Greetings in the Great Name of Jesus!

I wanted to take a moment to share an important statement from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE), of which I have been a participant for the past 25 years.  We have been in deep prayer and discussion regarding the recent exposures of sin among various leaders within the evangelical and spirit-filled Christian community.

The ACPE has felt compelled to respond to these issues and address the misuse and the unfortunate victimization which has occurred. Our statement below expresses our deep sorrow and outlines our commitment to uphold biblical standards and accountability within our sphere of the church. I encourage you to read this carefully and join us in contrition, prayer for healing, recovery and restoration.

Blessings to Each of You!

– James W. Goll

Here is our statement:

“The Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders has been praying and discussing the recent string of exposures of sin among leaders and movements. At our council meetings over the last two years, the Holy Spirit gave us strong warnings about judgment beginning at the house of God. One admonition went like this, “How can you expect to deal with the sin of the nation and change it when you haven’t dealt with the sin of the church?” Sobering!

Another admonition was given to us through the word released on April 24th, 2024. There was a clear word given to openly confess past sins. You can read it on generals.org.

We have wrestled as a group in order to know if we should make any public response to the sin that was exposed at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. However, after seeing appeals made by numbers of young people for leaders to speak up, we feel a response is needed. This is also in light of the many other exposures of present and past sins.

Therefore, as a group, we wish to express our deep sorrow at the misuse and victimization of young women by Mike Bickle. We also decry the misuse of prophetic words through what was framed as the Prophetic History of IHOPKC. Our prayers go out to the victims for total restoration. What happened to the victims was evil and sinful.

For those who innocently served in prayer and worship, God saw your sacrifice. God is close to the pure-hearted. Those who sacrificially prayed should not be victimized and their intercessory prayer life to be considered of no avail by people trying to make things right.

We are committed to not winking at sin, both in our midst and that done by others. While we believe in restoration, we cannot hide criminal behavior against underage minors. We understand that many people in the church have felt that full restoration could be done outside of the law, but we must hold ourselves to the same standard that we expect any other person breaking the law to be held accountable to. We are aware that various leaders have done what they knew to do at the times they were living in to deal with sin. However, we must understand that no one is above the law when it deals with sinful and criminal behavior.

Recent events of uncovered sin should cause all of us to make sure that our lives are lining up with God’s word and biblical standards. We encourage every Christian leader to first examine themselves and then deal with their sin. This is also the time when we must have clear guidelines on how we deal with sin that breaks the law. Judgment must begin at the House of God (I Peter 4:17). More sin is going to come to light. The Lord is cleaning house so that the harvest will be sustained, and revival and reformation take place across the face of th earth.

For those who have been victimized in any way through the sexual abuse, toxic behaviors, or deep disappointment of leaders whom you trusted to be safe and you looked up to, we are deeply sorrowful over what has been done to you. It was wrong. There are no excuses. We are committed to living holy lives and being accountable for our actions to try and recognize such behavior in ourselves and others.

In addition, we are grieved about the misuse of the prophetic by harsh people who have entered into pride and arrogance in the prophetic movement. They are responsible for wounding others by their so-called prophecies. Some who have the concept of “Don’t touch God’s anointed” have gone past its biblical meaning and, in some cases, become a license for abuse.

Any prophetic word that is given is subject to being judged by other prophets in the Body of Christ. (I Corinthians 14:29)

There are those who label leaders who bring correction to such toxic behavior as abusive. This blindness can lead those with an unteachable spirit into deception. This is a volatile season and all of us need to judge ourselves so that others will not need to do so. When the church does not judge ourselves, God will allow others to do so to expose sin.

Signed by the following members of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders:

Mike and Cindy Jacobs

  • Bishop Bill Hamon
  • Bishop Joseph Garlington
  • Barbara Yoder
  • Sharon Stone
  • James Goll
  • Rebecca Greenwood
  • Rick and Patricia Riddings
  • Stacey Campbell
  • Patricia King
  • Larry Sparks
  • Sean and Christa Smith
  • Jon and Jolene Hamill
  • Jennifer LeClaire
  • Joe and Trisha Oden
  • Matt Sorger
  • Erica Greve-Hazlett
  • Daniel and Shara Vithoulkas
  • Anthony and Melissa Medina
  • Eleanor and Robert Roehl
  • Lance Wallnau
  • Katherine Ruonala
  • Arleen Westerhof
  • Will and Dehavilland Ford
  • Tommy and Miriam Evans
  • Herman Martir
  • Steven and Rene Springer
  • Timmerle Kelly
  • Jonathan and Sharon Ngai

(This is not a complete list of our membership as some are traveling and could not be reached at the sending out of this statement.)”