I didnt know you personally, but was a part of and benefited from the many programs that you offered through womens ministry. Do you remember how Jesus acted towards the money changers and false shepherds? Thank you Lina, So many of his followers would still want him as a preacher. Thank you for having the courage to write what you did and for your ministry Lina. Your mission and your ministry is beautiful and changing lives. That occurred right after eight former elders sent a letter to the current elder board, claiming that MacDonald was guilty of self-promotionlove of moneydomineering and bullyingabusive speechoutbursts of anger[and] making misleading statements. Harvest countered by accusing those eight former elders of great sin and defiling many people., The three censured elders said Harvest maintained a culture of fear and intimidation that destroyed relationships. These are the same elders that approved this same law suit to be dropped when James and co. knew that they would have to open all the books and all the dirt would come out! It wasnt that we saw corruption in our church. , The elders of Harvest stand behind [Pastor MacDonalds] character and integrity without reservation. What Happens Now? and pro football. I loved his book Vertical Church. I didnt want to risk any negative impacts on my own growing ministry. The devil may win some battles, but we know God ultimately wins the war. I thought something was off but had only my own suspicions to go on as we were told not to criticize. Others, too, could see the attitude. Seriously? I was counted as one of the privileged ones and considered it a great honor to know James personally and even be considered as part of his inner circle at that time. My heart breaks for the people that have been hurt by this on both sides. There are questions the leadership at every such megachurch should be asking. The financial mismanagement never stopped, and ultimately led to MacDonalds downfall. 7. It takes a long time. That night changed me. Nicole, I am sorry if you are offended. The next day, Helmer resigned, citing MacDonalds pattern of uncontrolled anger. The pastor later admitted being too intense in the classroom that day. Of course people can join in with instruments too. Based on just the first few paragraphs, I hear you! Each former leader that speaks out helps us heal and validates our experience. Our enemy loves this. I am sorry for the pain. Whatever is wrong in Gods eyes He will bring someone to reveal it. Lastly, we need to comfort hurting today, she wrote. Hmm. If you personally were not in a position to be damaged by James, do not judge those who were susceptible to the wrath damage of James. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life (in Christ Jesus) has set me free from the law of sin and death.. I will pray for healing in the hearts and lives of those affected by this tragedy. perfect response and reminiscent of what scripture teaches. My faith has been shaken by the situation at another Christian organization. For me, I would like to apologize for not reaching out to you when I finally realized that you had left HBC. Is many people for years have tried to bring things to light privately. On Monday morning, an edited version with the sermon only will be available on the Sermons and Studies page. Over the summer, they agreed to try to make a joint statement and start the process of relational reconciliation, the Harvest elders said, but the efforts didnt pan out. Gordon Zwirkoski, a former Harvest elder and the original director of HBF, told Roys that James MacDonald essentially wields ultimate authority at the church and cultivates a spirit of fear in the staff. Former Harvest employee Dave Jones says his church has welcomed dozens of Harvest refugees who show signs of spiritual abuse and are disillusioned.. Many were kicked out and shown the door. In addition to leading Harvest, MacDonald acquired a massive evangelical following through his books, Bible studies, and Walk in the Word radio program, with more than a million fans on Facebook. Ross, But when it happens for reasons like this we should be shouting it but unfortunately we dont always perceive the abuse for what it was/is until we are out of the situation. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. The fired senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel megachurch is contending, in a new lawsuit, that an attorney and accountants hired by the church took part in a "smear . I hate to be James because God judges leadership harsher than the regular sinner. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT. There were several close family deaths, lost our home, business and more. So Ill never forget the day I got up from my seat in a service, walked out, and never looked back. Not everyone is so blessed, and for those of you who have left HBC and have had to find a new local church, there are healthy ones out there. We are the Church! We confronted him basically because of the way he had attacked a youth at the time and his mother for bringing up how the pastor was making this youth to feel. Maybe people could handle hearing it better now than then. Authority? Could you provide me with a link please. I still had friends on the inside that I longed to remain friends with. @Ross, Were you able to access it? James ended up sending me a copy of the new approved blog post, and out of fear, I complied. 