Harvest Bible Chapel (James MacDonald)
Chicago-area evangelical megachurch network. James MacDonald fired 2019 after Christianity Today exposé documenting bullying, financial extravagance, and suppression of dissent.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for documented 2019 governance collapse and James MacDonald firing.
Profile facts
In context
Harvest Bible Chapel under MacDonald grew to multi-campus mega-status with the Walk in the Word broadcast and Harvest Bible Fellowship church-planting network. The 2019 governance collapse following the World magazine and Christianity Today investigations forced his removal. Multiple successor leadership disputes.
Recovery resources
- ICSA Helpline — International Cultic Studies Association — questions about high-control groups, referrals to cult-aware therapists, peer support.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation — BITE Model assessments, exit-counselling resources, family education.
- ICSA Cult-Aware Therapist Directory — ICSA-maintained directory of licensed mental-health professionals with specific cult-recovery training.
- Combatting Cult Mind Control — Steven Hassan, 1988 (revised 2018). The foundational BITE Model book; CLCI Hub's core methodology source.
- Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships — Janja Lalich & Madeleine Tobias, 2006. Practical recovery workbook.
- Holding Out HELP — Utah-based organisation supporting people leaving fundamentalist polygamous Mormon communities.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Legal cases & controversies
- 2019 MacDonald firing
This profile is in progress — history, deeper BITE evidence and survivor voices are still being added. Contributions welcome via GitHub.
Timeline
- 1988Harvest Bible Chapel founded
- 2019MacDonald fired after governance investigation
Sources
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. The search ↗ link runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.