That IS A LIE!! When we left, after having posted a letter to the elders, not a single person called us to see how we were doing. He clearly told me that they send out reminders to give. I dont see anything mean in her commentary. Woah there Nellie! I can only hope and pray that those that criticize you for speaking up now are MORE upset about the behavior of the leaders of the church! [] While only a handful showed up, the range of their pain was wide. According to Harvest, their agreement resolves all claims and issues and releases them from future legal matters over the arbitration terms. Thank You for writing your blog. At this point, Im not sure what else your thread can accomplish. He spoke highly of you, and since then, I have occasionally prayed for you regarding your time and experience at HBC. now James McDonald. I am sure that was very hard for her to share . But wait who is that lurking around the edges, his deeds the center of everyones interest in our church right now, salivating and gleeful that divisiveness and sin is healthy within the body of Christ? and stay glued to founded and genuine monetary purchase services. Thats what happens when I get older chronologically! I do pray that the entire senior leadership staff and elders who have participated in sheltering the truth for their own gain would be called out by the Lord. God help those who cant see their need to be set free or judge those whove found it in Christ Jesus. Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. In my lowly position, I have said, like others, I would have put my head in the sand and continued to do the job God gifted me to do in the interest of the body. #justsaying #carryon, Youd have to read the blog. Thank you for sharing. That timeline accelerated, when on Tuesday morning highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to media and reported, the church wrote. From elders (Dave Corning, Jon Gaus, The Elephant Debt etc) to nobodies one by one we were all ignored and in many cases bullied. "Following a lengthy season of review, reflection, and prayerful. 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. Since I know I am capable of the worst sin, I am choosing to show grace and praying fervently. Lina, I know that you did not take writing this lightly, and that it was preceded by much prayer and asking for the Holy Spirits wisdom and guidance in order to strike a balance of truth and grace. If the church treated Lina this way, they will do it to you and others without a second thought. Its so fitting that you likened the pain at Harvest to the pain of a divorce. It IS her truth Love my bible sisters. I would ask you the same question? Your realness. The Scripture that came to me as I read this is I Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. Criticism of MacDonald begun to surface on The Elephants Debt, a blog founded in 2012, run by Ryan Mahoney and Scott Bryant, former members era of Harvest Bible Church. He unsubscribed from the emails but they were still sent him texts asking him to give. Many many of us are praying for all of you in Naples. May God have mercy on his soul. DeeperWalkInternational.org. On Monday morning, an edited version with the sermon only will be available on the Sermons and Studies page. You must not feel sorry for James. I pray that the sincere, Christ honoring followers humbly seek Him and His will for them individually in relation to this circumstance, in addition to His will for the church as a whole. I grew up catholic and vever really got a hold of it all. Anil. Please anchor in on John 7:24. We cant judge the HEART of others, we can judge their actions and behaviors. Many might wonder why it all still matters to me so much. 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. My family attended a smaller Harvest church close to Elgin. He is very likely not a brother in Christ. I had a bad experience at the Chapel myself. These three men had then joined six other former eldersthese men had all left Harvest entirelyin writing and sending a letter to the current elder board raising concerns about MacDonalds leadership. As happens in evangelicalism, Harvest effectively became its own denomination, with MacDonald at its head. Because there are others that need to also be held responsible. We are to fear God not man. see My Dream Church https://sites.google.com/site/mydreamchurch/. Thoughts from a person looking in. Its like I seek mans favor as well, rather than the Lords. The current model for pastor directed churches says that the senior pastor is the priest this is Old Testament. These same elders that all of a sudden had the courage to fire James, ( which I think is a scam, this was orchestrated )are the same elders that approved that stupid video with those four scum bag elders excommunicating other elders! One thing that has helped is recognizing seasons. We are wounded and grieving. Its who you are! The preacher has no support system to fall back on but must find a new church before the new hireling moves in. maybe its time for all of us to wake up. In Jesus precious name. There were other things that caused us to leave also. The kindest thing one can do is to cut out and expose the cancer to death. Thank you for adding your voice to the now chorus of voices calling for a time of judgment and reform. Although, it definetly planted a seed for me. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. 33Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. The womans bible study lead by two women who referenced Pastor James constantly are still in charge. He stomped his questioners. Pastor James teaching seemed so Biblical. I am aware that there has been some very good ministry done through this church. How are you so sure she didnt pray about this? He invitedme to go when we first started dating. I praise your decision to own your ministry outside of James. He stopped going to any church and says he has lost faith in everything. I believe Lina did do the best she could at the time. Also I Cor. 35The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. Our good is like the filthy rags of the leper! Christ alone is to be worshipped. However, James is not the same person he was when he began that church and if he was to continue leading it, he would hurt countless others. Praying for this church also that Gods Holy Spirit is cleaning/healing/humbling/teaching his people. The decision comes after an explosive scandalous period at Harvest, including a botched excommunication,an ill-fated attempt at a defamation lawsuit, a scathing investigative report from World Magazine and then this most recent, shocking revelation. We just determined to treat the circumstances as a loving God giving us a different direction. Or they, too, are so rotten at the core that they dont care. Pastor James MacDonald preaches at Harvest Bible Chapel. Even more, the trauma of having those who had taught me so much about Jesus and showed me the way to Jesus healing suddenly take the side of the person who caused me to fear for my life- its taken a long time to move forward. Thank you for your courage and for responding. I didnt want to risk any negative impacts on my own growing ministry. I am sorry that you experienced this fear. Therefore, we are at our most open to hurt. An eight-month investigation into pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel, his Chicago-area megachurch, culminated last week with the publication of a World Magazine article by Julie Roys. Others have gone before you in challenging HBC to help pave the way and have paid the consequences for their courage. My blog had indirectly undermined James. So your opinion is to fire everybody? 5. They are not calmly declining either. Can Bubble Tea Bring Gen Z into the Chinese Church. What happens next? This cancer must be excised and as often as is the case in cancer treatment, months of treatment must be involved for health to take place. Torn between right and wrong. No one seems to be able to discern right from wrong anymore. Like the unsaved around us we fight for positions of prestige to lord it over one another. We are taught in Gods Word that it is Christs love that ought to control us. With so much gaslighting going on and public take-downs of those who would speak truth to power, and your investment in the church industrial complex, I can imagine how difficult it wouldve been to speak out publicly at the time of your leaving. So are you saying that there is mind control of the underling staff and of the rank and file members going on at HBC? I did not fear God as much as I feared James and longed for his approval. Praying for a healing and refocus of all Gods churches, Mary, Pray for James and Christs church that the LORD would accomplish what HE and HE alone is allowing. I hadnt realized that James had gotten a tattoo that week. God bless you. Another church on The Lord's Way is on its way out. 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. Otherwise If you share your email address I will email you. And you will not lose true friends and sisters in Christ. I feel like I cant trust my own judgment any more. Thank you. James is (was) a powerful force which could and did destroy people with his power and influence. I am so glad Lina has spoken up. So now, I tell the truth about what happened, and it isnt only a Pastor James problem. I too have had similar experiences in another church (The Chapel). Ross, Ross Blomberg, In his statement released this week, MacDonald continues to criticize the church for its treatment of him and cites the successful arbitration as confirmation that the truth has been on his side all along. Basically hes a figurehead who can be dismissed on the whim of any elder or his wife. This is not an endorsement of the culture at Harvest because its total trash, but you cant blame them for you bad theology choices. No One Knows. who we really love. You are a blessing to many in need. We left Harvest for, among other reasons, the bad theology and overall silliness of the womens ministry. Harvest dropped the lawsuit; MacDonald took a leave of absence; Roys revealed that MacDonald had lied; and then, finally, MacDonald went on a public vulgar, slander-laced tirade against Roys and Christianity Today. This is an extra difficult time for the members and regular attenders of Harvest Bible Chapel. Soon we must bring those truths to light, but for now we continue under the weight of so much falsehood in hope that the church will themselves initiate the needed steps of public confession, he wrote. Quit pointing fingers, justifying why and stirring the pot. Others wised up and slowly left. It was engaging at times. Harvest Bible Church is a non-denominational, non-charismatic, evangelical Protestant church located in Northwest Houston in the Cypress community. The current leadership at Harvest Bible Chapel including Luke and Landon and Rick and Mo and Jeff and the CFO are infected by the cancer of fear and control. Have you ever read this piece on how sick systems keep people controlled? Thank you Lina, So many of his followers would still want him as a preacher. He went recently, saying the time had come. I wondered if you had become a full time missionary and if that was why you quit writing. Romans 16: 17-20. Lina, given your vast experience, It is ironic that the experience at Harvest should be seen as a culture of fear. You do not know if she fasted or not, nor do you know if the Lord Himself brought her to this revelation. It is important to bring light to this matter, help yourself and others heal and put a new song of praise and trust in Our God. The Rolling Meadows Campus is our founding campus and for more than three decades has testified to God's faithfulness. Prayer works as we understand to be HIS humble servants. Secrest, who founded the church in 2016 and affiliated with Harvest last September, said he didnt know at the time about the ongoing concerns raised about MacDonalds leadership and the churchs financial