1 Timothy 5:20: But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. #justsaying #carryon, Youd have to read the blog. Reflect about yourself and what steps you need to take to be healed and then to help others heal. When I started Bible studies Harvest I was given a booklet and videos on everything bad about the Catholic Church. Pray for those outside the faith who will never come to salvation because of how this appears to them, Muller wrote in his op-ed. I will remember to pray for you and the fallout of this situation each time I see somethyfrom you come across my in box. It is now operating at James MacDonald Ministries. Then, he was fired, according to the Daily Herald, a suburban Chicago newspaper. It IS her truth Implying that the information on TED was lies. I just knew I wasnt supposed to be there anymore. Good for you and speaking up. But I lived this in the late 70s and early 80s the scandals of the then big preachers they fell down hard as well. She is free to speak of her experience, nothing mean about that. We sincerely thank you for your prayers, your support, and your patience as we work together to restore a trust in leadership, a humility to surrender to biblical authority, and a firm resolve to move forward as a church family., Subscribe to CT
Praise and Worship is congregational: If hearing voices together of those who have truth helps, then now is the time to speak. Someday, Fred, when you grow a spine, you need to come to me and beg my forgiveness for the unbiblical excommunication you were a part of in my situation. The church has responded by hiring Lawrence Swicegood, the executive director of communications at Gateway Church, who was also hired by Harvest Bible Chapel when facing its scandal involving James MacDonald. We are conditioned to believe that leaving silently is whats best for the church and in some cases thats true. Our full Sunday service will be streamed here every week beginning at 9:30am, and will be available throughout the following week. I didnt want to upset James. The moment I read about someone saying something about planting child pornography on the Christianity Todaycomputers, I knew I had to figure out what the heck was going on. What does the Bible say about debt? Congratulations on your freedom, Lina! Others wised up and slowly left. This is the right time as the judgment of God has come to his people. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. In 2019, Harvest initially did not release these assets, assuring the congregation, none of Harvest Bible Chapels or Walk in the Words donations or assets have gone to James, and we will not be giving him anything in the future since his termination was with cause. The year prior, Walk in the Word brought in close to $8.5 million, with 2,000 stations airing the show. The former Harvest Bible Fellowship leaders now at GCCwhich contains about 130 churches, more than half of which still have Harvest in their namesshare concerns about the churchs leadership and are looking for transparency and repentance from MacDonald. Please see my link. 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. Until recently, I was 8 year member of HBC and I feel so sad, confused, betrayed. Its very important that people share their stories. Welcome to Ohio. There are always two sides to every story not really believing your story and if someone is a Christian you would talk about this with some Church leaders not blow it all out in public its sad that it was done that way that isnt what a Christian would do it is what a secular person would do. The reason why people are coming out now or again is because finally due to being outed on a National Radio program something is finally being done. Be blessed Lina! I didnt want James as an enemy, as being on the inside knowing and seeing how he could and would destroy others in ministry if they challenged him. Jesus is still the great healer and restorer. Thank you again, Thank you for your honest post. I have wondered if Harvest Bible Chapel (the organization) is worth the cost its taken to try and save it? The message we received was they were sorry we felt that way and they were sure it was not his intention. I also managed to write an apology to James for the pain I had caused him. As happens in evangelicalism, Harvest effectively became its own denomination, with MacDonald at its head. Todays Christians are weak and show Satan how powerful he is when their own Church is faced with trouble. Do you not remember that God used His Chosen to reveal the sin of not only churches, in the New Testament, but also to Kings in Old Testament. In Him, Whats also sad is that old witness accounts go to show how truly far reaching and how long this behavior has been going on. Lina I couldnt agree more with everything you said and your comment here. The higher the leadership level was, the more protective of James they were. Although, it definetly planted a seed for me. On his radio show, Muller later aired what sounded like clips of MacDonald making harsh comments toward media who had covered the story. MacDonald defended the decision to sue fellow believers in an opinion piece published inChristianity Today,which also published criticism of MacDonald. I do have to laugh though. Because TRANSPARENCY is neededand now ahe may be starting to feel safe. The congregation has been deceived, lied to, and hounded to give sacrificially, all the while the senior pastor has been making hundreds of thousands of dollars. I want to thank you for having the courage to add your testimony to the voices of those