In eras of prosperity, their hearts drifted. These patterns were present and recognized as early as 2012, and nothing was done about them. I love you and our Lird. After he was treated and had surgery he was totally different person: quick to get angry all the time, control freak, and mean.there are things that we dont know. 6. 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. 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. 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.. The higher the leadership level was, the more protective of James they were. Your mission and your ministry is beautiful and changing lives. It is a cry to the current leadership, to evangelicalism at large that there are some very serious problems that need to be dealt with. 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. 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. (Galatians 2:11-21) I wasnt happy with that but it had to be done! The issue here is not TIMING or kicking someone when theyre down its about exposing ungodly, cowardly behavior and making people aware of its existence. you felt through James harvest mentality, you would be rebellious against authority if you stood up Precept Inductive Bible Study for Women. God the Holy Spirit wanted Lina to speak more specifically at this time; and she did. You are courageous! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. 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! Did you realize the pastors publicly said sorry last weekend? 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. It never dawned on me that no one from HBC would reach out. Good for you and speaking up. Thank you, Lina. 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. It seems that was true at Harvest, just as it is at many local churches. This included an abusive and fear-based culture where those who question leadership are punished, she writes. Thank you for opening up your home so that hurting people could come together and share. May the love of Jesus Christ and his peace flood over you this day! She was obedient to Christ. Praying for this church also that Gods Holy Spirit is cleaning/healing/humbling/teaching his people. 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. 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.. Something happened to us some years ago and a number of people turned against us because of lies, etc. Free of James fear. Thank you for adding your voice to the now chorus of voices calling for a time of judgment and reform. Transparency in finances Mahoney and Bryant shared concerns about Harvests financial dealings, and provided a platform for other former Harvest members, who accused MacDonald of a controlling and abusive leadership style and pointed to an overall lack of accountability for MacDonald at Harvest. When we left, after having posted a letter to the elders, not a single person called us to see how we were doing. I hope that the cleansing and purification will come to Davenport as well. Im disappointed in your timing. The Spirit has shown me that Church, the Body of called out believers are those Christians you meet with. Most continue to stay there, as their numbers dwindle. I volunteer in the childrens ministry and the youth ministry as well, pouring into children and youth. 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. Your child will experience the life-changing power of Jesus and His Word through worship and story, and age-appropriate learning tools. Such lack of accountability is often a problem at megachurches, which tend to be founded by charismatic individuals who quickly amass a large following. Others have asked, but immediately defend the senior pastor and church. Christ alone is to be worshipped. Only time will tell whether Harvest can outlive its founding pastorand the scandal that has enveloped both him and his elder board. If the church treated Lina this way, they will do it to you and others without a second thought. FEAR is a liar, pray for them and never let offense take you out, that was the enemys plan! for less than $4.25/month. If they built it, it is theirs to destroy. The caller alleged (in vulgar terms) that Roys, the reporter, was having an affair with Christianity Todayseditor-in-chief Mark Galli, andmade a comment about bringing down former Christianity Today CEO down by remotely uploading child pornography onto his computers. Ive been where youre at, believing that its godly to keep trying to work it out, like family does. I have or attend 3 or more small groups a week now and feel alive. Find a church with great accountability. Will James not wake up and realize that 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? Check out Moreno website, http://www.godsonlygospel.com. Roys article details three examples of actions that former Harvest employees say reveal MacDonalds hot-tempered, vengeful personality. 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? Those that havent gone through it ask why would you speak these things? 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. I didnt want to be rebellious against authority. Churches should switch to a different model that is biblically aligned. Sign up to get our top five trending stories delivered every weekday! I still had friends on the inside that I longed to remain friends with. Leaving spiritual abuse is okay, you cant be expected to change it while youre in the midst of it. Prevent these types of money exchange corporations, MacDonald was manifestly not okay with the criticism. Im glad I have stood firm. Come together at part of the body of Christ called Harvest Bible Chapel and pray that Gods will not ours be done. No one wins here-except our enemy. I dont see anything mean in her commentary. Our Elders and Staff 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, the elders statement read, promising a more detailed plan for the churchs future in coming weeks. I am thankful that timing of other circumstances in my life led me to a new city to grow and find a faithful, healthy, growing, biblical church community. Bless you! Its very important that people share their stories. In Christian arbitration, the preacher was granted $1.45 million and the rights to Walk in the Word. 