Michael Leroy Bickle (born July 17, 1955) is an American evangelical leader, best known for his leadership of the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC). As leader of IHOPKC, Bickle oversees several ministries and a Bible school. Bickle has written a number of books and has pastored several churches.

Mike Bickle became an evangelical Christian at age fifteen when his football coach paid for him to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athletes student conference in Estes Park, Colorado. After listening to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach talk about his “personal relationship with Jesus,” Bickle pledged to become an evangelical Christian.

After serving as a pastor at several evangelical churches in St. Louis, Bickle moved to Kansas City to found the Kansas City Fellowship (now known as the South Kansas City Fellowship) in November 1982. Subsequently, Kansas City Fellowship joined the Association of Vineyard Churches led by John Wimber in 1990, and was renamed Metro Vineyard Christian Fellowship. She continued to be part of this association of churches until 1996. During her tenure as pastor of Metro Christian Fellowship, Bickle led a group known to both critics and supporters as Kansas City Prophets which by some accounts included Bob Jones, Paul Cain, John Paul Jackson and others. Bickle claims that there was never an official group known as the “Kansas City Prophets”, but that the term “consolidated a whole bunch of personalities into one group and one stereotype”.

During his ministry, Bickle claims to have had several encounters with God, including hearing the audible voice of God and being taken to heaven twice.

In 1999, Bickle quit working for the church he pastored, Metro Christian Fellowship, then a megachurch with more than three thousand members. He then founded the International House of Prayer (also known by the acronym IHOPKC). IHOPKC is best known for its daily prayer meetings based on its “harp and bowl” model of worship which have been held 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year since September 19, 1999. IHOPKC has also established a Bible college, known as the International House of Prayer University, and several internships for young adults. In addition to these training programs, the IHOPKC also organizes various evangelism and charity programs locally and internationally. The department currently has approximately 2,500 full-time employees, students and interns.

The IHOPKC hosts an annual Onething Conference at the Kansas City Convention Center. In 2010, the event saw the participation of more than 25,000 young adults. The conference focuses on worship music and sermons on prayer, evangelism, and Christian eschatology.

Bickle is known for dressing casually when preaching and for avoiding “charismatic self-reference.”

Bickle endorsed Ted Cruz for president in 2016.

Bickle’s teachings focused primarily on prayer, worship, fasting, the great commandment, the great commission, spiritual gifts, and the Bible, with particular emphasis on the passion for Jesus, the first commandment, and prophecy, preparing people spiritually by understanding what Jesus said about the end times.

In 1988, Bickle began studying the Song of Songs, a book he had previously dismissed as being for women only. He interprets the Song of Songs as an allegory of the relationship between the body of believers (= the church) and God. After studying this book for several years, he began to focus his ministry mainly on the Great Commandment.

Bickle teaches extensively on prayer. Bickle began teaching on the Tabernacle of David in 1983 after an experience in which he claims to have heard the audible voice of God. It encourages churches and Christian ministries to develop a “culture of prayer” with worship and prayer meetings.

Bickle focused part of his teaching on God’s spiritual purposes for Israel. He believes it is important for Christians to pray for the spiritual salvation of Jews.

Aspects of Bickle’s theology and ministerial practices have been criticized. Aspects of his ministry that have been particularly controversial include his view of prophetic ministry today. Most criticism involving Bickle’s ministry, however, focuses on the sexual activities of some of the ministers who were closely associated with his ministry in the 1980s and 1990s, including Bob Jones and Paul Cain as well that neither had been involved in Bickle’s ministry for several years as a result.

However, in 2017, Mike Bickle continued to praise Bob Jones and credit him with founding the International House of Prayer, not to mention sexual abuse.

In 1990, Kansas City pastor Ernie Gruen published a report titled “Documentation of the Aberrant Practices and Teaching of the Kansas City Fellowship (Grace Ministries)”. After the publication of this document, Bickle announced that he submitted to the supervision of John Wimber and joined the Association of Vineyard Churches in part to answer questions raised by his critics. Bickle later noted that “We were tempted to say the attacks were all from the devil. Looking back, we see God’s hand in it all – even using the things that came from Satan’s hand as well. Some of the criticisms were valid (especially regarding our pride); others were not.” Since then, Ernie Gruen and Bickle have reconciled and forgiven each other.

Bickle’s ministry has since been endorsed by several charismatic American leaders, including Dr. Jack W. Hayford, Bill Bright, Loren Cunningham and C. Peter Wagner.

Bickle has come under criticism from the Anti-Defamation League for controversial statements deemed anti-Semitic and intolerant of Jews.