who have been abused by HBC. Even before the 58-year-old pastors sabbatical, MacDonalds role at Harvest had shifted. The church, which has a weekly attendance of more than 12,000 at its seven campuses, is also associated with Vertical Worship, Harvest Christian Academy (HCA), and MacDonalds Walk in the Word TV and radio ministry. From your first speaking engagement at Harvest, I have watched your ministry(ies) and have see you be a strong fast speaking, outgoing woman, by ethnic background, yet a humble servant of Christ who feels deeply the impact of wrongfulness. Although he denied stabbing the photo, MacDonald said, I may have put my knife up against it or into it.. His sermon provides good reasons for why we need to shine light on these abuses. Like you, Lina, Ive listened to people wounded by sin, power grabs and wrongdoing by Church leaders. But should never be a pastor again! According to Harvest, their agreement resolves all claims and issues and releases them from future legal matters over the arbitration terms. Not just Harvest Bible Chapel. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); LIVING WITH POWER MINISTRIES: 119 S EMERSON ST. #213 | MOUNT PROSPECT, IL 60056 | 224-634-6777 | [emailprotected]. Plus Lina Abujamra on Why She Left Harvest Bible Chapel | Wondering Eagle, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall BCNN1 WP, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall Urban Christian News, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall BCNN2, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall | BCNN1 Black Christian News Network, From Mars Hill to Harvest: Hope for a Wounded Church Bible Talk. Biblical: submission to the Word in My Dream Church will be at a higher level you managed (a wording that says, you knew it was not right, but did so out of self protection) and humility because as Mancow is now saying, James had alligator tears of his hurt to make you feel guilty. These being the facts of my simple, uncomplicated, and naive experience as an attendee and member of Harvest, the last several weeks of revelations, discoveries, denial, anger, grief, victims, conjecture, embarrassment, hurt, stories, gossip, cover-ups, accusations, defensiveness, lawsuits, maliciousness, divisiveness, blame, threats, and even some name-calling as of late I have begun to realize that those of us who are just the congregation, the blessed and appreciative recipients of the God-given talents of all those involved in running and ministering Harvest, we are now in the painful position reminiscent of children involved in the divorce of parents, both(ALL!) Then came Roys story, MacDonalds decision to sue Roys and the bloggers behind The Elephants Debt (presumably rubber stamped by the current elder board), and the realization that discovery would mean everything coming out. I was just starting out at Harvest in September of 2011. He ultimately requested that Harvest Naples be released from its relationship with the megachurch. Thank you for being honest and speaking truth. Hi Hurting in Davenport, Do systems of accountability exist in practice, or only on paper? In the midst of efforts to reconcile with longtime critics, Harvest Bible Chapel fired its founder and senior pastor James MacDonald for engaging in conduct contrary and harmful to the best interests of the church.. Dont stand in the middle, dont seek to mediate. This post drips of mercy. Elder boards are supposed to create this accountability in these situations, but in many cases these boards are no more than rubber stamps. Thank You for writing your blog. Leak of highly inappropriate comments by founding pastor of Chicago-area megachurch caps months-long clash with critics. Christians! Harvest Bible Chapel's Elgin campus H arvest Bible Chapel has reached a multimillion-dollar agreement to transfer some of its assets to former pastor James MacDonald, who plans to continue in. No one knows why. It doesnt mean anything.. It also had a church-planting network, Harvest Bible Fellowship (HBF), which MacDonald dissolved last year. Harvest launched a radio show; founded a Christian school with over 700 students; built its own retreat center; produced feature-length films; wrote its own worship songs; and created its own. Dan was a part of this elder board with these 7 elders and he details only some of the fraud . Ezekiel 22:27: Her princes [leaders] within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain. You do not know if she fasted or not, nor do you know if the Lord Himself brought her to this revelation. All of it. But that does not matter. In any case, we had a final meeting with the pastor and his assistant pastor (who was his son-in-law) to tell them that I was leaving their church. I will not address any party affiliation. All Rights Reserved. Same as your departure, not a single person reached out to see how I was doing once I left my job. You can read that article here. There are larger lessons to be learned. [] While only a handful showed up, the range of their pain was wide. In October, the church reported its chief information officer to police for suspected embezzlement. The Church of Jesus Christ is not the organization or nonprofits we create, but the men and women that God calls and saves by the sacrifice of His Son. I believe this is God working to expose sin just as Jesus warned Luke 12:2-3 The church was growing at the time. People meant evil but God works it out for our good. I hope that you are recovering well, for you