What Harvest Bible Chapel could do to avoid bankruptcy and closure

I believe there is a good chance that Harvest Bible Chapel will suffer bankruptcy and closure unless drastic actions are taken. The current situation within the church is not sustainable. ECFA has not only removed their seal of financial approval but said that they will never reinstate the church given what they have learned. Attendance and giving is in a steep dive. The elders (former and current) have yet to be completely candid. 

The books have not been opened and the information of financial malfeasance is devastating. The movement of funds and excessive pay of James MacDonald cannot be justified. The use of funds for non ministry purposes has been verified - and we may only know the tip of the iceberg. True information as to what is happening internally is not being shared apart from leaks that occur daily. Individuals who have been a part of what looks like a corrupt organization are still employed by the church. Deals are still being made with James according to those in the know. Lawsuits have been initiated to request donations be returned. 

In spite of the above, the church is in the process of looking for a new senior leader. What leader of good character would even consider such a situation where there is a clear lack of transparency and where there have been grievous violations of trust that have not been owned up to and staff who were a part of that system who are still on staff?

Ironically, the webpage for the church states this: "Every weekend we're opening the Bible together and learning from its pages in ways that speak right into our lives. In our services, our ministries, our music - in everything we do at Harvest, our passion and focus are to bring glory through His Son Jesus Christ." Call me cynical but this statement does not square with the above descriptors. 

It is unlikely that the above scenario can exist much longer with a viable church. I am not sure that anything can rescue the church at this point but I believe that it only has a chance if it takes the following action. 

1. The appointment of an outside board of elders for a period of time. Too many people inside the power structure of the church still have a vested interest in secrecy and guarding their turf. Only a board made up of respected Christian leaders from outside the church can bring objectivity and transparency to what seems to be a corrupt ministry. Outsiders who have no agenda other than the good of the church have nothing to guard, nothing to hide and nothing to be afraid of. Until this happens there will be no healing or health.

2. This outside board is the only group who can choose new elders for HBC to choose men who are not part of the current system or have a vested interest in what has transpired. All new elders, if chosen by the current board or their representatives will live under the suspicion of covering up the past - which may well be true. Even if not true they will live under a cloud of suspicion. In addition, no elder who served under the watch of James MacDonald should ever serve as an elder in the church again. If for no other reason than they cannot lead well having been a part of a sick system.

3. All staff who were in senior positions either on the ministerial side or the administrative side must be relieved of their duties. They may or may not have been a part of the problem but the perception will always be there that they were. In addition, many staff knew of the sickness within but remained in their role which lacks integrity on their part. There are key financial people who remain in place who had to know of financial irregularities and yet are there today. 

4. The books need to be opened - completely. Without complete transparency at this point the leadership have no credibility. Only an outside board will be able to do this as there are too many inside the power structure that don't want the books opened as it will reveal their poor leadership. Open the books and let the chips fall where they will.

5. Someone - and I believe that only an outside board can do this - needs to name any illegal, unethical or questionable actions involving James, the leadership and the elders. Repentance comes with an acknowledgement of wrongs committed and only with that acknowledgement can the congregation have a chance of healing.

My prediction? None of these five steps will be taken because there is too much to hide, too much pride and too much need to be in power. It will sadly end in a failed church and even worse mayhem than currently exists. As long as you hide the truth it will likely repeat itself. Bring it to light and it will likely not. Unfortunately the history to this point is to hide and try to control what cannot be controlled and is no longer a secret. 

TJ Addington of Addington Consulting has a passion to help individuals and organizations maximize their impact and go to the next level of effectiveness. He can be reached at tjaddington@gmail.com

Creating cultures of organizational excellence

Making a mockery of the church

This is the kind of thing that makes a mockery of the church and of church discipline. These elders have all resigned and their pastor, James MacDonald fired. Yet this was the methodology of their board and church to those who spoke the truth about what was going on at Harvest Bible Chapel.

TJ Addington of Addington Consulting has a passion to help individuals and organizations maximize their impact and go to the next level of effectiveness. He can be reached at tjaddington@gmail.com

Creating cultures of organizational excellence

10 Signs that you attend an unhealthy and spiritually abusive church in the wake of Harvest Bible Chapel

As I have been thinking about the events at Harvest Bible Chapel, Mars Hill, Willow Creek, and several other large congregations walking down the same path, I have been reflecting on some common traits of dishealth and spiritual abuse. The sad thing is that these behaviors are antithetical to what a healthy church looks like (think the book of Ephesians) and the fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes, this spiritual abuse is found mainly on staff; other times, like Harvest Bible Chapel and Mars Hill, it is or was pervasive. These afflictions are not confined to any church size but rather a mindset among leaders, usually led by the senior leader. If you observe several of the following characteristics in your church, be wary!

A strong leader who others cannot question
The pastors of the above congregations and those like them have leaders who are a "force of nature" that others, even elders and staff, find hard, if not impossible, to challenge. In fact, these individuals often have a very black-and-white mentality toward people: If you agree with them, you are a friend. When you disagree with them, you become an enemy. This is how they see people: Friends or enemies with no grey in the middle. Staff, elders, and those who are close learn quickly that if you cross a particular line, you are done, and your job or ministry is in jeopardy.

Use of a board to manipulate and legitimize behavior
Boards are used in these churches not to evaluate issues or guard the health of the church (on the last score, firing the dysfunctional leader would be in order) but to legitimize the wishes of the senior leader and provide a kind of "spiritual cover" to them where they can hide behind the decisions of the board. Ironically, while these individuals talk as if the board has absolute authority and power, the reality is that they don't. It is the senior leader who has the authority and power. Even now, at Harvest Bible Chapel, it is clear that the board still does not have the freedom to act as a board even though James MacDonald is physically gone.

