Celebrity Pastors And the Dangers of Unlimited Power

This article was originally published in French at TPSG.

As we drove into the church parking lot for worship that freezing cold February morning, greeting us with a smile was Pastor Nick, who was shoveling ice from the sidewalk to protect his sheep quite literally from stumbling. Although he’s the pastor of one of the larger French-speaking evangelical churches in Quebec, he remains a humble servant, leading his flock by example. I once heard it said, “Every pastor should know where the toilet plunger is.” This certainly is true of Nick Cotnoir.

In sharp contrast is the sad story of James MacDonald, a celebrity pastor whose fame, wealth, and power led to his downfall. He was once a council member for The Gospel Coalition and founder and senior pastor of Harvest Bible Fellowship (HBF), a family of churches that experienced phenomenal growth in the 1990s and 2000s. Far from adhering to the Prosperity Gospel, HBF was soundly in the Reformed camp. MacDonald took the platform at nationwide conferences, including one held at my seminary every year, at which I heard him speak. For years I was blessed by his radio ministry “Walk in the Word” and to this day remember some of the lessons I learned from him.

Yet, behind his powerful pulpit and public teaching ministry lies a tale of greed and power-hunger. His salary was so top secret that three of his elders reported in 2013 that MacDonald stated he would sooner “lose 1000 sheep” than reveal it. In February 12, 2019, HBF fired MacDonald. Only then was it disclosed that in 2018, his church paid him an annual salary of $960,000, as well as discretionary spending money of between $800,000 and $1.2 million.[i] In addition, while his church had men who held the title of elder, it appears that they did not function as elders, but rather allowed their pastor to exercise complete authority. Rather than protecting MacDonald from himself and from the danger that come with success and power, it seems that they fed the human, fleshly inclinations within him, allowing him to rule his church with little accountability, and to do so while living lavishly at the expense of his congregants. His demise serves as an example of the adage, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Such celebrity status is rare in the small churches that are most common in the French-speaking world. And yet, the rise and fall of James MacDonald offers a lesson to all believers, and to especially to pastors, regardless of the size of their congregation. Most of our churches, admittedly, will never be able to offer their shepherds access to the large sums of money HBC gave freely to MacDonald. Yet even a small assembly in a rural area can make a dictator and demigod out of its pastor if it does not provide the ballasts of biblical elders to keep his power in check. Men and women who serve in leadership in the church have a responsibility to help a pastor see his blind spots and point him to Christ and the hope of the gospel, just as he is to do for them.

I do not consider the tragic downfall of James MacDonald an occasion to condemn a man for his poor choices. He answers to Christ, not me. I consider it, rather, a sobering reminder to us all. “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Lest I boast in my own right standing before God, I remind myself and our readers that “There go I but by the grace of God.” Finally, may this serve as a reminder to us of how desperately our pastors and spiritual leaders need our prayers, support, and encouragement. They have feet of clay, just as we do. May we endeavor to make of them not heroes on pedestals who are bound to fall, but rather fellow servants and pilgrims on this journey toward the heavenly city.

---

[i] Julie Roy, www.jolieroys.com/james-macdonald-took-millions-harvest-now-demands-broadcast-ministry