The decision comes after an explosive scandalous period at Harvest, including a botched excommunication,an ill-fated attempt at a defamation lawsuit, a scathing investigative report from World Magazine and then this most recent, shocking revelation. I never attended HBC except for the one time when we visited several years ago and had to sit out in the foyer as the music was blasted out too loud. Our cold hearts lack love that shows the world we are His. This decision was made with heavy hearts and much time spent in earnest prayer, followed by input from various trusted outside advisors.. Yet Jesus was not the mission even though the pastor spoke of Jesus. OnFebruary 13, the elders announcedJames MacDonald had been fired. A friend sent me a link to sermon about this yesterday: https://radical.net/sermon/kingdom-community/. 6. God bless you. We have now been without a fellowship for nearly a year (we are missionaries in Europe) because I do not want to join a happy clappy crowd who would not know the Word of God were it to bite them nor do I want to join a fellowship where the Word is extremely well known but there is no life, no joy. Why not start a different type of church that is not pastor directed? Churches should switch to a different model that is biblically aligned. I do not believe your timing should be questioned. I appreciate your voice. I believe my continued presence wouldve required me to openly protest in every Sunday service because to remain silent through the service wouldve done injustice to the victims and passively shown support for the authoritarian leaders who refused to repent. Voices heard together make a difference. Nellie, you know what Lina went through in prep for this how? So now, I tell the truth about what happened, and it isnt only a Pastor James problem. Congratulations on your freedom, Lina! Therefore Lina did what God moved her to do in His Boldness and Courage, being fear had silenced her. Implying that the information on TED was lies. I follow Jesus in His Strength the best I can in the light He has given me. I share a lot of the same feelings. Both can be messy, but in the latter case, responsibility for that mess must be laid squarely at the feet of the abusive Elders who are sinning, not at the feet of Christs little ones, the oppressed members of Christs flock, who are being caused to stumble, nor at the feet of those attempting to triage the wounded and sound a warning to others who are in danger of being What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.. Pastor James this and Pastor James that. That timeline accelerated, when on Tuesday morning highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to media and reported, the church wrote. The Lord has used you mightily before, during and after your exit from the toxic leadership at Harvest. Hearing these stories has helped me to realize I left just when I was supposed to. Gods Timing Is ALWAYS Perfect! The abuse I suffered first hand and working through the realizations and implications of that abuse have been traumatic. I lost the bulk of my community virtually overnight. Pastor James made it political when he compared the era of President Trump to the era of Stalin the era of Hitler. BTW, Ive loved your blogs in the morning, but cant read the Twitter ones because I am not on Twitter. Id encourage you to read the prophets again, and ask, what upsets the heart of God? And then maybe its time to ask whether those things should upset you as well. That is just so day to know that people are leaving churches. Her first year at college and her first visit to Harvest RM. 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. It is not with the powerful; it is those whom the powerful make to feel like theyre nothing. Sometimes being good will require us to say harsh things. At this point, Im not sure what else your thread can accomplish. She is not trying to kick him while he is down. So long that lawyers all wonder why I waited so long- but trauma takes time to recover from. Nellie, please dont be taken in by putting people on a pedestal (very sad.) All this comes on the heels of another scandal. Some women were still in the middle of the trauma and were still currently attending Harvest. I pray that moving forward, His love will control me no matter the consequences. Then God led him to Harvest Bible Chapel. this isnt meant to hurt you but to support those who need it. Secrest, who founded the church in 2016 and affiliated with Harvest last September, said he didnt know at the time about the ongoing concerns raised about MacDonalds leadership and the churchs financial status, which led to Harvests lawsuit last year. Then the board announced its executive committee would be resigning over the next few months. You can read that story right here. When I talk to people about this, they are quick to disqualify anyone who went along with James, who did not stand up to him. I simply could not reconcile the lies that were shared from the pulpit with the truths that I knew regarding issues in the church. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT. Can Bubble Tea Bring Gen Z into the Chinese Church. At Camp Harvest in 2009, for example, the pastor shot at a target that contained photos of some elders wives. For you to step back and taken ownership of your piece in the large (very large) puzzle, is a humility and grace only Jesus can provide. They are not calmly declining either. Thank you for your openness and sharing! now James McDonald. All that leads to ia where we are, I led worship in a church for 5 years. I, like you, am so thankful for how God has worked in me and my family through the ministries at Harvestincluding the teaching and selfless service of Lina, and so many others (some who have left, and some who chose to stay). Wake up this tragedy has been in the works a long time. As Gods word says it would. thanks, It was simply not possible. You are a blessing to many in need. This past Sunday, Harvests elders and remaining pastors were in serious damage control mode. But thats how it happens at Harvest, right? Id be interested in reading you blog on tattoos. God is using this to grow me as he does in all trials, so for that Im grateful. #justsaying #carryon, Youd have to read the blog. 