An inordinate degree of secrecy
Decisions are made with secrecy in many of these situations. When people ask questions about budgets, ministry decisions, or things like discipline and resignations, they are told, "Trust your leaders," "There are many things you don't know," "These are Godly men (or women) with the implication that you, therefore, should not question them. In fact, the Godliness of the board and pastor is often way overblown, as it is simply a cover for their decisions. After all, who can question them if they spent all this time in prayer and Scripture study? The truth is that in these boards, there is no time given to Scripture study or prayer beyond the formal necessities. It is far more about self-preservation, politics, and scheming than it is about a spiritual group.

Lack of truth
Secrecy is not the only issue. There is a consistent lack of truth in these situations. Decisions are spun to fit the leadership narrative, whether it has any relation to truth. Even here, those in the know don't dare speak out, making them complicit in the lies being told. The thinking is that the "little people" can't handle the reasons for the decision, so just like in Washington, there is a lot of fake news from church leaders.

Disparagement of critics or those who ask questions
Remember that those who disagree are seen as enemies, especially if they cannot be brought around to the party line. The groupthink in these situations is massive, and it is challenging from a relational standpoint to buck the party line or to question what everyone else seems to agree with. In reality, many may not agree, but they are unwilling to speak up as it disrupts the unspoken code that we should agree with the party line. Why else are so many former staff members or board members from Harvest Bible Chapel only now speaking out when they have left their positions or the church. The same can be said for Willow.

These dynamics extend to the congregation as well. When congregants ask legitimate questions, they are told that the Godly elders have looked at the situation, and after a great deal of prayer and deliberation (usually a falsity), they have chosen the best path. In other words, don't question our decisions. Unfortunately, in many cases, financial transparency is not present as well. At its worst, this is nothing less than manipulation and intimidation, a shutting down of legitimate discussion, and an attempt to evade any kind of accountability as the pastor, senior staff, and board of Harvest Bible Chapel did for decades. Congregants learn quickly that they want to avoid creating waves and choose to simply follow. Those who insist on asking questions are eventually driven out of their staff, board position, or church.

The liberal use of charges, church discipline, public rebuke, and shunning behaviors
Here is the cost of speaking up, disagreeing, asking questions, and not going away. These churches will ensure that you go away, but with your reputation in tatters, your character impugned, and your joy destroyed. Spiritual-sounding charges with lots of scripture and long letters or phone calls are designed to bring people back into the party line. When that does not work, church discipline is applied and made public as a rebuke and manipulation tactic to get people back to the fold with their "repentance." When these tactics don't work, people are shunned, and other church members are told not to speak to them as they have been given "over to Satan" because of their sin.

This is done with maximum public exposure through announcements from the pulpit, video messages to the church, emails, or letters, all designed to impugn the reputation of the "guilty" and to justify their indefensible behaviors. This is not only politics at its worst, but the use of spiritual language is designed to justify and intimidate the whole congregation to toe the party line. The more people are scared, the more cover the senior leader has (and the board) because people will not challenge them. In the case of Harvest Bible Chapel, dissidents whose information is now proven to be true wrote a blog called "The Elephants Debt" because of the massive financial mismanagement of the church. James actually sued them to shut them down until he discovered belatedly that there was this thing called "discovery," which would force him to open his books. That caused him to drop the lawsuit.

Frequent use of language like submission, obedience, and trust
When words like this are often used in a church, it signifies that leadership seeks to shut down discussion. Congregants are told to "submit" to the church's leadership. While Scripture says that, it says a lot more about the character and behavior of leaders, which, in these cases, is ignored. Trust us, obey us, submit to us, and if you don't, you are in violation of Scripture and subject to discipline and action by the board. Congregants are never to submit to lies or dysfunction.

A culture of fear on staff and on the board
Fear is the end product of these behaviors and is a spiritually abusive system. That fear is a tactic by leaders to intimidate staff into doing what they want to be done. Years ago, someone who attended an annual event at Willow told me that staff members had to get up in front of Bill and other staff and share their ministry results and goals. Bill harshly criticized many in public, which was devastating to them. My friend, a church leader from another church, was impressed. He learned much from Bill! I remember saying, "I would never work for a leader like that." Angry, manipulative, coercive, and verbally abusive leaders are not fit to lead. None of these behaviors exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit. In these systems, a spirit of fear prevails and serves the leader's purpose.

Bodies pile up
When many people are left in the wake of a ministry and good people at that, one needs to ask why? I once did a conflict intervention with a church of a thousand and interviewed nine individuals who had left staff in the past 18 months. All their stories were the same and revolved around the senior pastor. The board had never asked any questions! When the bodies pile up, it is a sign that something may be amiss and that it is time to ask some questions.

A closed system
This describes a closed system that does not allow anyone but the senior leader to honestly think for themselves. It is rotten to the core as a system designed to eliminate accountability, force compliance, and allow the senior leader to get their way. People only realize how sick the system is once the senior leader has been gone for some time.

Don't ignore symptoms like this in your church if you should see them. They are warning signs that something is amiss, and many people will be hurt if not addressed.

ECFA suspends Harvest Bible Chapel's accreditation - from Christianity Today

See this article from Christianity Today - and I am curious with all the information that was swirling around why it took the ECFA so long to act. 

ECFA Suspends Harvest Bible Chapel’s Accreditation 

TJ Addington of Addington Consulting has a passion to help individuals and organizations maximize their impact and go to the next level of effectiveness. He can be reached at tjaddington@gmail.com

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