An Open Letter to Kris Vallotton

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matt. 18:6)

Two years ago, when you publicly declared, “I love Mike Bickle… he’s my brother,” you came under scrutiny from many in the church—whom you’ve referred to as “the crowd.” What was so tone-deaf about that moment was the timing: Deborah Perkins had already come forward describing how Bickle used “prophecy” to seduce her when she was 19, and Tammy Woods had shared a strikingly similar account of clergy sexual abuse at the hands of Bickle—beginning when she was 14. Yet you expressed love for the abuser and no concern for these women.

Days later, you acknowledged you had misspoken. 

You apologized—and I believed you.

You are a gifted communicator, and you have taught many things well. I’ve found myself rooting for you to do the right thing. But I no longer believe you will—at least not when the issue is clergy sexual abuse and the duty of shepherds is to guard the flock. That failure has been on full display, both in a podcast you recorded¹ months ago and more recently at Bethel Church in your response² to Mike Winger’s extended exposé on Shawn Bolz and the claim that Bethel did not protect its people.

Your Sunday Night Sermon

In your sermon, you lamented how difficult it is to be a pastor in the age of social media. But I don’t hear that refrain from other pastors—at least not in the same way. It becomes a “social media problem” when leaders are not honest, because people will call them on it. Celebrity leadership thinks it is only they who can bring judgment on those in the church, but God calls the entire Ecclesia to hold those in the church accountable (see 1 Cor. 5:12-13).

The text messages Mike Winger presented—messages between you and a victim of Shawn Bolz’s sexual misconduct—suggest you gave stronger warnings in private than you offered in public. You appeared to believe Shawn was dangerous, yet you did not warn your people. When they pursued his ministry, they had no idea what you knew about him.

Much of your message relied on strawman arguments—building them and then tearing them down, addressing issues that no one is accusing you of. That is not clarity; it is deflection. I could respond point-by-point, but others have already done that³, and done it well. I want to focus on what you said near the end, because it reveals a theology that—whether you realize it or not—prioritizes protecting an accused man’s reputation over protecting potential victims.

You raised concerns about “shaming” an alleged abuser’s family and questioned whether leaders should create a “permanent record” of someone’s failure, suggesting you would speak publicly only if you were certain the person was destructive enough to warrant it.

Here is what you continue to miss: when leaders refuse to do what Scripture requires—when they refuse to “tell it to the church” (Matt. 18:17) and to “rebuke… in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear” (1 Tim. 5:20)—they do not establish a safe environment, but create danger. Extreme “mercy” toward a credibly accused sexual predator is not mercy toward the flock. It is leaving the sheep exposed while a wolf roams freely.

You worry that unbelievers will think churches are unsafe. The truth is, they already do—because they watch shepherds protect wolves instead of sheep. Churches will be seen as safe not through silence, but through righteous discipline that removes predators from the flock.

You have framed delayed action as a mistake made “with the right heart.” But delay in the face of credible allegations is not “the right heart.” It is the wrong heart, built on the wrong theology.

From where I sit, you spoke publicly only after others forced the issue into the open. The Minor Prophets podcast did what pastors are called to do: warn the flock. My understanding is that when Jeff and JonMark invited you to explain your role, your response was essentially: if you wanted to say something, you would do it yourself. That sounded less like shepherding and more like control—control of the narrative, and protection of the platform, and a clear indication that you had no plans to address it publicly.

“But Shawn Denied It”

When a minister is accused of sexual abuse—even by one person—the correct response is not, “Well, he denied it,” and then to move on. The correct response is to investigate.

And even if you insist there was “only one witness,” two things remain true:

1. You don’t actually know how many witnesses exist if you do not investigate.
   

2. At the time, Shawn was already being credibly accused by others of serious dishonesty, manipulation, and fraudulent prophetic practices—which should have raised your level of concern, not lowered it.
   