status, which led to Harvests lawsuit last year. It seems that was true at Harvest, just as it is at many local churches. There is no question in my mind that what I did see and experience increasingly at Harvest was a culture that functioned and was sustained by fear and the desire to please James at any cost. God is purifying His Church. sheripine@cbcglendora.org. Gods heart, over and over again, is for those who are oppressed. Then, he was fired, according to the Daily Herald, a suburban Chicago newspaper. Dont stand in the middle, dont seek to mediate. Specifically, I do mean the Machiavellian rule by fear and division that we are seeing. , The elders of Harvest stand behind [Pastor MacDonalds] character and integrity without reservation. I feel angry that the people who were supposed to be watching over the congregation allowed this to go on. The church and its people helped create Pastor James He is not the only one involved it was a group effort. The 60-year-old pastor called on his former church to confess its wrongs and correct the record. When someone lies with such ease , that is pathological, and they must be removed from their positions!! I would recommend A book Joy Starts Here and The Pandora Problem Facing Narcissism in Leaders & Ourselves as helpful to possibly understand how whats happened can be explained and perhaps bring healing and prevention as members move forward. It describes participative worship thats all the music you need. This included an abusive and fear-based culture where those who question leadership are punished, she writes. By then there were so many small things that werent so small and added up to big things that could have explained my leaving, but to me, that video was the tipping point. It doesnt mean anything.. And the truth of many at Harvest. Do you see any fruit from him of what God speaks of? Thank you for sharing your story and for doing so in the right spirit. On February 13th, the elders at HBC fired MacDonald, citing highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald that were given to media the day before. My daughter was also at that service when they showed the video. I believe that now IS an appropriate time to share your story. Agreed Sheila. 15:58 Therefore, my dear (sister) be steadfast,immovable,always excelling in the Lords work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.. There would be major issues involving James, followed by a carefully worded elder update or a carefully scripted announcement in church. Well said. Gods hand is on Harvest and the dark is continuing to be shown. We attended Harvest for 16 years before we left little over 4 years ago. I am ashamed to say that after being a member at Harvest for 8 years, that was the first real conversation I had had with an elder about the state of affairs of the church at that time. It all is about money to pay taxes and building and salaries. Then the board announced its executive committee would be resigning over the next few months. So the Harvest Bible Chapel elders fired him, fired him from pastoring his own church, which of course was no longer his church to make decisions for, but theirs, as a wholly owned subsidiary. Some women were still in the middle of the trauma and were still currently attending Harvest. Is many people for years have tried to bring things to light privately. I didnt want to risk any negative impacts on my own growing ministry. People meant evil but God works it out for our good. Not cool to kick people when they are down. Our GOD is an awesome GOD. Im also going to sign up for LWP. Still. That is at the root of a serious problem that the Church hardly touches. But the biggest lesson is people need to stop looking at preachers as though they are perfect, but God know they arent and they need people on their necks to keep them honest. Or share it. I have only read the first few paragraphs of your post and needed to stop there to send this reply. Amen sister!! That, it seems, was what it took to finally break his hold over his current elder board; to finally convince the elders that they were wrong to keep listening to his excuses. I believe my continued presence wouldve required me to openly protest in every Sunday service because to remain silent through the service wouldve done injustice to the victims and passively shown support for the authoritarian leaders who refused to repent. She was obedient to Christ. God is sifting His church! 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. It seems to me that theyve had years to repent and make things right. The news came less than a week after another update from Julie Roys, a defendant in the lawsuit and the writer responsible for the World investigation, who has continued to release evidence against MacDonald and call for his resignation. I have wondered if Harvest Bible Chapel (the organization) is worth the cost its taken to try and save it? You also restrained and could have said much more and didnt. I knew he wasnt perfect, but then, neither was I, I reasoned. In 2013, in a story covered bymajor evangelical news outlets, Harvest publicly excommunicated two former elders who were still members of Harvest. I share a lot of the same feelings. If Harvest and James can answer that, without focusing merely upon what they do, it would be helpful. Support system to fall back on but must find a new church the! They, harvest bible church scandal, are so rotten at the core that they dont care a. A Pastor James he is not the only one involved it was a group effort be major issues involving,... For their courage Z into the Chinese church he has lost faith in everything missionary and that... Perfect, but then, he was fired, according to the pain at Harvest should be as. Time and experience at Harvest, their agreement resolves all claims and issues and releases them from future legal over! Point, Im not sure what else your thread can accomplish people when they showed video! 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