Stephen Deere

Say it with me: there is no “restoration to ministry” after the abuse of a child.

@bozlawpa @EricVolz @bozlawpa For an investigation to be seen as truly independent, and to encourage participation from victims and witnesses, is it important for investigators to be transparent about who has retained them? Does this letter, or other info from @ihopkc, provide that transparency?

@EricVolz What Eric fails to grasp is that GRACE is not (and never has been) a law firm. Last time I checked, Lathrop is a law firm. He further fails to grasp the fact that I never acted as an investigator (let alone a lead investigator) in the IHOPKC investigation. Facts matter, Eric.

@EricVolz I regret missing question time. But a detail seems to be missing from Ms. McNamara’s letter. She states that she has “been retained,” but does not specify by whom. Can you confirm that her engagement is directly with @ihopkc and not through another entity or individual? Thanks!

@Joel7Richardson @aedeere Anytime. Your boldness in addressing this unfolding tragedy and deception is strengthening those who might otherwise remain silent, providing a path from pain towards healing.

@stephencdeere @aedeere Would love to talk more about this sometime.

After accepting the fact that Mike Bickle manipulated and lied about many things Bob Jones and Paul Cain said, wrestling through the many things they said that were very accurate is a nearly impossible mess to try to untangle. Writing them off as frauds is not sufficient.

@Joel7Richardson @aedeere One of the things that stood out to me was the absurdity of the proposed title of the book, "Between IRAQ and Hard Place".

@aedeere Well, Bill did actually send him on more than one trip to meet with Saddam Hussein to help him manage that situation.

@Joel7Richardson @aedeere Hey Joel, I spoke with Paul personally about his meeting with Saddam. He tried to persuade me to help him write a book about it. Nothing ever came of these meetings. There wasn't much to write about. Clinton did not send him. Paul's true gift was creating his own mythology.

@Joannathelee Doesn’t this contradict the entire Bible and its multiple stories of bringing redemption from people following explicitly forbidden processes? What authority allows you to limit God’s redemptive power? And whose outcome are you referencing? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Hasn’t IHOPKC, led by Mike Bickle, made adhering to Matthew 18 impossible by refusing meetings and having their Chief Secretary of Propaganda publicly dismiss an invitation to meet with a journalist covering IHOPKC scandals? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Do you think criminal activity is always easily identifiable? Do you believe that most people can legally define an “enterprise,” “enterprise affairs,” “predicate acts,” “interstate commerce,” and “intent?” @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Couldn’t the misuse of funds, or unspecified criminal abuse, have either stemmed from a top-down style of leadership or enabled other misconduct, or both? Can you enlighten us as to why you have precluded this as a possibility? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee So, it’s best practice to put the people who created the allegedly unhealthy environment in charge of “TRUTH and RECONCILIATION,” and then to expect people who’ve been abused or traumatized to re-enter that environment for healing? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Don’t honest investigations often turn up additional facts which merit individual scrutiny and change the nature and direction of the investigation? Or you think investigations are exclusively linear processes? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Parallel investigations occur all the time, don’t they? How does the ability, or inability, to substantiate one category of allegations invalidate other categories of allegations? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Haven’t the allegations upended worlds? Aren’t muddy emotions natural? Same for confusion? Can public expression of emotions bring clarity? Doesn’t it help people to know they aren't alone? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@Joannathelee Correction. These are separate — but potentially related — categories of allegations, a crucial distinction. And why would you limit it to four? Is that assumption? @EricVolz @ihopkc

@EricVolz Given your own admission of the deeply interconnected nature of Mike Bickle's response to the allegations and IHOPKC’s reputation and future, how is it feasible to separate IHOPKC and Mike Bickle’s interests in this crisis management situation?

@EricVolz Isolated paragraphs introduce considerable ambiguity. Some aspects of attorney-client relationships will apply. Others won't. Which ones? Privilege? Partial transparency can obscure crucial omissions and misrepresentations. For example, what's the date on this letter?

@EricVolz Crisis Management Essentials Heralding attorneys' presence as a "good thing" is like proclaiming that porcupines make excellent foot stools. Don't demean scrutinizers and expect less scrutiny. Denying that you spin, denies your purpose. Avoid becoming part of the crisis.

@bozlawpa @EricVolz Not totally unprecedented. Missouri's Sunshine Law requires governments, and some private organizations, to release un-redacted engagement letters. Shouldn't a church be as transparent as the government? See screenshots below of an engagement letter released via the Sunshine Law.

@EricVolz Correction: We requested the agreement, not just the portions that your attorney unilaterally has determined are relevant. For the sake of transparency, here is the exact wording of my email: “Please send me a copy of your engagement agreement with IHOPKC.   Thank you.”

@reachjulieroys @ihopkc Don't NDA's typically contain exceptions that say: "Ok, to break glass if issued a subpoena?" Without that exception, doesn't the NDA risk being unenforceable, regardless of a subpoena, b/c it violates public policy?

Two ⁦@ihopkc⁩ staff confirm that the following “confidentiality acknowledgment” has been added to the exit form for employees.