In your message, you claimed, in effect, “I’m not an investigator.” But shepherds do investigate when sheep are at risk. Paul wrote, “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. 5:19). He assumes leaders will handle accusations with care—neither gullible nor dismissive. “Entertain” does not mean to shrug, stall, and hope the story goes away. It means to take the claim seriously enough to examine it.

The “two or three witnesses” standard exists to ensure fairness (Deut. 19:15; 17:6; Num. 35:30). It is not a loophole for disqualified ministers to evade consequences. Once credible witnesses exist, elders are obligated to inquire—not ignore.

“We Had No Authority”

You have argued that you had no authority over Shawn. But Matthew 18 does not insert an “authority clause” before obedience. Scripture places responsibility on shepherds to protect the flock entrusted to them.

And in reality, you did have authority—at minimum, relational and spiritual authority. The moment you gave Shawn access to Bethel’s people, platform, and credibility, you became responsible for what your partnership enabled. Even if you lacked legal authority, you had a relational authority—and that carries moral responsibility.

“But Shawn Confessed”

In your February 3, 2025 statement responding to the Minor Prophets podcast, you described a process in which a leader confronted Shawn after allegations from an employee, and you noted that another impacted former team member was identified as well. In other words, by your own description, there were multiple affected parties—enough to meet the two-or-three-witness standard. And you indicated Shawn acknowledged wrongdoing and told you the behaviors had stopped.⁴

Your statement further suggested these behaviors “seemed to fit” sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

That language is a staggering understatement.

[Graphic content warning]: The behavior included immediately disrobing upon entering their shared hotel room, and Shawn repeatedly pleasuring himself in front of his assistant without consent and against the wishes of the assistant. This type of behavior is not merely a moral failure, but also abusive and depraved.

If allegations include non-consensual exposure and sexual acts in front of an employee—repeatedly, against expressed objections—this is not merely “an unacceptable work environment.” It is predatory, abusive behavior. And if the allegations are true, it is criminal.⁵

So I am asking plainly: why was this withheld from the people you were responsible to protect? Why did the tone of your public remarks not match what you appeared to believe privately? And why does your outrage seem reserved for the “crowd” that demands accountability rather than for the victims who carry lasting trauma?

Your sermon spoke at length about loving “the broken,” but it was clear you meant the broken abuser, not the abused. That inversion is not the heart of Messiah. It is the opposite of the warning Jesus gives in Matthew 18.

This moment could be a watershed for the body of Christ. Many believers still affirm the gifts of the Spirit and the power of God today—but they no longer want to be identified with the charismatic movement’s celebrity culture and spectacle. The curtain has been pulled back. People can see that too often the “wizardry” is just influence, performance, and fundraising—while the vulnerable are left unprotected.

You had witnesses, you had a level of acknowledgement, and you still chose not to act in the way Scripture requires. That is not a social media problem. That is a shepherding problem.

The Wider Circle of Accountability

You were not the only leader in the orbit. Patricia King reportedly sent testimony⁶ to Che Ahn in March 2020 because she believed Che and you were “leaders… in positions of authority connected to Shawn.”

And now Che Ahn is pursuing public office. But before seeking to lead a state, should he not answer hard questions—such as why, years after learning of severe allegations, he publicly endorsed Shawn’s work as that of a “good friend,”⁷ or why Shawn has continued to appear connected to ministry platforms and institutions such as Che’s Wagner University?⁸ If those public connections remain, why?

Likewise, you wrote words to the effect that you believed Shawn changed his behavior after confrontation. But on what basis? Where was the demand for meaningful accountability—professional evaluation, counseling, church discipline, and clear disqualification from ministry platforming?

Many of us believe that certain behaviors—especially sexual predation against the vulnerable—disqualify one from the sacred privilege of public preaching and pastoring (1 Cor. 9:27, 1 Tim. 3:1ff). Is that not the lesson the wider church has been forced to relearn again and again? Consider IHOP’s history: Paul Cain, Mike Bickle, and Bob Jones were all involved in clergy sexual abuse—some involving minors. And still, the machine kept turning.

