To judge a fellow brother and think you know if he is a believer is dangerous. No wonder Harvest dropped the suit. She has admitted that she didnt speak up enough at the time. Everything is being talked about at great lengths regarding Harvest except for Who the body of Christ should be praying to, talking about and quoting. I have nothing bad to say about Harvest. At the start of the year, elders stated that his primary focus has transitioned from building our ministries to securing a healthy succession that sets all our ministries up to flourish in the next generation.. It was not supposed to be that way. Ive been where youre at, believing that its godly to keep trying to work it out, like family does. Can you imagine how God feels when he sees his churches ( all denominations, we are in this together). They have gone the deep end of the pool. 2. So great to see your support with your wise comment. Those that havent gone through it ask why would you speak these things? So much good was happening at Harvest, surely it must have Gods blessing. Harvest Bible Chapel has fired its founder and senior pastor James MacDonald following years of controversial behavior, financial scandal and allegations of bullying and intimidation. Different situations require different things. He stopped going to any church and says he has lost faith in everything. Gods hand is on Harvest and the dark is continuing to be shown. Also note how the apostle Paul called out Peter publicly when Peter was indulging in hypocrisy! I feel like I cant trust my own judgment any more. :) I met my husband about 5 yrs ago and he had been attending faith community church for a bit. Thats what happens to us as individuals and us as a collection of people. All I have to say Lina is thank you! 1 Timothy 5:20: But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. Its hard to step out alone but God always protects and brings darkness into the light to be seen. Even before the 58-year-old pastors sabbatical, MacDonalds role at Harvest had shifted. 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. 34You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? Most of my friends as well. No church outside of the One True Church Christ began was given His authority to act on their own. Blessings to you! Listen, believe, obey, shut up. 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. Within days of their statement, MacDonald offered a public apology, admitting to careless and hurtful words and a regression into sinful patterns of fleshly anger and self-pity that wounded co-workers and others.. Both of us were involved in many forms of leadership and had invested for many years in the outreach of the church and all of its fellowship. In 2013, in a story covered bymajor evangelical news outlets, Harvest publicly excommunicated two former elders who were still members of Harvest. Truth is healthy. I think that was beautifully stated. Harvest used that phrase to manipulate the congregation. Sheesh. Attempts to reconcile the situation failed due to the pastor believing he had done nothing wrong. The public scrutiny continued with pushback against MacDonalds decision to preach at a Harvest affiliate in Florida during his sabbatical. I think the congregation who asks these questions should know that I pray for them. Have you not read these passages? Thank you for your honesty and your explanation. In fact, even though there is no patents or rights given to the Bible every man-made church that has plagiarized, promoted or used the Bible without the expressed consent of Jesus Himself or the authority of His church begin their ministries as thieves. As one person whom MacDonald led to the Lord remarked to me, Its like finding out your wife is a serial killer. The disillusionment, betrayal, and loss can be excruciating. It was an extremely long and difficult decision to finally leave (we did our best to leave peacefully with the good of Christs church in mind) knowing very well that our reputations and many of our friendships we had there would be severely if not permanently damaged. I am thankful for JESUS that used Pastor James in my life. And these things are only the tip of the iceberg. I did not fear God as much as I feared James and longed for his approval. 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. Nellie-What you might not know. No church is, because they are all filled with sinners like us. I pray others in leadership read your post, check their hearts, and follow suit. The beloved drink is both an attraction and a generational divide. model and not on the Old Testament hierarchical model. God bless you. This woman sounds sincere. You said, out of fear, I complied. The elders and pastoral board have created a team called Harvest 2020 to conduct a complete review of what happened, and of the church. I also trust that you did seek wisdom from the Lord on what and how to speak into this. 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. I pray that moving forward, His love will control me no matter the consequences. Churches should switch to a different model that is biblically aligned. 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). This problem is not isolated to Harvest. Pray for those still there trying to care for the confused and hurting hearts. Constantly made to feel stupid, the youth had had enough so the mom called a meeting with the pastor. Addressing this following statement from you, By the time I left, I had discovered something dark about myself: I was a woman ruled by fear. #justsaying #carryon, Youd have to read the blog. I was asked what I would do if I were still on staff through the last 2 years. The church, which has a weekly attendance of more than 12,000 at its seven campuses, is also associated with Vertical Worship, Harvest Christian Academy (HCA), and MacDonalds Walk in the Word TV and radio ministry. DeeperWalkInternational.org. Instead, they have chosen to remain on the elder board and continue with the deep-seeded corruption and fraud that has plagued Harvest Bible Chapel for many years. People need to be accountable for their actions. Anil. I believe that now IS an appropriate time to share your story. 