James MacDonald (pastor)
| James MacDonald | |
|---|---|
| File:JMacDonald - Walk in the Word.jpg | |
| Born | October 4, 1960 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Pastor, Author |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy MacDonald |
| Website | JamesMacDonald.com |
James S. MacDonald (born 1960) is an American pastor, non-denominational Bible teacher,[1] and author. He is best known as the founding and senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel meeting in seven locations in greater Chicago, Illinois, the radio and television Bible-teacher of Walk in the Word, and the author of Lord, Change My Attitude (Before It's Too Late), Act Like Men, and Vertical Church.
Biography
Born in London, Ontario, MacDonald is a graduate of London Baptist Bible College (BA in Theology, 1984), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MA in Religion, 1988) and Phoenix Seminary (D. Min, 1996).[2]
MacDonald was ordained at Riverside Baptist Church in Windsor, Ontario in 1985. In 1988, recruited by a small group of ministry partners, MacDonald and his wife, Kathy, founded Harvest Bible Chapel.
Since 1997, MacDonald’s Bible-teaching ministry[3] has been extended through the global television and radio broadcast ministry Walk in the Word. Further extension of MacDonald's ministry includes: the church planting network called Harvest Bible Fellowship; the Harvest Training Center for church-planting pastors; a worship and songwriting ministry, Vertical Church Band; and a feature-filmmaking ministry, Vertical Church Films.
Ministry
Harvest Bible Chapel
Founded in 1988, Harvest Bible Chapel grew from 18 people meeting in a local high school to more than 12,000 attending on seven campuses in Chicagoland each week. MacDonald's preaching emphasizes the authority and practical application of the Bible in a compelling and understandable way. His appeal to a broad and diverse audiences increasingly reflected in the church's seven-campus congregation. First moving into a converted warehouse in Rolling Meadows, Illinois in 1995. Harvest added two campuses (Elgin and Niles) were added in 2004. Crystal Lake was added in 2007. Additional campuses include Chicago Cathedral in 2010, Aurora in 2011, and Deerfield Road in 2012. Thousands of people[4] currently attend the church.
Walk in the Word
Launched in 1997, Walk in the Word became the radio outlet for MacDonald's teaching ministry at Harvest Bible Chapel. In 2012, the program received the Billy Graham Award for Excellence in Christian Communication.[5] In 2014, Walk in the Word expanded to global television and, in 2016, received the Award for Best Television Teaching Program.[6]
Harvest Bible Fellowship
Harvest Bible Fellowship was born in 2002 and has planted many churches across North America and around the world.[7]
Vertical Church Band
Vertical Church Band[8] is the worship and songwriting ministry of MacDonald's church, Harvest Bible Chapel. Launching formally in 2012, their song "Open Up the Heavens" was nominated for the Dove Awards Worship Song of the Year in 2014.[9] They have released three live worship albums: "Church Songs" (2015), The Rock Won't Move" (2014), and "Live Worship from Vertical Church Band" (2013).[10]
Bibliography
- I Really Want to Change . . . So, Help Me God (Moody, 2000) ISBN 0802434231
- Lord, Change My Attitude . . . Before It's Too Late (Moody, 2001) ISBN 978-0802434395
- Seven Words to Change Your Family (Moody, 2002) ISBN 978-0802434401
- God Wrote a Book (Crossway, 2002) ISBN 978-1581346220
- Gripped by the Greatness of God (Moody, 2005) ISBN 978-1415829219
- Downpour: He Will Come to Us Like the Rain (Broadman & Holman, 2006) ISBN 978-0805441994
- Ancient Wisdom (Broadman & Holman, 2007) ISBN 978-0805444285
- Way of Wisdom (Walk in the Word, 2007)
- Restore My Soul: A Fresh Look at Psalm 23 (Walk in the Word, 2008)
- 10 Choices: A Proven Plan to Change Your Life Forever (Thomas Nelson, 2008) ISBN 0785228209
- When Life Is Hard (Moody, 2010) ISBN 978-0802458704
- Always True (Moody, 2011) ISBN 978-0802458698
- Lord Change Me (Moody, 2012; revised edition of the book previously titled I Really Want to Change . . . So Help Me, God) ISBN 978-0802405265
- Vertical Church (David C. Cook, 2012) ISBN 978-1434703729
- Authentic: Developing the Disciplines of a Sincere Faith (Moody, 2012) ISBN 978-0802457172
- Come Home: A Call Back to Faith (Moody, 2013) ISBN 978-0802457189
- Act Like Men (Moody, 2014) ISBN 978-0802457196
References
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External links
- JamesMacDonald.com Personal site and blog
- Harvest Bible Chapel
- Harvest Bible Fellowship
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