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. As a former elder for three years at the Elgin campus ( it wasnt a true elder board then and it still isnt now ), I couldnt agree with you more, that all the infected parts have to excised! None of the perpetrators of hate and satanism have fully repented, including James, his despicable henchmen and the elders. Your studies are strong biblical studies. 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. Authority? You are absolutely right about the fear! In one fellowship people were actually warned to have nothing to do with us, and yet all we had done, in each instance was to ask questions. In keeping with our past private statements to Harvests leadership and to our pastorsThe primary issue is not reconciliation or peacemaking, it is repentance, GCC elders said in a January 17 statement. Wow. As happens in evangelicalism, Harvest effectively became its own denomination, with MacDonald at its head. Many are in or have been in denial. 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. Come together at part of the body of Christ called Harvest Bible Chapel and pray that Gods will not ours be done. Hello: Perhaps my fear had its legitimate reasons. While Harvest the pastor there for years had some good preaching. At my former church, I reached the point where I couldnt, in good conscience, stay because of the amount of bull-headed spiritual abuse that was going on combined with covering-up of sexual abuse. It was love at first sight!! There are dozens if not hundreds of witnesses against many Elders at Harvest all saying the same thing. So the Harvest Bible Chapel elders fired him, fired him from pastoring his own church, which of course was no longer his church to make decisions for, but theirs, as a wholly owned subsidiary. Thank you for this. We are taught in Gods Word that it is Christs love that ought to control us. From elders (Dave Corning, Jon Gaus, The Elephant Debt etc) to nobodies one by one we were all ignored and in many cases bullied. These being the facts of my simple, uncomplicated, and naive experience as an attendee and member of Harvest, the last several weeks of revelations, discoveries, denial, anger, grief, victims, conjecture, embarrassment, hurt, stories, gossip, cover-ups, accusations, defensiveness, lawsuits, maliciousness, divisiveness, blame, threats, and even some name-calling as of late I have begun to realize that those of us who are just the congregation, the blessed and appreciative recipients of the God-given talents of all those involved in running and ministering Harvest, we are now in the painful position reminiscent of children involved in the divorce of parents, both(ALL!) Truth is truth. Sitting in the pews, I could not see how deep the cancer was at HBC. Lina did try to have a conversation with the Elders before she left Harvest. His sermon provides good reasons for why we need to shine light on these abuses. 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. 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. I too have had similar experiences in another church (The Chapel). Brave. Those who step out of line are often dismissed. In his statement released this week, MacDonald continues to criticize the church for its treatment of him and cites the successful arbitration as confirmation that the truth has been on his side all along. He clearly told me that they send out reminders to give. Jesus may be truly calling people to stay, and rebuild Harvest Bible Chapel. No, I dont as well as many others. There are times in our lives and circumstances that its just not real clear as to how to address something, with as little harm to what is good, as possible. The Spirit has shown me that Church, the Body of called out believers are those Christians you meet with. Following the initial World report, MacDonald announced he would be taking a sabbatical, but suggested he may still occasionally preach at a Harvest-affiliated church in Florida. There is no timing to sharing pain. One person (not from Harvest) asked if I needed to call the church to cancel my membership. The unrest at Harvest began in the fall of 2013, when two elders were excommunicated and another was indirectly censured, Roys writes. Fear is a stupid liar and I praise God that Hes given us a spirit of a sound mind and Love!!! We wont let fear overcome the freedom weve been given in Christ. Thank you for speaking out, Lina! Instead, it was MacDonald and his inner circle that were making the decisions, unilaterally. Because it is time for this cult to be exposed and she is telling her story. But if they submit to the Healer, they will come out stronger. I agree with Nellie. Now that these differences with MacDonald have come to resolution, our focus and full attention are on the future of Harvest Bible Chapel, they said. Hes my brother in Christ. The people of the church are those we feel we can trust and love. If so Id be in agreement but again- this is not a political post. Then came Roys story, MacDonalds decision to sue Roys and the bloggers behind The Elephants Debt (presumably rubber stamped by the current elder board), and the realization that discovery would mean everything coming out. I feel foolish for allowing myself to be misled for so long. HARVEST EN ESPAOL is available in person on Sundays at 11:00 AM in Cornerstone. 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. Thank you for having the courage to write what you did and for your ministry Lina. Nellie, be very, very careful! God wins the war. I think he forgot Whose ministry it was. Even before the Garden of Eden seduction, he foresaw the need for The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Your leaving (however late you feel it was) was His provision for others, much like Joseph sent ahead to Egypt years ahead of his brothers and father. 