I have multiple thoughts. Lina you were humble and owned more than most. You wrote a blog about how an increase in tattoos was in some way related to a decline in holiness and you were a leader in the church? Its messy. They have gone the deep end of the pool. Let this awaken and take down other church leaders that have similar goals. God is a for-others being he can not lie, therefore, he can not be for Himself. That is why I really rally for our black preacher and pastors like Keion Henderson, https://www.keionhenderson.com/about-us/ ! If you ever make that offer again, Ill be there, but please post on Twitter. 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 . than submission to leaders Do you read the elder updates? Basically hes a figurehead who can be dismissed on the whim of any elder or his wife. To judge a fellow brother and think you know if he is a believer is dangerous. But the truth needs to be out there. Since I know I am capable of the worst sin, I am choosing to show grace and praying fervently. And you will not lose true friends and sisters in Christ. None of the perpetrators of hate and satanism have fully repented, including James, his despicable henchmen and the elders. Harvest elders announced this morning that they were forced to take immediate action on Tuesday to end his 30-year tenure. 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. Amen. Brave. We continue in prayer for all those affected near and far. In the wake of his departure, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability acknowledged serious concerns around spending and financial stewardship under MacDonald that resulted in the church losing its membership status. I saw the horrible video of the three Elders that were fired, It was autrocious! *For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. I always wondered why you left but after reading The Elephants Debt I figured I knew why. I praise your decision to own your ministry outside of James. Amen sister!! As were you, we were grieving and had to pray for help finding that new church. Leaders should have secular jobs: You are courageous and your words bring healing. Harvest, an off-shoot of an eponymous megachurch in Illinois, was sued for. God bless you. 102 reviews of Faith Church "I have been to a few churches in my day. This young lady has done the work and is doing the work of the great physician. 6. Dont you think this influences decisions made by the leaders, both now and before? I will not address any party affiliation. Its like I seek mans favor as well, rather than the Lords. The elders were given a paper that laid out their duties, that mostly consisted of protecting, encouraging, and blessing the senior pastor. Good for you and speaking up. Through it all, our relationship with Christ was strengthened all the more. Sheila, we are not called to be good, we are called to be HOLY! Others had old wounds that had resurfaced and were hurting, having never felt closure to their stories. Thank you for sharing! Nellie, please dont be taken in by putting people on a pedestal (very sad.) 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. 12:18) as while working through this year-and-half-long process of transition. I have 3 small groups now that are like this but we lack music. 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. I just knew I wasnt supposed to be there anymore. Why not start a different type of church that is not pastor directed? Did they not find that video shocking? Nellie, Then, on February 8th, Roys revealed material obtained under subpoena that backed up critics claims that Harvest Bible Chapel inappropriately took money from HBF. In 2013, in a story covered bymajor evangelical news outlets, Harvest publicly excommunicated two former elders who were still members of Harvest. @Ross, Were you able to access it? God help those who cant see their need to be set free or judge those whove found it in Christ Jesus. Although he denied stabbing the photo, MacDonald said, I may have put my knife up against it or into it.. The resources are pulpit curriculum and bible words to talk about. I think Nellie and others are genuine in their questions of why now and why kick him when he is down. I chose to believe the Bible and Gods promises. In announcing MacDonalds termination, Harvest elders stated they are committed to fulfilling our fiduciary duty as the leadership of this congregation, knowing that at times the outcome may be misunderstood or emotionally painful. By the time I left, I had discovered something dark about myself: I was a woman/person ruled by fear. I am so glad Lina has spoken up. 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. Fear is dead life a remnant of Satan. He better thank God for Grace and cause he is going to need it. 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. Lina, Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand., And even JMac was right when he quoted 1 Corinthians 16:13: (Proverbs 16:18). It helps to be able to talk about it instead of feeling like you have to hide it, or just deal with it. Be kind not hurtful. In Jesus precious name. There are questions the leadership at every such megachurch should be asking. Have you ever read this piece on how sick systems keep people controlled? 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 You are a blessing to many in need. It quickly became one of the 50 largest churches in the country, with over 12,000 members and eight campuses in the Chicago area. He also makes vulgar comments about Wheaton College executive director of the Billy Graham Center Ed Stetzer and repeatedly degrades Julie Roys, the reporter who wrote the World Magazine story. After that, I felt like my time was wasted. Lina, given your vast experience, It is ironic that the experience at Harvest should be seen as a culture of fear. BTW, Ive loved your blogs in the morning, but cant read the Twitter ones because I am not on Twitter. 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! I have a love-hate relationship with Thanksgiving Day. 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! Implying that the information on TED was lies. 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. Thank you for your response. 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. 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. 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. These changes were never made, but the critics were silencedfor a time. Nellie, Im sorry for your comment. Its been over a year and a lot has changed at Harvest and a lot sill needs to change. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[3]='MMERGE3';ftypes[3]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Copyright 2023 Living With Power. One elder resigned over this, after asking to see the finances and being overruled by the rest of the board. Fear. Wounds take a great deal of time to heal and its appropriate to share them and warn others to avoid similar church abuse. Go figure..Disappointed, Searching for a new study close by. This post reminds me of something that happened at my former church. Lina, thank you for your post, and thank you for your honesty and transparency. You are being bold and telling the truth and just wanted to encourage you.I always loved your passion for Gods Word and pray Gods blessing as you stand strong Him! It takes a long time. 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. The environment is as ahw stated, fear James, make James happy Are you straining at a gnat but swallowing a camel? [] While only a handful showed up, the range of their pain was wide. Sheri and her husband Gary attended Cornerstone in the 1980s while attending Azusa Pacific and in their first few years of marriage. This decision was made with heavy hearts and much time spent in earnest prayer, followed by input from various trusted outside advisors.. It was both true in a sense and funny. When this happens, there is tremendous spiritual and emotional wounding. Others have asked, but immediately defend the senior pastor and church. Why kick him and the church while their down Lina? My heart breaks for the people that have been hurt by this on both sides. Yet, with the growing numbers leaders, it is coming out, many followed along with James out of fear to personal, family, career damage. I was brushed off. I have had similar experiences at The Chapel . While every major financial decision was supposed to be examined and approved by the churchs eldersand it was claimed that this was casethis was not actually happening. 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.. 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