No church outside of the One True Church Christ began was given His authority to act on their own. Until recently, I was 8 year member of HBC and I feel so sad, confused, betrayed. 6. So great to see your support with your wise comment. Opt out of televised preaching? The founder of a Chicago megachurch has been fired as its leader. He was a very good speaker and teacher of the Bible but was forced to resign from our church a few years back. Its so very difficult but This is Gods battle and I only need to be obedient not the fixer. Could you provide me with a link please. What does the Bible say about debt? I can think of hundreds of small things, and some rather large ones, that Ive compromised myself for. @Ross, Were you able to access it? There were several close family deaths, lost our home, business and more. These are the same elders that signed off on James filing the law suit against the Ryan Mahoney and his wife, Scott Bryant and his wife, and Julie Roys! I will pray for healing in the hearts and lives of those affected by this tragedy. Because there are others that need to also be held responsible. Im praying for you. P.S. I hope they succeed in bringing people back to the church! Excited for the new study, hoping One of your teachings would be chosen. Before the article was even printed, Harvest sued Roys, plus two bloggers who've been critical about problems at Harvest. In effect, the senior pastor isthe church. She has admitted that she didnt speak up enough at the time. Matthew 7:15 Hes my brother in Christ. However why now? Dan was a part of this elder board with these 7 elders and he details only some of the fraud . The whole ordeal was very strange. 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. 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. Its like I seek mans favor as well, rather than the Lords. I have had similar experiences at The Chapel . Our cold hearts lack love that shows the world we are His. As questions about how Harvest Bible Fellowship money was used ballooned, the pressure mounted. 4. If the church treated Lina this way, they will do it to you and others without a second thought. Welcome to the Video Broadcast ministry of Cornerstone Bible Church. I think that this message has relevance to many situations today, including the present political situation. Check out Moreno website, http://www.godsonlygospel.com. He is doing a new thing, and I will stand with my brothers and sisters in Christ and praise his Holy name through it all. If you read the history and understand the public record of offenses at Harvest (with many more than the requisite two or three witnesses), you will understand why this is not only completely justified, but actually necessary to the restoration of healing and good order to Christs Body. So many people have recently asked me why I left Harvest Bible Chapel when I did. You are a fraud and a liar! Im thankful you and so many others I know have left with dignity and after a bit of healing have jumped back into churches where they are serving the Lord with all their hearts using the gifts God has given them so faithfully. You too felt you had to leave Harvest and what was your point of conviction on having to leave the Church ,that we all sacrificed so much for! My heart breaks for the ones who will walk away from church and walk away from God. We believe that disciples of Jesus profess that He is Lord, practice His Ways, and persevere in both their profession and practice. You must not feel sorry for James. Still, even I knew when enough was enough. Nellie, be very, very careful! Your truth was not conceived in fasting or deep prayer and it sure isnt loving. Gods heart, over and over again, is for those who are oppressed. Then, a famous friend of his, Chicago shock jock Mancow Muller, spoke out in a local newspaper against the manipulation and ego he observed around MacDonalds cult of personality at Harvest. Be blessed Lina! I should have left that week, but I was too afraid to cause damage to Jesus and His kingdom and the women I was leading at that time. I wonder if this is an area where youd feel free to minister; where people leave the church and are forgotten. out of fear you complied God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. He did the same. You are speaking the minds of the many who did not stand up to James as they felt at the time, based on fear of public shame, and damage to career, to stick their heads in the sand and not speak up. Not cool to kick people when they are down. The culture of fear is real, soo much so I dont feel comfortable giving my name as some will know me. While regret cant look back, we now live in a different era than we did four years ago. 