Posted on 11/27/2020 8:13:07 AM PST by SeekAndFind
More than a month after winning a lucrative arbitration settlement against Harvest Bible Chapel in the greater Chicago area, founder James MacDonald has alleged elders colluded to oust him from the helm of the church in an unbiblical manner following a failed attempt at reconciliation.
“Some are no doubt saying, ‘Dude, you got fired. It happens, even unjustly, all the time – own what you can, get over the rest and get on with your life,” he explained in a recent two part statement (part 1 and part 2) posted on his website.
“I agree! And I surely would have, were it not for the false and destructive financial accusations against me, voiced by Tim Stoner to HBC congregation and online for 10 months. Those November 2019 allegations would accomplish their goal of ending my ministry forever, if not refuted here and now with clear documentation,” he said.
Last month, MacDonald called on the church to end its “false narrative in financial matters” against him, after elders disclosed details of the arbitration settlement awarding him at least $1.45 million in cash, an undisclosed amount in deferred compensation, and assets of his Walk in the Word broadcast ministry, including real estate.
The elders had previously maintained that Walk in the Word belonged to the church and that MacDonald was fired for cause. The church also cleared him of allegations of financial abuse.
MacDonald said he was forced to speak out after a failed attempt at reconciliation with church leaders on Oct. 19.
“HBC Elders met with me in a meeting led by guest Pastors Jeff Gill and Dave Stone. We were blessed by increased humility from Brian Laird, but saddened by other realities that dashed our collective hope for reconciliation progress – the real reason they had flown in to lead our meeting. How sad, when HBC Elders could have shown humility, owned their wrongs, and met me at mutual grace and forgiveness,” he said.
“With that long-awaited meeting unsuccessful, we have prayed and waited three more weeks, given the news the Elders had agreed to pray together about ‘how we may have sinned against James MacDonald.’ Yet still nothing but more legal threats and… total silence. All of that brings us reluctantly to the realization we have to set the record straight and move on,” he said as he argued how the church caused him and his family willful and irreparable harm.
MacDonald was ousted from HBC on Feb. 12, 2019, after making "highly inappropriate recorded comments" on Matthew “Mancow” Muller’s radio program as well as "other conduct" under a cloud of allegations of financial abuse and bullying. The HBC founder later filed a defamation lawsuit against the Chicago radio personality who recently announced that he was ending his show at the Cumulus Media talk station.
The megachurch founder was recorded talking about planting child pornography on Christianity Today CEO Harold Smith's computer, and making crude remarks about independent journalist Julie Roys — including joking that she had an affair with then CT Editor-in-Chief Mark Galli — and a vulgar reference to Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College.
Citing evidence from a “letter campaign,” he argued that a former HBC staff member colluded with Muller to make the controversial recording public while explaining how other church leaders betrayed him for power and access to money in the ministry.
“A letter campaign, led by former staff member Dallas Jenkins (not his first), which centered on HBC’s Elgin Campus and took the illegal recording to Mancow, whom he boasted of controlling. All this, with the goal of getting me, my family and the Executive Elders removed,” MacDonald wrote.
“HBC Elders acted unbiblically by not requiring the letter writers to meet with me, not vetting the accusations for accuracy or vetting the back story for a colluded agenda, nor ever meeting with me themselves. Everyone concerned has suffered great loss as a result,” he said.
MacDonald rued the manner in which he was fired by the church and shared the pain his family has suffered and continue to suffer because many still believe what he called a false narrative that was used to oust him.
“I was fired on a conference call I was not allowed to join – over issues I had never heard, sourced in letters I had never seen – from my 30+ year position as Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC). A group of Elders, who never met with me and mostly didn’t know me, fired me over a falsely edited recording they didn’t review and unvetted letters with many false allegations that were leaked to intentionally cause me and my family harm,” he wrote.
He explained that the church was a significant part of his life and being ostracized by the community as a result of the narrative behind his firing has been difficult.
“Harvest Bible Chapel was our lifetime calling, the only church our children ever knew, and the centerpiece to most of our greatest joys. From the time Kathy and I were 25 and 27, everything we did was for the people of HBC, and everything we loved was deeply intertwined with the church family we openly prayed to spend our whole lives serving,” he said.
“All three of our children met and married their spouses at HBC, two from HBC families. Our grandkids were deeply enmeshed with Harvest Christian Academy. Nearly all of our closest friends served or worked at HBC. And with a few exceptions, all of those relationships remain severed from us. Our deepest sufferings have come from being so ostracized, while waiting in silence for friends to love us despite what they have heard and fight for the truth to come forth. Nearly two years later, the vast majority at HBC still apparently believe what a handful of HBC Staff and Elders communicated falsely.”
The HBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The first person to bring up King David loses. It’s like Hitler.
I argued that exact point a few months ago when this goofball was fired, and it sadly seemed to be lost on some FReepers ("well, he and the other elders are motorcycle enthusiasts in real life, and they go out for a ride after the Sunday service, how do you expect him to dress??")
