“Given our desire to be patient with the process, we elected not to publish last night. However, this morning, Mancow Muller made the following announcement on his radio program. And as has been our practice as of late, we are merely pointing to what another figure is now publicly reporting as fact.”
(The Elephant’s Debt) Seven years ago, The Elephant’s Debt was launched amidst mounting concerns about the theological drift at Harvest Bible Chapel. But what began with apprehensions over Trinitarian formulations and prosperity gospel inclinations quickly morphed into something much larger, and far more troubling. Reports from former elders and pastors began to pour in.
Harvest was deeply in debt and the campuses were cross-collateralized against one another, tying all of them to the same financial fate if something were to run afoul. As 2012 rolled into 2013 and The Elephant’s Debt continued to publish its’ concerns, Harvest began to experience a precipitous drop in giving. According to the lawsuit MacDonald and the leaders of Harvest filed against TED, more than 2000 congregants left the church, taking their tithes with them. Making matters worse, Harvest was in the midst of the 5G campaign, which was supposed to bring in $30 million between 2012 and 2014. But by the end of the three years, less than $20 million had been raised, and HBC was forced to try to extend the campaign into 2015. All that to say, when The Elephant’s Debt was the sole voice of dissent, Harvest experienced tremendous financial pressure. By the end of 2013, it was averaging 18.5% shortfalls against its projected budget.
Now fast forward to the past 18 months. There have been a series of disastrous decisions and events that include:
Editor’s Note: We will post additional information as it becomes available.
Research:
H/T Reformation Charlotte