Thank you. Everybody and anyone has an opinion about what should happen to and for Harvest whether this means the self-identified victims, or the buildings, or the leftover and future leadership well, everyone is entitled to an opinion about everyone and everything. Dont listen to haters. Thanks for writing it. A final incident in Roys article involves MacDonald publicly berating HCA students, an incident witnessed by Harvest videographer Luke Helmer. In our case we have been pulled away from our church as well because of how we have been treated for our daughters actions. When is God pleased at his church? One thing that has helped is recognizing seasons. These patterns were present and recognized as early as 2012, and nothing was done about them. The edited . Dont damage the church by being publicly critical. I left the church 4 years ago, the week after 3 elders were publiclyex-communicated on a cheap home made movie not worthy of one wasted second of the worship service. As a nation, something painful will bring us back. All that leads to ia where we are, I led worship in a church for 5 years. Pastor James MacDonald of the Chicago-based seven-multicampus Harvest Bible Church, issued an apology statement on Sunday saying that the board of the megachurch unanimously agreed to lift a discipline ban from three excommunicated elders. Church leadership is urging members to wait for the results of this reviewand the changes that will be implementedbefore making the decision to leave the church. www. I am so happy that finally people are standing up and talk about it! Then the board announced its executive committee would be resigning over the next few months. I grew up in the Church of Christ. Otherwise If you share your email address I will email you. How you hit the nail on the head! Harvest elders announced this morning that they were forced to take "immediate action" on Tuesday to end his 30-year tenure. But I hope the healing can begin, and I hope the abuse will stop.. Until then, you are still a wolf in sheeps clothing. Harvest ousted Daniel Marquardt, Scott Phelps, and Barry Slabaugh in 2013 after they protested against . How long before we wake up and show the world how Christians are not only different from the world but we are not of the world! Before the article was even printed, Harvest sued Roys, plus two bloggers whove been critical about problems at Harvest. If so Id be in agreement but again- this is not a political post. Truth heals. Streaming Video Broadcast. Let us examine ourselves for unconfessed sin and seek to live in fear of the Lord lest bitterness overtake us.. Thank you for the courage and humility it takes to write a post like this. Their letter covered MacDonalds self-promotionlove of moneydomineering and bullying abusive speech[and] outbursts of anger.. Its been over a year and a lot has changed at Harvest and a lot sill needs to change. then the sermons and teaching were getting distorted and weird. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. You can read that story right here. Sign up for our newsletter: 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. Some women were still in the middle of the trauma and were still currently attending Harvest. This team is to be made up of congregants, staff, professionals, and elders, and will be headed by a church member. 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! I dont know why, except that I just really wasnt getting the Word of God from the stage and I do mean stage. Im not sure what is going on with me honestly. While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would honor what is happening.. I dont understand how anyone could watch that video and not immediately know that something was very, very wrong. I cant imagine a culture in which you felt such fear. God loves truth. You said, out of fear, I complied. On January 16th, MacDonald took an indefinite sabbatical leave. We are stunned at the response of our pastor and a ministry leader who have declined to meet us as God directs us in Matthew 18. 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. Not everything needs to be about Polititcs. I am so proud of Lina and she is speaking out the words that I would never say because I live in fear of that kind of authority. If Harvest and James can answer that, without focusing merely upon what they do, it would be helpful. That is who God truly cares about. Fear is what has been under all this, I would not be surprised if there is some fear in Jamess heart that is the root cause of his sins here. You are a blessing to many in need. Thank you Lina, for opening the door of your life so that we can understand your experience. Yet a week ago I posted on FB an invitation to open my house to anyone who needed to talk about their pain as it related to what was happening at Harvest. I too have had similar experiences in another church (The Chapel). In Him, Harvest, which Roys says is $42 million in debt, is suing the Evangelical Christian Credit Union for not refinancing five of its mortgages. It, honestly, has been the biggest source of my own sin and self inflicted suffering. The good intentions of our ministry partnership with Harvest Chicago have been overshadowed by these developments, he said. The leader of that church, John Secrest, was blindsided by the news and asked Harvest elders to reconsider allowing MacDonald to preach there. I really doubt theyre sending texts and emails asking for money. The timing of this article makes you less credible. I, too, have friends who have never once asked how I am or why I left. In a recorded video message, Bill Sperling, an elder, told the congregation that the elders concluded that there is a sinful pattern of inappropriate language, anger and domineering behavior. Look, Im sorry, but thats a bit late. The practice of medicine is not an exact science; neither is navigating very tough and painful circumstances such as this. Harvest responded by suing both bloggers, their wives, and Julie Roys. The abuse I suffered first hand and working through the realizations and implications of that abuse have been traumatic. All this comes on the heels of another scandal. When the Church becomes the organization instead of the people, then it ceases to be the Church. Updated 11/13/2020 7:31 PM. 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. who we really love. In the arbitration, MacDonald retained the rights to Walk in the Word, a part of the church that had put on his teaching ministry and popular radio broadcast. My first two books were scheduled to be released smack in the middle of that summer, and I didnt want to impact their potential not to mention that James had agreed to write the forward on my first book. Truth is healthy. My current church I actually joined, unlike Harvest, and have been there five years and counting now. Do you think God approves of pastors who deliberately scam their congregation for years, use his name for money and abuse people for the Almighty Dollar? School of the Bible at 9:00am Wednesdaysat 7:00pm Give Online Contact Us 10088 N. Highway 99 Stockton, CA 95212 office@hbcstockton.org (209) 931-9548 Copyright 2023, Harvest Bible Church. 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. It is now operating at James MacDonald Ministries. Our family was kicked out of our church plant campus and everyone at the church was told not to talk to us because we were disobedient by speaking out against the things were were seeing. I loved his book Vertical Church. Pray for the church and the people! 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 do have cds and dvd of contemporary Christian artists. It seems to have so many cracks in the structure. Does It Matter Where Your Clothes Come From? Just how historically reliable are the Gospels and Acts if even prominent evangelical and conservative Protestant Bible scholars believe that fictional stories may exist in these books? Ive been in the medical field for over 40 years and know a thing or two about human anatomy. Nellie, Im sorry for your comment. On January 8th, after learning that anything obtained through subpoenas related to the lawsuit could be made public, however, Harvest Bible Chapel dropped the lawsuit. However, he ultimately agreed with the wave of backlash his pastor-friend now faced, condemning how MacDonalds drama had overshadowed Harvest and threatening a class-action lawsuit yesterday if MacDonald remained its pastor for another week. James MacDonald, founder of Harvest Bible Chapel in greater Chicago, who was recently fired under a cloud of financial abuse, was allegedly being paid nearly a million dollars per year in regular salary, had access to approximately a million more in discretionary spending, and is currently owed $2.6 million in deferred compensation by the Subscribers receive full access to the archives. God is sovereign, He is the Healer, He is the Restorer, He is the Renewer, and He will continue to do what He is doing in order to bring about His will for His people. Unreal as I went to Harvest for over 7 yrs and this whole situation has hurt so many people. REALLY !! Will those men now be known for their mark as sinful followers of James? Otherwise, the church must answer the same question, for that is one of the majors that Jesus gave us. Your child will experience the life-changing power of Jesus and His Word through worship and story, and age-appropriate learning tools. Looking sideways (practical love): First, they resigned, along with a third elder (who was not excommunicated only because he also left Harvest and was no longer a member), in protest of how the church was being run. This scandal that were going through has really rocked my world. It may not be warm and fuzzy but speaking truth, especially when compelled by the Spirit, is never wrong.
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