Police and fire chaplains in Grandview, Missouri, dismissed over ties to IHOPKC after abuse investigation

The Grandview, Missouri, police and fire chaplains who were associated with the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC) have all been dismissed, according to local officials. The dismissals follow a third-party investigation into a sex abuse scandal involving the 24/7 global ministry.

Grandview Police Chief Charles Iseman told The Star in an email: “I can confirm we severed ties with several of our public safety chaplains who had past or present connections to IHOPKC.” He added: “Based on the independent investigation and the totality of the situation, I felt compelled to part ways with these individuals in the group. The chaplain program can provide a unique and beneficial service for our citizens experiencing difficult times, and we hope to rebuild it in the future.”

Iseman did not provide the exact number or names of the dismissed chaplains. The city’s communications director, Valarie Poindexter, confirmed that all chaplains with ties to IHOPKC were dismissed and that a handful of chaplains not associated with IHOPKC remain in the program. Grandview Fire Chief Rodney Baldwin told The Star that Lenny La Guardia, a former member of IHOPKC’s Executive Leadership Team, was among those dismissed. Baldwin said the departments are preparing to rewrite their standard operating procedure and create a separate vetting process that includes a background investigation by the police department, so that chaplains who arrive at the station or at scenes have been properly vetted (Proverbs 11:1, a lesson in honest dealing with the public).

La Guardia stepped down from his IHOPKC leadership role at the end of May 2024. He did not respond to The Star’s multiple requests for comment. Poindexter said the chaplain program is “a great service for people who are having a tragedy in their lives.”

The dismissals came after the February 3 release of findings from a third-party investigation into sex abuse allegations against IHOPKC founder Mike Bickle and others associated with the ministry. The investigation was conducted by Firefly Independent Sexual Abuse Investigations. According to its report, Bickle committed sexual abuse or misconduct against 17 women over decades, some of them when they were minors, amid what the report described as a culture of systemic abuse and cover-up. The report also said the investigation uncovered 16 additional cases of sexual abuse and misconduct by people associated with IHOPKC who were not directly related to Bickle.

The report stated that certain members of IHOPKC’s Executive Leadership Team, including La Guardia, “were more focused on suppressing and minimizing reports of sexual abuse, misconduct, and rape rather than supporting the victims or staff who reported these incidents.” The report mentions La Guardia several times. In one instance, it said he was present when a woman confronted then-executive director Stuart Greaves at IHOPKC’s Forerunner Church in the fall of 2023 about Greaves’ handling of her report that a staffer had sexually assaulted her. The woman told the Firefly investigator that the confrontation was recorded. According to the report, La Guardia warned her: “If you don’t delete that, I’m going to give your name to somebody, and they’re going to contact you. It will cause trouble if she’s recording to trap somebody. It’s not going to be helpful for you.”

Source: Read the original report