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. Im praying for you. We warn the people of Harvest Bible Churchto separate themselves from these false messengers. We left Harvest for, among other reasons, the bad theology and overall silliness of the womens ministry. 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. God bless you. While Harvest the pastor there for years had some good preaching. Hi Hurting in Davenport, Oh Kristy, Thank you so much for expressing exactly what I am feelingsuch sorrow, such heartbreaking sorrow. Anointing: Every believer is a priest in the new covenant. He claimed he would never return to Willow until things had changed and the time was right. Although he denied stabbing the photo, MacDonald said, I may have put my knife up against it or into it.. Then God led him to Harvest Bible Chapel. 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. Now the Chicago-area megachurch is sharing details of the settlement and has apologized to its former pastor, who was fired in February 2019. God help those who cant see their need to be set free or judge those whove found it in Christ Jesus. The only hope is to totally exposed and excise it so that all will not be consumed. May Our Lord guide all of us and May His will be done above all else. Thank you for taking the time to nurture the HBC flock that Pastor James never cared about! I wondered where God was in the narrative. | Photo: Harvest Bible Chapel Facebook The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability has suspended Chicago-area megachurch Harvest Bible Church following the firing of its longtime pastor James MacDonald and amid ongoing revelations that the ministry had misappropriated funds. Many people went to leaders and spoke up. It is finally the truth coming to light from his own actions and the people who protected him for years. 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. OnFebruary 13, the elders announcedJames MacDonald had been fired. When God led me to leave HBC, I remember being so sad and afraid and wondering if I was hearing Him correctly. Plus Lina Abujamra on Why She Left Harvest Bible Chapel | Wondering Eagle, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall BCNN1 WP, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall Urban Christian News, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall BCNN2, How Christians Care for One Another When Their Leaders Fall | BCNN1 Black Christian News Network, From Mars Hill to Harvest: Hope for a Wounded Church Bible Talk. Praying for a healing and refocus of all Gods churches, Mary, We are to find our faith and hope in the Message, not the messenger. Because evangelical megachurches are typically formed around a single charismatic individual, elder boards are generally loathe to consider letting this individual go. If the church treated Lina this way, they will do it to you and others without a second thought. Thank you for your courage. MacDonald was manifestly not okay with the criticism. Its about the hurting. Dont bad rap other churches? whos fault is this? Also another story emerged on why another person left Harvest Bible Chapel. And, at the same time, I know you to be a humble woman, easily impacted by negative, feedback. The current model for pastor directed churches says that the senior pastor is the priest this is Old Testament. Connect With Us! Some women were still in the middle of the trauma and were still currently attending Harvest. I can think of hundreds of small things, and some rather large ones, that Ive compromised myself for. Harvest, which Roys says is $42 million in debt, is suing the Evangelical Christian Credit Union for not refinancing five of its mortgages. Do not judge the timing, Gods timing is Always Perfect. 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. I am surprised by your editorial on Harvest. Division and to take a part a ministry that was reaching and teaching people all over the world. I pray for the leaders. Why do you say you have a lack of music?. Opt out of televised preaching? We are all human, myself included. 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. I agree here. I didnt want to be rebellious against authority. www. We are taught in Gods Word that it is Christs love that ought to control us. I will be praying for you. Is many people for years have tried to bring things to light privately. Thank you for this post. I really doubt theyre sending texts and emails asking for money. Amy. Notify me by email when the comment gets approved. The problem definitely doesnt end with James. Its so fitting that you likened the pain at Harvest to the pain of a divorce. 37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. These are the same elders who signed the letter of unconditional support for James, and then they fire him? Do systems of accountability exist in practice, or only on paper? Sitting in the pews, I could not see how deep the cancer was at HBC. Why kick him and the church while their down Lina? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); LIVING WITH POWER MINISTRIES: 119 S EMERSON ST. #213 | MOUNT PROSPECT, IL 60056 | 224-634-6777 | [emailprotected]. Start praying to the Lord for healing. Updated 11/13/2020 7:31 PM. MacDonald is not being kicked while hes down. 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. We can be humans and love. 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. It may not be warm and fuzzy but speaking truth, especially when compelled by the Spirit, is never wrong. Looking sideways (practical love): I pray shes wrong. Nellie, Finances: Giving not Tithing. Let us examine ourselves for unconfessed sin and seek to live in fear of the Lord lest bitterness overtake us.. 