On its website, Harvest says it believes that “Randy Williams is not the man portrayed in the texts” Roys shared. “He has never said anything to the leaders of our church in the many years we have served with him that resembles the content of the texts she published today. If Randy Williams was secretly antagonistic about the health of our collective governance, it was not known to any of us. We offer him the grace we all need in the context of regrettable words or actions. Love prompts us to believe he does regret these words.”
The church admits it has faced challenges but describes itself as “wonderfully harmonious”—despite what it calls Roys’ “ongoing effort to divide and destroy Harvest Bible Chapel.”
To counteract what it calls “false information being circulated about our Pastor and our Elder Board,” Harvest then lists comments from numerous elders as proof of “the immense health, plurality and unity of our Elders’ governance—the very opposite of what has been published.”
James MacDonald Withdraws From SBC Pastors’ Conference
On December 17, it was announced that MacDonald had withdrawn from speaking at next June’s Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Pastors’ Conference. Pastor Danny Wood, president of the conference, said MacDonald “contacted me personally to say he is stepping away from all outside speaking engagements for a season.” Wood tweeted that he’s “thankful for this brother, and he has my prayers as he focuses upon his own local church ministry.”
Harvest joined the SBC in 2015, and MacDonald has spoken at the Pastors’ Conference multiple times.
A Harvest spokesperson told the Christian Post that MacDonald’s decision to withdraw was unrelated to the recent release of text messages. The pastor has “been praying for a while about limiting his travel and speaking outside of Harvest,” the spokesperson said. “He felt led of the Lord to go ahead and do so for a season. That prayer preceded recent events.”