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. To heal enough to communicate and receiving shaming comments like yours. That timeline accelerated, when on Tuesday morning highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to media and reported, the church wrote. For me, I live with the regret of not taking advantage of the opportunity to come over and get to know you. Thank goodness God is still God! Have you sought the Lord in prayer and fasting?Exposing sin is not hurtful then you would be against every prophet in the Bible. The elders ordered church members to separate themselves from dissenters for fear of their souls; called MacDonalds critics behavior satanic to the core; and accused them carrying out an attack by Satan against MacDonald and Harvest. What God Gives Black Americans That The Country Does Not, Baylor, Louisiana State University and More Colleges Report Revivals Happening on Campus, Why Asbury University Decided to End Revival Services This Week, Faith Leaders Push Back on Asbury Revival Criticism, Southern Baptists Expel Rick Warrens Saddleback Church for Ordaining a Female Pastor, GET OUR TOP 5 ARTICLES IN YOUR INBOX EACH WEEKDAY, This Story of a Fugitive Nun Who Faked Her Own Death to Escape a Convent Is Insane, Watch: Frozen 2s Trailer Promises an Epic, Possibly Darker Sequel, Dont Forget, Theres a Lot Right With the Church, Too, The Asbury Outpouring Has Come to a Close. I dont see anything mean in her commentary. I dont understand how anyone could watch that video and not immediately know that something was very, very wrong. Different situations require different things. Thank you for this. We are to find our faith and hope in the Message, not the messenger. I then called an elder who was a friend and someone I trusted. The reason there are spiritual Pol Pots that number in the thousands like our friend James McDonald is because men are happy to give themselves authority. But, the truth is, I am ashamed to say, I should have left much sooner. see My Dream Church https://sites.google.com/site/mydreamchurch/. How dare you question her about why? Why? [], Lost me at the private jet shared with Bill Hibel. When you started, you (and others) mentioned the cult of personality that James benefitted from. How do you know it wasnt done with fasting and with prayer? He was the senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel megachurch in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, United States [1] [2] and was the host for the church's former broadcast ministry, Walk in the Word . DONT defend these people in any way!! The Lord knows and he keeps the books. Do elder boards mean anything, or are they just there to look pretty? With my life and schedule, my friends are few and far between, and have always been aware that my saying anything publicly about Harvest or James would jeopardize those friendships that I still love and value so much. Thats what happens to us as individuals and us as a collection of people. 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! Not saying thete arent strong christians in leadership at this church but it does always seem that when pride gets in the way of leadership it hurts that person and everyone around them. Or they, too, are so rotten at the core that they dont care. Wow Nancy K, after all that has been said and done, seemingly over many years, it is startling to me that you would make such a commemtWow, Why? Several years went by and one family apologized to us as did another man. 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. It was your Study that helped me be obedient to God. Thankful for her thoughtful response and I agree with you that God knows all of this and isnt surprised by any of it including the timing of her response. And, at the same time, I know you to be a humble woman, easily impacted by negative, feedback. This decision was made with heavy hearts and much time spent in earnest prayer, followed by input from various trusted outside advisors.. God is sifting His church! Please pray for all of the member/attendees who are struggling, as we are grieving a loss of our church base and have felt the wrath, unfortunately. Lina, to see how the Lord has blessed your ministry these past few years is absolutely amazing! But your words affirmed what I suspected. The message we received was they were sorry we felt that way and they were sure it was not his intention. These churches do not usually belong to any denominational body; this means that these pastors have no body above them that they are accountable to. Open your eyes and feel the heat of the refiners fire. I miss that about you. Biblical: submission to the Word in My Dream Church will be at a higher level I also managed to write an apology to James for the pain I had caused him. On his radio show, Muller later aired what sounded like clips of MacDonald making harsh comments toward media who had covered the story. There are questions the leadership at every such megachurch should be asking. Why now does not matter. Humility, repentance, confession, forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy, love, compassion, healing, serious prayer and so much more for and by everyone should be given top priorities on our agendas soon if not now. I have been looking for a church like this for years. He lists grievances against Harvest including a false narrative in financial matters, a hostile takeover, shunning our family, the wrongful seizure of the ministry assets returned to him in the recent arbitration, and a vicious but unsuccessful strategy to end our ministry permanently.. No matter what everyone else says, it does take courage to say something. We dont know each other, but I found this via Julie Roys Twitter. There are people there I thought were my friend and as soon as my life takes a left turn and happens out of order (first came baby then came marriage and then another baby) I get ousted out and judged and hurt. The higher the leadership level was, the more protective of James they were. But a true Christian focuses on Christ and His Word. You have every right to speak up; and I respect you for doing so. I have multiple thoughts. I love you and our Lird. Perhaps the Holy Spirit prompted Lina to share from the HEART. Doesnt matter how long ago it happened either. Will this tattoo be their mark of shame? Why kick him and the church while their down Lina? Such lack of accountability is often a problem at megachurches, which tend to be founded by charismatic individuals who quickly amass a large following. I follow Jesus in His Strength the best I can in the light He has given me. Please avoid these former Harvest elders at all cost, lest you incur great detriment to your own soul. I left for the Truth of Orthodoxy! My faith has been shaken by the situation at another Christian organization. We are the Church! Most continue to stay there, as their numbers dwindle. I am delighted to hear that. Thank you for your thoughts and strong, encouraging words. 