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. The church was growing at the time. Please anchor in on John 7:24. The founder of a Chicago megachurch has been fired as its leader. When I started Bible studies Harvest I was given a booklet and videos on everything bad about the Catholic Church. A former youth pastor for Harvest Bible Chapel in Aurora has been charged with the sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old boy on allegations he sought nude pictures of the boy and repeatedly. Thank you for your courage and for responding. I was mortified. then the sermons and teaching were getting distorted and weird. Listen, believe, obey, shut up. 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. I have been looking for a church like this for years. It seems to me that theyve had years to repent and make things right. People in leadership are there one day, and then poof! He claimed he would never return to Willow until things had changed and the time was right. Fear is a stupid liar and I praise God that Hes given us a spirit of a sound mind and Love!!! We are to fear God not man. I believe you spoke up now to show how far reaching the powerful words and actions of those in authority goes. I have been attending Harvest and listening and learning from Pastor James sermons for almost 10 years; I have witnessed the sweet joy of my husband coming to Christ because of God using Pastor James mightily; and I have been blessed beyond measure by the positive impact Harvest, its ministries, and especially its PEOPLE have had upon my relationship with God, my Harvest friends and family, my life, and my marriage. Also another story emerged on why another person left Harvest Bible Chapel. Thank you for displaying what an honest and vocal Godly woman can look like. MacDonald later admitted doing so but claimed it was all in good fun and misinterpreted. What you are talking about is protecting abusers at the expense of those they have abused and betrayed which, unfortunately, happens far too often. Have you sought the Lord in prayer and fasting?Exposing sin is not hurtful then you would be against every prophet in the Bible. My faith has been shaken by the situation at another Christian organization. I was brushed off. Perhaps my fear had its legitimate reasons. is it the pastors doing? Still. While I am personally removed from the situation, my brother and sister-in-law attend a Harvest Church and there has been a lot of pain through all of this. blessings. 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. I was wrong. Its difficult to understand how people can now know what they know and still only criticize the ones that feel compelled to now share their story. Our focus should be on Christ and Christ alone, not James MacDonald. We believe that disciples of Jesus profess that He is Lord, practice His Ways, and persevere in both their profession and practice. I wondered where God was in the narrative. 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. She has admitted that she didnt speak up enough at the time. And even then, it often doesnt work because so many remain enthralled with the narcissist, or have tied their fortunes to them, that they simply cant or wont see the truth. The sin that has taken place does not negate the awesome work that God has done, and it pains my heart to hear people act as if it does. The elders were given a paper that laid out their duties, that mostly consisted of protecting, encouraging, and blessing the senior pastor. ! Yes, God has this in hand, but that doesnt mean He wont ask His children to do the hard work of calling out sin in unrepentant believers. Pray for those still there trying to care for the confused and hurting hearts. Same as your departure, not a single person reached out to see how I was doing once I left my job. I left for the Truth of Orthodoxy! You personify a strong, fast talking, intelligent woman, which is a gift by way of your heritage. Were you bullied by those elders named? This is hardly a local issue in the Western church. He is very likely not a brother in Christ. Or were you saying they were bullied too. In another incident at Camp Harvest, MacDonald reportedly stabbed a photo of a former Harvest pastor with a butter knife. Unfortunately I dont think the Harvest RM is the only Harvest with a culture of fear. Truth is healthy. Because these leaders will continue this false deceitful way of life that flows from them so seamlessly, so easily, and with such persuasiveness. In October, the church reported its chief information officer to police for suspected embezzlement. On his radio show, Muller later aired what sounded like clips of MacDonald making harsh comments toward media who had covered the story. 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. Thank you for your thoughts and strong, encouraging words. I really think you hit the nail on the head when you said you realized something dark about yourself, that you had been a woman ruled by fearand I could identify with what you said since I had been that woman too. Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain. Church is of the world. Thank you for sharing and speaking truth Lina. Others had old wounds that had resurfaced and were hurting, having never felt closure to their stories, Abujamra, a Bible teacher and Moody Radio host, wrote on herblog. I grew up catholic and vever really got a hold of it all. I was so surprised to read that you were afraid because you seem like such a strong and confident person. Ross, Ross Blomberg, Wounds take a great deal of time to heal and its appropriate to share them and warn others to avoid similar church abuse. He invitedme to go when we first started dating. And in 1 Corinthians 5, we are told to judge those within the Church). 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. Fear is dead life a remnant of Satan. There are larger lessons to be learned. Really? God is faithful, and He is doing what needs to be done to protect His bride. It was so hard not to be bitter, and it took a long time to want to be part of another church and not be so cautious. Because she is helping expose evil and proving that is is deep and wide and on going. 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. On January 7, 2019, Harvest elders announced they decided to drop the lawsuit against Julie Roys and four other individuals. Amen sister!! Hannibal Harvest Bible Church (EIN# 862793399) is an tax exempt organization filed with Internal Revenue Service (IRS). I continue to pray for the people this has affected, the elders and pastors, and that the darkness will be continually exposed to the light. I have lived with fear in my life almost my entire life. 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. Harsh comments toward media who had covered the story really got a hold of all. 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