said that Tikkun had a conflict of interest because we had received money from IHOPKC in the past. And, of course, we were prepared to disclose this and did disclose it. But there was more…Brandt wanted us to know that he was behind some of that money. None of us even knew him. (Asher thought maybe they had met once.)

But then he said something even stranger: He had just sent Tikkun a significant gift through IHOPKC thirty days prior that we would soon be receiving. Why would he send us a gift? We have no relationship with him. We were already being seen as adversaries to some degree because we were going to do this investigation and had publicly called on the IHOPKC board to do a legitimate independent third-party investigation into Mike Bickle.

Why is someone, a close friend of Mike Bickle (based on the tweet above), who we were planning to investigate, sending us money? And then using that large donation as a reason for us not to do the investigation because it would be bad optics. Was this supposed to be an incentive for us to drop the investigation? I don't know.

Instead of thanking him for the donation and leaving, we told him that we would be happy to send the money back. He did not respond. And I can tell you, our accounting department never received the gift. I don’t even know if there ever was a gift. But I had them keep checking so we could send it back immediately.

Now to be clear, I'm just trying to connect the dots here. I'm not making any accusations. This is all theory. Here are the facts.

1. Kurt Fuller told me in February via text that Mike Bickle belongs in prison. His exact words were: "Much worse than anything we knew before. He should be in prison. 14!!"

2. IHOPKC formally and permanently separated from Mike Bickle.

3. After it was revealed that he had a relationship with Tammy Woods when she was 14 years old, IHOPKC released a very strong statement.
"We believe that Mike Bickle sexually abused and manipulated Jane Doe and Tammy Woods, who was a minor at the time. His predatory and abusive actions are sick and violate the Word of God, the marriage covenant, and holiness; we condemn them in their entirety.”

4. A few months later, Kurt Fuller tells us that Mike had his life destroyed (by the public accusations). The exact quote was, "People ganged up on a guy and destroyed him." He needs to be restored to ministry because he’s a "massive asset to the kingdom of God." (At that time, we only knew that he had four sexual relationships, three with teens and one with an adult…but the investigation claims he had 17 victims).

5. They have a new board member who is quite wealthy.

6. That board member, without any request from us, allegedly (because we never got it and would’ve sent it back) sent a significant gift through IHOPKC to Tikkun and wanted to use that gift as proof of a conflict of interest to oversee the investigation. Rather than rescind the gift, he was concerned that if anyone found out, "it had all the wrong optics."

So the questions I'm asking are:
Why did the chairman of the Board of IHOPKC, Kurt Fuller, go from wanting Mike Bickle to be in prison to suddenly wanting him to be restored to ministry?
Why was Mike Bickle's friend asked to be on the board after Ihopkc permanently separated from him?

[Steven Kozar @KozarSteveMUC]

In case you don't remember being scolded by Francis Chan for not joining the Cult of Mike Bickle: (Turn the volume on)