2 Thumbs Way up to you my sister in Christ, for being open about your experience there, which more people than you know have also been through! A year or so before leaving Harvest I had written a blog post about holiness in which I had referenced the growing fad of tattoos in our culture. Lina, you are strong and your faith in the Lord is inspiring. Some women were still in the middle of the trauma and were still currently attending Harvest. Scripture does not say what the mark was, but it was a mark that man knew as a sign to not to kill Cain, as it would end his life, and end the judgement that God had given Cain to live out his life with. We are taught in Gods Word that it is Christs love that ought to control us. Finally, we have landed at a church with a passion for others, our hearts have healed and by going there I was introduced to your bible study Resolved. It completed my healing. whos fault is this? I have my own hurt of how certain situations were handled with me through the 20s ministry Then soon after that, the 30s ministry, production ministry and even the womens ministry on multiple occasions. Because evangelical megachurches are typically formed around a single charismatic individual, elder boards are generally loathe to consider letting this individual go. I feel foolish for allowing myself to be misled for so long. (Proverbs 16:18). I appreciate your voice. I keep coming back to this part and I identify so much with this part. The elders were given a paper that laid out their duties, that mostly consisted of protecting, encouraging, and blessing the senior pastor. Before the article was even printed, Harvest sued Roys, plus two bloggers whove been critical about problems at Harvest. He (the pastor) basically told us we would never work in ministry (volunteer or vocationally) because we didnt understand biblical authority. Two years ago, MacDonald moved away from overseeing the Harvest Bible Fellowship, a global network of churches, which eventually separated from Harvest completely to form the Great Commission Collective (GCC). When this happens, there is tremendous spiritual and emotional wounding. From elders (Dave Corning, Jon Gaus, The Elephant Debt etc) to nobodies one by one we were all ignored and in many cases bullied. - October 16, 2020 The protracted dispute between Pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) recently concluded through arbitration. It is a biblical teaching that unrepentant public sin in a public representative of God ((ie, pastors and elders) must be publicly rebuked for the sake of the church as a whole. I am sure that was very hard for her to share . I still had friends on the inside that I longed to remain friends with. Harvest Kids is our weekend experience for kids (babies to fifth grade). By the time I left, I had discovered something dark about myself: I was a woman ruled by fear. It was engaging at times. Sadly, this cancer has spread to other churches that were once part of the fellowship. James MacDonald was forced out Tuesday night as senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, a church he founded in Rolling Meadows some 30 years ago. There are larger lessons to be learned. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT. Can Bubble Tea Bring Gen Z into the Chinese Church. But dont shame others who speak up. Dull other times. @Donna Is it possible that it is God Himself who is exposing these misdeeds? People in leadership are there one day, and then poof! I think that was beautifully stated. Fear is why leaders did not speak up until now. Besides, pastors charismatic enough to gain large followings frequently have the ability to effectively deflect criticism and keep their elder board firmly on their side. Truth heals. I think he forgot Whose ministry it was. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. Thank you for being honest and speaking truth. She is sharing her heart and personal experience in an open, vulnerable way, in kindness and love. God loves his Church and we can trust hell do what is necessary to preserve it. This young lady has done the work and is doing the work of the great physician. What matters is truth be told. But I lived this in the late 70s and early 80s the scandals of the then big preachers they fell down hard as well. Basically hes a figurehead who can be dismissed on the whim of any elder or his wife. My current church I actually joined, unlike Harvest, and have been there five years and counting now. Even now, many years later, the enemy could still, if I let him, get me questioning my motives and trying to persuade me I was in the wrong not the shepherds. The collaboration of many witnesses should help the leadership at Harvest (or any church) know the depth of a problem. 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