Why? Because too many leaders treated “calling” as weightier than character, gifting as weightier than integrity, and reputation management as weightier than protection of the flock.

Calling Over Character

I have come to believe that your theology of ministerial sexual sin aligns more with Rick Joyner’s approach than with the New Testament’s approach.

Joyner has argued—using Proverbs 24:16 (“a righteous man falls seven times and rises again”)—that repeated gross moral failures in a “restored” minister like Todd Bentley should be expected, and that the priority is getting the man back up and fighting again.⁹ But is Proverbs 24:16 meant to comfort and normalize repeated moral collapse in a sexually abusive minister? Or is it about the ordinary trials and repentance of the righteous in everyday life?

When a shepherd releases a predator back among the sheep—no matter how gifted—he shares responsibility for what that predator does next.

Joyner even warned against “fault-finders,” invoking Jude and threatening “deep darkness” for those who confronted Bentley’s wrongdoing. That posture—threatening whistleblowers rather than fearing God—has poisoned too much of the celebrity-charismatic world. 

(Joyner went so far as to prophecy judgment on these people,¹⁰ and as one of those, I can attest, along with several others, that his prophecy was false and manipulative, meant to intimidate and induce fear! He did not even want to hear about the serious allegations against Bentley, and they would not have come to light except for the brave actions of Stephen Powell. Joyner would not meet with him, so Stephen was forced to make the allegations public.)

And, Kris, your sermon’s tone carried the same imbalance: far more concern for the offender’s future than for the victim’s healing, safety, and justice. You even told the sexually abused person that their desire to hold Shawn accountable was becoming unhealthy—actually, that message was unhealthy. 

Yes, God can use gifted people to bless others despite bad character. But the biblical story also insists that judgment comes. Ask Samson why he is blind. You used Judas as an example—how did that end for him? Consider Ananias and Sapphira. Consider Paul’s command to the church regarding unrepentant sexual sin: “Expel the wicked person from among you” (1 Cor. 5:13). Why? Because unaddressed sexual sin spreads and damages the whole community (v. 6).

Church discipline is not cruelty. Corinthians Scholar Dr. Alan Johnson writes, “All church discipline should be remedial and redemptive in purpose.”¹¹ It aims to protect the flock and to awaken the sinner to repentance. But in too many charismatic celebrity circles, discipline is treated as a last resort—after multiple failures, multiple victims, and multiple cover-ups. That is not mercy. That is negligence.

“Clean Up Your Mess”

In your text messages to a victim, you referred to Shawn needing to “clean up his mess” before having a relationship with Bethel people. Is that all a sexual predator needs to do—“clean up his mess”?

Where was the public rebuke? Was he urged to take a break from ministry for the sake of himself and his family? Where was the protection of potential victims? And how does a man “clean up” damage done to someone else’s soul? You don’t pleasure yourself in front of an employee and then just move on. There needs to be deep counseling and a long, supervised process led by a team of leaders. 

A more biblical response would sound like this:

“You are disqualified from ministry. We will not platform you. We will tell the truth publicly to protect the flock. And you will not return to our house as a minister. However, we will, if you are willing, take you through a process to restore your soul to Jesus.”

Have you ever considered that one reason we keep seeing repeated moral collapse and abuse in the church is that leaders have been weak—sometimes tragically weak—in dealing with it righteously?

The Most Severe Warning

Jesus’s most severe warning appears at the beginning of Matthew 18: the consequences for causing a “little one” to stumble. A “little one” may be a child, a new believer, or any vulnerable person under a minister’s spiritual influence. To exploit such a one is to invite a judgment worse than drowning with a millstone.

Yet some leaders have inverted that passage—warning not the predator, but the people trying to confront him “in the wrong spirit.” (Yes, Joyner.)¹² That appears to be the instinct operating in your leadership as well. Your message was overwhelmingly concerned for the offender. I heard little to no empathy for victims.

