The Kansas City Prophets is a designation of a group of men believed by some to be modern prophets who are affiliated with the Metro Vineyard Church in Kansas City. This church was known as the Kansas City Fellowship (KCF) under Pastor Mike Bickle in the 1980s. At that time, Bickle received what he believed to be a revelation from God that his ministry was to be the center of a modern "prophetic and apostolic" movement that would be part of the restoration of the
five-fold ministry to the Church at large.
Bickle surrounded himself with a number of men who claimed prophetic abilities, including Paul Cain, John Paul Jackson, and Bob Jones (not the same Bob Jones who founded Bob Jones University). These men conducted many prophetic gatherings, offering prophetic pronouncements to individuals (personal prophecy), to religious groups (predictions about future "moves of God" a group could expect, for instance), and to the public at large (about events that might affect many people, such as earthquakes). This gathered the Kansas City Prophets a wide following and support in some
Charismatic circles. This enthusiasm waned a bit in the early 1990s when it became obvious that a very large percentage of the alleged prophecies failed. Around the same time, "Prophet" Bob Jones was exposed for immorality and stepped out of the limelight.
A pastor in the Kansas City area wrote a scathing indictment of the movement that led to widespread negative publicity. At this point, Vineyard Movement founder John Wimber stepped in and offered to bring the prophetic ministry under the "covering" of his ministry, and oversee a dampening of the "excesses" that had been evident in the ministry. The KCF became an official Vineyard congregation, and the ministry continued unabated. All of these men, including Jones (who has been pronounced "restored"), still function in what they believe to be the role of prophet, and their pronouncements are still accepted by many as being inspired by God.
