James MacDonald (pastor)

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This article is about the religious leader; for the ice hockey player see James "Kilby" Macdonald

Dr. James MacDonald (b. 1960) is a popular Evangelical Christian speaker and pastor. He is the founding pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel and later Harvest Bible Fellowship. MacDonald is also well known for his radio ministry, Walk in the Word.

MacDonald was born in London, Ontario, Canada in 1960. He received his Master's Degree in 1988 from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois and his Doctorate from Phoenix Seminary in 1996. He has also served on the pastoral staff of Baptist and Evangelical Free churches.

On September 18, 1988 a group of eighteen people from across Chicago's northwest suburbs got together to form a new church. The new church, Harvest Bible Chapel, met in the gym of Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows. Then on September 10, 1995, Roy Gromke, one of the founding members and Elders of Harvest, found the property at 800 Rohlwing Road in Rolling Meadows. The building had previously been a furniture store, a wholesale club, and a home improvement warehouse. Harvest needed to raise $300,000 in six weeks with a church family of only 500 people. Eventually $392,000 came in within six weeks so that this church, only 6 years old, could purchase their first bulding.

With the donation of a multi-million dollar business complex, the church has opened another campus in Elgin, Illinois and is in the process of constructing a 4800-seat worship center. Additionally, the church has a third campus in Niles, Illinois. The church has its own elementary school, Harvest Christian Academy, on both the Rolling Meadows and the Elgin campus.

The church is developing a retreat center, Camp Harvest, in Newaygo, MI. Harvest Bible Chapel also hosts an annual international leadership conference, named "Straight Up", for church leaders.

MacDonald has authored a number of books including, I Really Want to Change: So Help Me God, Lord, Change My Attitude (Before It’s Too Late), 7 Words to Change Your Family, Gripped By The Greatness of God, God Wrote a Book and Downpour: He Will Come To Us Like the Rain. MacDonald also has extensive retreat and Bible conference speaking experience.

Although Harvest Bible Chapel is very large, MacDonald's preaching style is not in any way seeker-sensitive, which is inconsistent with the majority of the megachurch movement in modern Evangelical Christianity. MacDonald's 1/2 hour daily radio-ministry based broadcast, Walk In The Word, is heard on hundreds of radio stations around the U.S. The broadcast is also heard in Canada, Guam, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and on XM Satellite Radio. Walk in the Word is a partnership with RBC Ministries in Grand Rapids, MI. A one-minute feature called "Listen Up" is also in syndication on radio stations coast to coast.

MacDonald resides with his family in a $1.9 million dollar ^[1] home in Inverness bought from former U.S Senator Peter Fitzgerald.