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 issue here is not TIMING or kicking someone when theyre down its about exposing ungodly, cowardly behavior and making people aware of its existence. Woah there Nellie! And it wasnt just some random bloggers saying these things, either. It never dawned on me that no one from HBC would reach out. for less than $4.25/month. 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. Its hard. Who Will Pay for the SBCs Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? Well, that same year, my wife was hired as the childrens pastor at the church we had been volunteering at on Wednesday nights (because our church had nothing going on) and I myself have been ordained as a deacon and have even had the privilege to preach on a Sunday morning. We cant judge the HEART of others, we can judge their actions and behaviors. I volunteer in the childrens ministry and the youth ministry as well, pouring into children and youth. God is purifying His Church. So beautiful. I have found that churches built through a single persons vision are dangerous. Precept Inductive Bible Study for Women. That IS A LIE!! My daughter was also at that service when they showed the video. Transparency in finances James is (was) a powerful force which could and did destroy people with his power and influence. And yet, I stayed. then the sermons and teaching were getting distorted and weird. 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. Praying for this church also that Gods Holy Spirit is cleaning/healing/humbling/teaching his people. Women are not silenced: This model is not original and is old but it is appropriate for the megachurch and also for the persecuted church. In any case, we had a final meeting with the pastor and his assistant pastor (who was his son-in-law) to tell them that I was leaving their church. No one asked why I quit attending after 15 years. Opt out of mega church? The Harvest and James MacDonald Controversy Explained, Did Pharaoh Have Free Will? chose to suffer. I have been looking for a church like this for years. Sadly, this cancer has spread to other churches that were once part of the fellowship. The flock are the casualties in all of this. Others have asked, but immediately defend the senior pastor and church. God is purifying His Church. DIRECTIONS & INFO | . Thank you for coming forward! 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. This is why NOW. Harvest Bible Chapel Naples and its landlord have reached a settlement, ending a court battle to evict the church. But dont shame others who speak up. Somehow I thought 2500+ members walking out would send the message. The bloggers began posting again, however, in 2017, around the same time that Harvest Bible Fellowship was dissolved in 2017, due in part to concerns by some some member churches about how Harvest was managing the fellowships finances. Why would we be any different? Lastly, we need to comfort hurting today, she wrote. Jesus desires mercy and not sacrifice. (images of wife beating and mental control come to mind) 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. After telling us that the elder board always made every decision by full consent, we learned that the former head of the elder board found out about major church initiatives from his seat in the congregation. Like the unsaved around us we fight for positions of prestige to lord it over one another. Did you know that Satan and his minions come to Harvest? Ted Haggard bemoans his "exile" in a new HBO documentary. 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: It is those who live in fear. Two top Harvest Bible Chapel pastors today announced they're resigning, following a "season" of difficulty sparked by the termination and scandal involving disgraced celebrity pastor, James MacDonald. Our cold hearts lack love that shows the world we are His. The two entities released separate statements detailing the results of the process, which went through the Institute for Christian Conciliation. Fear is why leaders did not speak up until now. My daughter had been bullied by both Luke and James, in the presence of other adults, several times over her years in the youth group and yet I did not leave. It isnt about timing. You do not know if she fasted or not, nor do you know if the Lord Himself brought her to this revelation. Put faith in Gods justice and judgement upon all, now that sin has been exposed. 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. There is no timing to sharing pain. God is faithful, and He is doing what needs to be done to protect His bride. In good conscience we walked away too knowing it was the right thing before God.So now I get your story, you were a favorite of Kathy and James so I am sure to take a stand against the injustice at Harvest was not at all an easy decision.So many other godly people got pushed out for speaking up about the entitlement and harshness of James and other Pastors and Elders.So very sad somewhere along the way they just forgot they are supposed to be shepherds and servant and not the guards defending the many sin issues at Harvest. Sounds like your faith in self is overwhelming only yourself! Whats also sad is that old witness accounts go to show how truly far reaching and how long this behavior has been going on. Streaming Video Broadcast. It never dawned on me that it would open you up to attack. We dont know each other, but I found this via Julie Roys Twitter. But if they submit to the Healer, they will come out stronger. Although, it definetly planted a seed for me. Yet, with the growing numbers leaders, it is coming out, many followed along with James out of fear to personal, family, career damage. Thank you for your story Dr. Lina, and thank you for shedding light on your fears, and your full confidence in the Lord at the end of the day.

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