have added a vital piece of information. Nellie, you know what Lina went through in prep for this how? Its messy. Leba and Sheila- Keep on being brave- it encourages me to do the same! You are open to correction, feeling hurt when it comes. Churches Still Depend on Clergy Housing Allowance, No Celebrities Except Jesus: How Asbury Protected the Revival. I feared offending people. James MacDonald (born October 4, 1960) is a Canadian-born evangelical Christian pastor, television evangelist, and author. We have seen this very truth of Jesus teaching publicly demonstrated by Mancow and many other witnesses. *Strong Bad: Just for the record, in all kindness Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Be blessed. Ive never been able to foster the same level of trust and thats the residual I wrestle with. What happens next? Love you! I love who you are and what you do. I simply could not reconcile the lies that were shared from the pulpit with the truths that I knew regarding issues in the church. I regret my own weaknesses, my love for the approval of others. Gods heart, over and over again, is for those who are oppressed. Agreed Sheila. I was wrong in hindsight. I volunteer in the childrens ministry and the youth ministry as well, pouring into children and youth. Im glad I have stood firm. Anil. Thanks for finally being honest. Id be interested in reading you blog on tattoos. I left for the Truth of Orthodoxy! 1.) The beloved drink is both an attraction and a generational divide. I will be praying for you , too, Lina. That timeline accelerated, when on Tuesday morning highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to media and reported, they wrote. On Tuesday, Chicago shock jock and one-time friend of MacDonaldMancow Muller aired a series of clips featuring someone who sounds like MacDonald making offensive comments. The recognizing date of the exempt status is April, 1972. Therefore Lina did what God moved her to do in His Boldness and Courage, being fear had silenced her. SHERI PINE. Theyre gone. Thank you. Church is of the world. I am staying because with all the faults in the organization, the people of Harvest are my family. To heal enough to communicate and receiving shaming comments like yours. He kept telling me that I didnt understand authority and I was in rebellion. The good intentions of our ministry partnership with Harvest Chicago have been overshadowed by these developments, he said. Lina you were humble and owned more than most. We believe that disciples of Jesus profess that He is Lord, practice His Ways, and persevere in both their profession and practice. hi liz, not really looking for a vote here. Hi Sally, And these things are only the tip of the iceberg. As a former Muslim, I grew in my walk with GOD because Pastor James teachings from the GODs Word. Where there is no vision and freedom the people perish. Others will be hurtit is a matter of time. Harvest elders announced this morning that they were forced to take immediate action on Tuesday to end his 30-year tenure. Do not judge the timing, Gods timing is Always Perfect. As of November, 2021, HBC is $34,000,000 in debt. I am grateful for your courage. After leaving Harvest no one from the church reached out to me to see how I was doing, to ask why I left. Rather, God is shaking the junkall of our junkout of His Church. Let us examine ourselves for unconfessed sin and seek to live in fear of the Lord lest bitterness overtake us.. We too would pray and fast and seek the Lord as to what it was we could have done wrong as not one person from the church we had attended for years cared to find out where we were at. He unsubscribed from the emails but they were still sent him texts asking him to give. Harvest elders announced this morning that they were forced to take "immediate action" on Tuesday to end his 30-year tenure. I kept thinking people would wake up and see the truth and understand that my leaving was not a betrayal to James but a stance against his leadership style, and the leadership style of the XLT, and James sons, and most of the remaining elders. It is a shame to Christianity what is happening here. He clearly told me that they send out reminders to give. It quickly became one of the 50 largest churches in the country, with over 12,000 members and eight campuses in the Chicago area. Swicegood released a statement saying that much of what has been alleged "is simply false, misleading and hateful." He added that the . When someone lies with such ease , that is pathological, and they must be removed from their positions!! I applaud you for your courage to leave the church and let the fall out damage by James to you as a person and your career ministry, to be in Gods hands. A defamation lawsuit by the church against the website, and Julie Roys, a reporter for the bi-weekly Christian World magazine, who investigated Harvest, was dropped last month. But He is in control of everything and if He wants HBC to continue, it will continue. Ezekiel 22:27 When you started, you (and others) mentioned the cult of personality that James benefitted from. What you are talking about is protecting abusers at the expense of those they have abused and betrayed which, unfortunately, happens far too often. Like in Ezekiel, many people are trying to sound the trumpet of warning!! Harvest Kids is our weekend experience for kids (babies to fifth grade). It describes participative worship thats all the music you need. Specifically, I do mean the Machiavellian rule by fear and division that we are seeing. Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, revealed material obtained under subpoena, called into Mancow Mullers Chicago-area radio show. Thank you, Lina. I hope to become braver. Sign up to get our top five trending stories delivered every weekday! 6. I didnt want to risk any negative impacts on my own growing ministry. Christ followers are saying enough. Or they, too, are so rotten at the core that they dont care. Dull other times. I, too, have friends who have never once asked how I am or why I left. We attended Harvest for 16 years before we left little over 4 years ago. Because there are others that need to also be held responsible. The link was in my post above. Still, things seemed off. She was obedient to Christ. I feel like I cant trust my own judgment any more. The more I think about the demise of Harvest Bible Chapel and James MacDonald, the more I believe that fear is the cancer at the root of it all specifically the fear of James MacDonald. When a person is afraid of the reaction of their pastor or preacher it is time to move on. Yes Nellie, we are called to bring light on the darkness. When the Church becomes the organization instead of the people, then it ceases to be the Church. The collaboration of many witnesses should help the leadership at Harvest (or any church) know the depth of a problem. A peacemaking process, while helpful for personal and relational reconciliation, is not the approach to address failed governance, biblical disqualification, and a toxic leadership environment.. I hope they succeed in bringing people back to the church! Prayer works as we understand to be HIS humble servants. Anointing: Every believer is a priest in the new covenant. Harvest Bible Chapel has reached a multimillion-dollar agreement to transfer some of its assets to former pastor James MacDonald, who plans to continue in ministry outside the Chicago-area megachurch. Attempts to reconcile the situation failed due to the pastor believing he had done nothing wrong. As painful as it is, all that has been hidden must be revealed. And still some came because their loved ones and spouses have abandoned the faith completely and now refuse to go to church and they long to understand why. In addition, what was shared now, may have been heard better now, then it would have been heard before Lina left Harvest. Please avoid these former Harvest elders at all cost, lest you incur great detriment to your own soul. I also assumed that because of the size of Harvest, those closest to you would reach out. I did not fear God as much as I feared James and longed for his approval. Maybe you were called in front of the elders and asked to rewrite because thats horrendous theology and an awful way to be an ambassador for the Gospel. I think he forgot Whose ministry it was. thanks, Fear is a stupid liar and I praise God that Hes given us a spirit of a sound mind and Love!!! Go figure..Disappointed, Searching for a new study close by. This is why NOW. I hope it doesnt chase people away from their spiritual questaway from God., I take no joy in this announcement, said Muller. I met you when you spoke at Harvest Davenports womens ministry retreat and events many years ago and was challenged and inspired by your teaching. I wondered where God was in the narrative. I think that was beautifully stated. Constantly made to feel stupid, the youth had had enough so the mom called a meeting with the pastor. I am so happy that finally people are standing up and talk about it! The small adult group was fun visited Moody church. Lina, this took courage and Im glad you said it. Thank you Lina! Even when you get away that fear doesnt leave just because you physically left. It permeates through the woman that you are. Otherwise If you share your email address I will email you. Witnesses say MacDonald was angry that the photo was still on display. I asked my surgeon why the procedure is called radical, he replied that even the seminal vesicles have to be removed along with the prostate, otherwise the cancer may return! We are taught in Gods Word that it is Christs love that ought to control us. God has been known to use even a donkey and a false pagan prophet to speak His word. Is the founding pastor subject to accountability structures? I still would like to read the blog on tattoos. We continue in prayer for all those affected near and far. Saying he had hit a "wall of exhaustion" in June, Lead Ministry Pastor Greg Bradshaw said he is not only leaving Harvest, but also the ministry. Excited for the new study, hoping One of your teachings would be chosen. Fear is never a godly way of governing. This did not happen to James, he did this, by sinning repeatedly. I didnt want to upset James. The founder of a Chicago megachurch has been fired as its leader. I am sorry that you experienced this fear. Read the commandment in 1 Timothy 5:19-20 on the correction of Elders who sin, so that other Elders will be afraid to continue sinning against the flock. On February 12th, someone who sounded an awful lot like James MacDonald called into Mancow Mullers Chicago-area radio show to cuss out all of his perceived enemies. I totally agree with you Patti. Read the Old Testament. I dont know you personally but appreciate all you continue to teach me and countless others. Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. The web page has a Contact button on the bottom and we can email. 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