James MacDonald (pastor)

James MacDonald
Born (1960-10-04) 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 four live worship albums: "Frontiers" (2016) "Church Songs" (2015), The Rock Won't Move" (2014), and "Live Worship from Vertical Church Band" (2013).[10]

Bibliography

References

  1. "James MacDonald on Preaching Like Jesus". PreachingToday.com.
  2. "James MacDonald". Moody Publishers.
  3. "5 Things That Make a Church Compelling". ChurchLeaders.com.
  4. Murashko, Alex. "James MacDonald's Vertical Church Tour: It's About Getting Back to Jesus". Christian Post.
  5. "2012 Special Service Awards". nrb.org.
  6. Broadcasters, National Religious. "Walk in the Word Receives 2016 NRB Award for Best TV Teaching Program". National Religious Broadcasters. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  7. "Locations".
  8. "Videos". Vertical Church Band. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  9. "2014 Dove Award Nominees". Dove Awards 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  10. "Music". Vertical Church Band. Retrieved 16 May 2016.

External links

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