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. During his sabbatical, MacDonald had planned to preach at the. Thats when eight former elders sent a letter to the sitting elder board, warning them that MacDonald was disqualified for office, she said in a response posted Wednesday. It was not supposed to be that way. Now the Chicago-area megachurch is sharing details of the settlement and has apologized to its former pastor, who was fired in February 2019. Thank you Lina for your honesty and boldness and ultimately helping me put words to what I have been experiencing through the preaching of James. He unsubscribed from the emails but they were still sent him texts asking him to give. I attended Harvest Bible Chapel for over 8 years and served as the Womens Ministry Director at the Rolling Meadows campus for three of those years (thats the flagship original campus by the way). In addition to leading Harvest, MacDonald acquired a massive evangelical following through his books, Bible studies, and Walk in the Word radio program, with more than a million fans on Facebook. He wants a huge army of women indwelled with the Holy Spirit to point people to Christ. We repent, forgive and are reconciled; we do not get even, hold grudges, refuse to forgive, or destroy innocent bystanders caught in the wake of it all. In her expos, titled Hard Times at Harvest, Roys details evidence from former Harvest elders, employees and members that show an ongoing pattern of relational and financial abuse, a lack of transparency and outright deception., Harvest strongly disputes the claims, saying Roys has an unhealthy fixation on the church and failed to uncover the desired scandal.. I dont see anything mean in her commentary. This problem is not isolated to Harvest. That is why we keep talking. 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. James ended up sending me a copy of the new approved blog post, and out of fear, I complied. According to Roys extensive research and interviews, changes didnt occur at Harvest; instead, questionable treatment and practices continued. 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. These are the last days! Now he is disillusioned and wants to go back to Catholicism. Im replying after reading just your first few paragraphs. He has harmed thousands of people. God is purifying His Church. I left Harvest CL 3 yrs ago after being forced out of a ministry and other thingspart of the membership indoctrinationyou are not allowed to say anything disparaging against church leadership or the church. Woah there Nellie! When is God pleased at his church? This scandal that were going through has really rocked my world. Being part of Harvest, and hearing how the utmost leaders were tattooed with the Vertical Church logo, as I prepare the lesson, I cant help but wonder about the tattoo on the bodies of those who accepted the mark of James as their alliance with the Vertical Church of James. Pray for those outside the faith who will never come to salvation because of how this appears to them, Muller wrote in his op-ed. I still had friends on the inside that I longed to remain friends with. This Is a Revival Season Sean Feucht Announces 7 Days of Prayer on Capitol Hill, The Chosen, Candace Cameron Bure, Dolly Parton Win at This Years Movieguide Awards, Christian High School Girls Basketball Team Forfeits Tourney Spot Due to Trans Opponent, Tickets for SatanCon 2023, The Largest Satanic Gathering in History, Sell Out. I hope to become braver. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. REALLY !! Thank you for all you do. maybe its time for all of us to wake up. Thank you Lina, for opening the door of your life so that we can understand your experience. After leaving Harvest no one from the church reached out to me to see how I was doing, to ask why I left. Jesus is still the great healer and restorer. The founder of a Chicago megachurch has been fired as its leader. Go to the all church meetings? Following a lengthy season of review, reflection, and prayerful discussion, the Elders of Harvest Bible Chapel had determined that Pastor MacDonald should be removed from his role of Senior Pastor. Your time at Harvest made a huge impact to my small group and strengthened my faith in Christ . Because she is helping expose evil and proving that is is deep and wide and on going. It never dawned on me that it would open you up to attack. Nellie, Your comments are without sound knowledge of the depth of this I am SO glad that Lina has allowed the grace of Christ to free her from the culture of fear that controls Harvest Bible Chapel, and I am impressed by her willingness to speak in such as grace-giving way that will speak freedom to others who are hurting from this. The practice of medicine is not an exact science; neither is navigating very tough and painful circumstances such as this. Do you not remember that God used His Chosen to reveal the sin of not only churches, in the New Testament, but also to Kings in Old Testament. or is it the congregations fault for being weak and gullible? 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. Over the summer, they agreed to try to make a joint statement and start the process of relational reconciliation, the Harvest elders said, but the efforts didnt pan out. The Elephant's . Its so very difficult but This is Gods battle and I only need to be obedient not the fixer. 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: Lina you were humble and owned more than most. Maybe people could handle hearing it better now than then. I pray for the leaders. While only a handful showed up, the range of their pain was wide. Those that havent gone through it ask why would you speak these things? Christ alone is to be worshipped. Quit pointing fingers, justifying why and stirring the pot. Streaming Video Broadcast. Those are things we dont talk about often enough about. All Rights Reserved. With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal. Have you not read these passages? Hence the Response Statement Regarding Pastor James and Anne Green yesterday on HBC in the news. I was wrong. I hope that the cleansing and purification will come to Davenport as well. The recognizing date of the exempt status is April, 1972. I have always wondered why you left Lina but didnt know you personally to ask. *For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. 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