Megachurch founder James MacDonald allegedly sought murder for hire, police investigating

[TomSea]

Megachurch founder James MacDonald allegedly sought murder for hire, police investigating
By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post Reporter


Pastor James MacDonald preaches at Harvest Bible Chapel. | (Photo)

Police in Illinois are currently investigating allegations that Harvest Bible Chapel founder James MacDonald sought to find a hitman to commit murder.

“A subject came in and filed a report and we are doing an investigation based on that report,” Wilmette Deputy Police Chief Pat Collins confirmed with The Christian Post Monday.

The allegations regarding MacDonald’s efforts to commit murder were first reported by independent journalist Julie Roys, who cited Chicago radio personality Mancow Muller and Emmanuel “Manny” Bucur, a deacon at HBC and former confidant and volunteer bodyguard of MacDonald’s, as the individuals making the claims.

Read more at: https://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-founder-james-macdonald-allegedly-sought-murder-for-hire-police-investigating.html

Thought I'd put this here and not in national news. Pretty shocking. I'm not very familiar with him.

Okay, and it sounds like they have 2 people who say MacDonald asked for this, Muller and Bucur. Let's see if that's enough to press charges.

[mountaineer]

... stor James MacDonald founder of Harvest Bible Chapel in greater Chicago. | Creative Commons

Harvest Bible Chapel in greater Chicago says it will seek reimbursement from the megachurch’s founder James MacDonald for any personal expenses he charged to a controversial discretionary fund which were not repaid during his tenure at the church.

“As communicated before, we have hired a law firm to oversee the financial review of our church. This law firm has secured an out-of-state accounting firm that specializes in not-for-profit organizations and forensic accounting to assist in this review. The final report will be presented by the law firm to the elders, Church Leadership Team, Capin Crouse (our auditor), and the congregation at the completion of the investigation,” the church said in a statement released Saturday. “The length and scope of this investigation will be determined by the law firm. Harvest Bible Chapel will seek reimbursement from James MacDonald if any items are deemed by the accounting firm to be unreimbursed personal expenses.”

The announcement comes as the church undertakes a massive external audit of MacDonald’s use of church finances and a report that he was being paid nearly a million dollars per year in regular salary, while having access to approximately a million more in discretionary spending.

Just over a week ago, The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability also announced that they had terminated HBC’s membership based on further investigation into the megachurch’s operation.  ...

Christian Post, April 29, 2019

[mountaineer]

... The church fired him in February after questions arose last year about his spiritual and financial leadership of the church he founded in 1998. The mega church based in Rolling Meadows with seven Chicago-area locations held services where about 12,000 people worshipped weekly, according to documents the court filed in a lawsuit last fall.  ...

Daily Herald

What a mess.