I am airing on the side of no. As a nation, something painful will bring us back. When you are in a position where fear dictates the position you cannot speak out while under that. Amen sister!! Less well known was that these individuals agreed to leave Harvest aloneto stop publicly criticizing the churchin exchange for a promise that the current elder board would enact changes. Quit pointing fingers, justifying why and stirring the pot. I do know that my faith will not be shaken. I have or attend 3 or more small groups a week now and feel alive. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Ive been where youre at, believing that its godly to keep trying to work it out, like family does. Bless you! I was asked what I would do if I were still on staff through the last 2 years. BTW, Ive loved your blogs in the morning, but cant read the Twitter ones because I am not on Twitter. For me, I live with the regret of not taking advantage of the opportunity to come over and get to know you. There were other things that caused us to leave also. 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 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! The church is to be a living organism for the cause of Christ and no other. 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. [], Lost me at the private jet shared with Bill Hibel. 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. and pro football. 12:18) as while working through this year-and-half-long process of transition. At Camp Harvest in 2009, for example, the pastor shot at a target that contained photos of some elders wives. God used him mightily for many years and brought His salvation to thousands through this brother. Pastor was not happy and tried to convince us that we were wrong. He went recently, saying the time had come. MacDonald took an indefinite sabbatical in January, following a tumultuous few months defending Harvest in a defamation lawsuit against its critics and in the aftermath of a World magazine investigation into mismanagement at the church. Is this an informed opinion? Harvest dropped the lawsuit; MacDonald took a leave of absence; Roys revealed that MacDonald had lied; and then, finally, MacDonald went on a public vulgar, slander-laced tirade against Roys and Christianity Today. Thank you Lina, whos fault is this? 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. That timeline accelerated, when on Tuesday morning highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to media and reported, they wrote. For me, it is because it is time for truth. You are courageous and your words bring healing. I speak as one who has gone thru it, like you. 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. 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 Yes, there are a lot of hurting people at Harvest. In my lowly position, I have said, like others, I would have put my head in the sand and continued to do the job God gifted me to do in the interest of the body. I have seen this in many independent churches.THIs was done to me at a similar setting.The pastor One of things his way or the highway and there was no disagreement because he said it was leading to anarchy. You are loved. 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. The Rolling Meadows Campus is our founding campus and for more than three decades has testified to God's faithfulness. I am sorry for the pain. Sometimes being good will require us to say harsh things. My faith has been shaken by the situation at another Christian organization. I didnt want to upset James. My precious, from a far, friend who I have watched since your first speaking engagement at Harvest. In other words, thatwasMacDonald in the recording. It is a shame to Christianity what is happening here. model and not on the Old Testament hierarchical model. He is doing a new thing, and I will stand with my brothers and sisters in Christ and praise his Holy name through it all. 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. 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.. We are to find our faith and hope in the Message, not the messenger. Its where I was led to Christ. Long story short he kicked my husband and I out of the church. Hi Sally, I feared offending people. Until recently, I was 8 year member of HBC and I feel so sad, confused, betrayed. Voices heard together make a difference. Yes Nellie, we are called to bring light on the darkness. Fear. Laurie Newman, a Harvest member, told Christianity Today that she believes the church's current leaders, like Bradshaw, are "good people who want to lead the church the way God wants it to. Thats what happens to us as individuals and us as a collection of people. We left a church where the pastor specifically told me, I am in charge! He said this while glaring at me and enunciating each word. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. The elders were given a paper that laid out their duties, that mostly consisted of protecting, encouraging, and blessing the senior pastor. Please avoid these former Harvest elders at all cost, lest you incur great detriment to your own soul. I also assumed that because of the size of Harvest, those closest to you would reach out. 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. I am thankful for JESUS that used Pastor James in my life. Because TRANSPARENCY is neededand now ahe may be starting to feel safe. Still, even I knew when enough was enough. 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. You said, out of fear, I complied. Everything that is painful for everyone and anyone has been talked about endlessly for weeks. 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. Our enemy loves this. I agree with Nellie. Because ultimately what God wants is not a huge army of women who are nice. Many people went to leaders and spoke up. What would it take to convince an elder board to question its pastor? They made excuses for him. That IS A LIE!! A year or so before leaving Harvest I had written a blog post about holiness in which I had referenced the growing fad of tattoos in our culture. Even now, many years later, the enemy could still, if I let him, get me questioning my motives and trying to persuade me I was in the wrong not the shepherds. You are a blessing to many in need. For years, I kept believing the deception fed to the congregation by the elders. Now that all MacDonald men are gone and the elder board has been cut down to 9 men until a brand spanking new group of men are approved of, I am curious to see where this train goes. I enjoy both of you Christian ladies for the different gifts you both bring. Hmm. 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. Rita, be encouraged. *For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 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. Your staying as long as you did part of the clarity and power youve experienced in communicating what youve seen. (Matthew 12:33-37). 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. I was a woman ruled by fear. Some women were still in the middle of the trauma and were still currently attending Harvest. In a statement written by church elders, the Chicago-area megachurch says they fired MacDonald for "engaging in conduct contrary and harmful to the best . Will those men now be known for their mark as sinful followers of James? 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. The Spirit has shown me that Church, the Body of called out believers are those Christians you meet with. 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.. Let us examine ourselves for unconfessed sin and seek to live in fear of the Lord lest bitterness overtake us.. Linas post is still available on other mediums, I imagine if she wanted to link it she would have. 1 Timothy 5:20 Saying he had hit a "wall of exhaustion" in June, Lead Ministry Pastor Greg Bradshaw said he is not only leaving Harvest, but also the ministry. After leaving, others came to us, with similar stories of why they left or quit being involved. Well said. God loves his Church and we can trust hell do what is necessary to preserve it. She is sharing her heart and personal experience in an open, vulnerable way, in kindness and love. 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!) Each former leader that speaks out helps us heal and validates our experience. Welcome to Ohio. Yet, with the growing numbers leaders, it is coming out, many followed along with James out of fear to personal, family, career damage. Your time at Harvest made a huge impact to my small group and strengthened my faith in Christ . It is a really strange thing when persecution comes from the pastor and elders. Driscoll, now MacDonald. Nellie, be very, very careful! Let us pray God will send His Spirit upon us and cure us of this. I praise your decision to own your ministry outside of James. This isI believewhy the American church has lost its effectiveness. According to Roys extensive research and interviews, changes didnt occur at Harvest; instead, questionable treatment and practices continued. But I lived this in the late 70s and early 80s the scandals of the then big preachers they fell down hard as well. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Happens to us, with similar stories of why they left or quit being involved Christianity is... 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