There's nothing wrong with a pastor having a passion for bike riding, and dressing accordingly when he's on the road (there's some prominent Orthodox bishop in Hungry -- I can't find the photo right now -- who looks far more badass than this James MacDonald character when he's in black leather on a bike)
There's nothing wrong with having a service specifically aimed AT biker culture, either, or inviting the pastor out to ride with them. Catholic priests do it fairly often to be "hip" and "with it". Here's a photo of one such event:
But there's something VERY bizarre about a pastor dressing like he's at a biker bar DURING a religious gathering, or in his formal role ministering as a representative of Christ. The priest and the the bishop I mentioned in the above paragraphs wouldn't be caught dead doing that indoors during a Sunday litugry. And IF they did, they'd probably get promptly suspended.
There's always been something fishy about this "James MacDonald" guy (and the latest claim that he "never met" most of the elders at HIS church who voted to remove him)
Those of us familiar with scripture, know that an “overseer” (read Pastor) is to be above reproach.
If this guy was caught on tape saying this stuff, he is far below reproach and is bringing the entire body down.
Pretty disgusting.
You seriously think because he is dressed like that, it makes him a bad pastor”?
Look beyond the cloths Billyboy. This guy seems to have become enamored with his position and lost his way and his right to be a pastor.
Are they still searching a permanent new pastor? If they are, why not say so publicly?https://harvestbiblechapel.org/
Right here: https://harvestbiblechapel.org/search/.
One of the top priorities of the Harvest Bible Chapel Elders in 2020 is the prayerful search process for the next Lead Teaching Pastor. Please see the search overview on this page.
Yes, it can take a long time.
"Pastor"
"Nun"
I would say that's true of probably 90% of the threads on FR trying to come up with a "biblical" response to something. For example, during Mitt Romney's candidacy, some FReeper demanded to know the "biblical" passage stating it is OK to vote for a Mormon, and said he couldn't vote for Mitt unless there is "biblical proof" saying is acceptable to vote for Mormons. I noted there's no "biblical" section telling its OK to eat cheetos either, but gosh darn it, I eat them anyway. Being written 2000 years ago, the Bible is silent on the matter of eating cheetos. Guess cheetos are "unbiblical".
Maybe Cheetos are “nonbiblical,” and so are “Senior Pastors,” and so is voting.
I’ve been following the MacDonald story at JulieRoys.com, and the guy is an absolute disaster. He’s avoided court so far, but Julie Roys interviewed Mancow Mueller a week or so back, and it looks like this time all the mess is going to come out under oath.
Crying shame.
Jesus Himself wore the finest of clothes and only associated with the finest of people. Yep.
Jesus dressed as a court magician while ministering, so he could come across as “hip” and “with it” around the average Hebrew. Nope!
1) You'd think this MacDonald character would lay out and keep out of the public spotlight after this whole charade, but nope. And everything he says or does to argue his side about his "unfair" firing makes things look worse. He "didn't know" most of the "Elders" who voted to fire him? Seriously? I know its a megachurch with hundreds of staff, but what kind of competent pastor doesn't even BOTHER to even meet the people hired to runs things at HIS church?
2) Mancow makes a great case what a snake MacDonald is, but one wonders why Mancow would continue to attend the church and give the guy the benefit of the doubt it was as blantantly obvious that MacDonald as big a liar and conman as Mancow says. I wouldn't stick around for another week if I had a "pastor" who was out spending millions on glitzy gifts to his pals or engaging in character assassination against good people.
1. I think there had been turnover among the “elders” as anyone who asked questions was “purged” and some outwardly compliant men checked their options and then bailed out. The bigger picture, though is the circular reasoning that, if they agreed to his removal, they “didn’t even know him.”
I think he’s just delusional, now, perhaps refusing to speak to anyone who doesn’t tell him he’s all that plus America’s Sexiest Man. A couple of years ago, he dropped a lawsuit against reporters when he realized their lawyers could subpoena documents. But now he’s decided to go after Mancow Mueller, and the countersuit means he can’t back out.
2. I don’t understand it either. Some people are strangely influential, though, and once a mark is “hooked,” our own drive to “not be wrong” does a lot of work.
PING
LOL! Ok, I see we are at an impasse here. Lets leave it here. Too many other important issues to worry about, rather than arguing about these little things.
Have a blessed day FRiend.
Sounds like the title “Elder” for those guys is misleading then, if the “Elders” of Harvest had only been there a few monthes. I would suggest they call them “Newbies” instead ;-)
LOL!
Maybe they were new to the position of “Elder” rather than new members of the church?
I think it’s like a Board of Directors - though I’m not sure how they’re chosen and can’t be bothered to look it up - and the group actually had the power to fire the “Senior Pastor” all along. The surprise was that they r’ared up and did it.
It’s such a bizarre story.
I heard him locally on Lancaster, PA WDAC at 94.5FM. Amazing how different he looks, from what I may have imagined.
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