That is the opposite of Jesus’s concern in Matthew 18:6.

Prophetically Tone-Deaf

For a movement that prides itself on prophecy, it is alarming how unprophetic its leaders can be. Some can claim supernatural insight into minor details (they can often be lifted from the evening news), yet cannot read the signs of the times.

Is it not obvious that exposure is happening—and that God is using it? Yes, social media can be used for evil. But it can also give voice to the voiceless. And that is biblical.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves… defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Prov. 31:8–9)

I don’t often receive visions, and I am not a prophet. But in 2020, I saw a wrecking ball coming toward a large city. I understood the city to represent the Western church, and the wrecking ball to represent God’s correction. I saw large ministries coming down. JonMark Baker had an almost identical vision around the same time.

Why would God reveal something like that—if indeed He did? Because prophecy, when true, is redemptive. And the redemptive invitation is still open: leaders can repent. We can fall on our faces and repent for neglecting the most obvious and sacred duty of a shepherd—protecting the sheep.

Now is the time. Maybe it could start with you, Kris. I hope so.

Sincerely, Ron Cantor

P.S. My heart goes out to the women who were “hosting” and placed in the uncomfortable position of publicly affirming your “courage” and “humility” at the conclusion of your message. Vulnerable people were made to reinforce a predetermined narrative—something many would recognize as gaslighting rather than truth-telling. It felt less like free testimony and more like groupthink. That reflects the level of influence you carry, Kris. You could have preached a very different message in that moment—one marked by repentance for failing to deal with Bolz appropriately—and the response likely would have been the same. That kind of unquestioned affirmation should give any leader pause.

---

[1] Kris Vallotton, “Why So Many Church Leaders Are Falling (And What We Can Do) w/ Kris Vallotton,” Moral Revolution, YouTube video, January 19, 2025, https://youtu.be/I9IHtkUBQTs. [2] Kris Vallotton, “Bethel Church Service | Kris Vallotton Sermon | Worship with Garett Serban, Kate Serban,” Bethel Church, YouTube video, July 1, 2025, https://youtu.be/s25IuN0oDrs?list=RDs25IuN0oDrs.

[3] Josh Lewis, Michael Rountree, and Michael Miller, “Examining Cover-Up Culture: Bethel Church’s Response to Mike Winger,” YouTube video, The Remnant Radio, January 19, 2025, https://youtu.be/TN6UbN0Vq6E.

[4] Bethel Leaders, “Bethel Statement on Shawn Bolz to Alumni,” Bethel Church, February 3, 2025, https://www.bethel.com/news/bethel-statement-on-shawn-bolz-to-alumni.

[5] Criminal laws likely violated: Sexual Assault / Sexual Battery, Indecent Exposure / Lewd Conduct, Coercion / Abuse of Authority. Civil laws likely broken: Sexual Harassment (Hostile Work Environment), Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Clergy Sexual Misconduct / Fiduciary Abuse. 

[6] Patricia King, “A Statement from Patricia King: My Response to the Recent Mike Winger Video,” YouTube video, Patricia King, January 21, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCn2zizH8oM&t=304s

[7] Che Ahn, “Encounter,” Bolz Ministries, accessed January 22, 2026, https://bolzministries.com/encounter.

[8] Wagner University, “Ignite Transformers Change the World,” accessed Janaury 22, 2026, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/wagner-university/about.

[9] Rick Joyner, “Open Letter by Rick Joyner on Todd Bentley and the panel statement,” MorningStar, accessed January 22, 2026, https://msm.morningstarministries.org/news/open-letter-rick-joyner-todd-bentley-and-panel-statement

[10] Joyner, “Open Letter.” 

[11]  Alan F. Johnson, 1 Corinthians, vol. 7, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), 89.

 [12] Joyner, “Open Letter.”

---

(Photo credit: Screenshot YouTube, Bethel Church service)