Harvest Bible Chapel — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Dr. Jeff Bucknam

Founded 1988

Denomination Non-denominational

Service Times Sunday worship at Rolling Meadows campus

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.harvestbible.org

Pastor Credentials Doctorate; Lead Pastor of Teaching and Vision since July 2021

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

HBC's historic doctrinal statement affirms Trinity, deity of Christ; Bucknam leadership continues evangelical orthodoxy.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Historic HBC statement of faith affirms inerrancy; carried forward post-reorganization.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Men's ministry 'Men of God' confirmed at /ministries/mens-ministry/.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Reformed-evangelical soteriology per historic HBC statement.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Male-only elder and teaching pastor roster under Dr. Jeff Bucknam (Lead Teaching Pastor since 2021); no women pastors identified.

Male lead pastor; male elder board visible via elder updates

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Elders page exists at /ourelders/ — roster not extracted this pass; post-MacDonald rebuild continues. Yellow pending elder-roster verification.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Current series headlined 'Getting Jesus Right' — Christological-doctrinal teaching by Dr. Jeff Bucknam (April 2026). Stated: 'disciples of Jesus profess that He is Lord, practice His Ways, and persevere.' Held YELLOW pending verse-by-verse expository confirmation.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Great Commission discipleship emphasis continues.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No DEI/CRT language surfaced.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Non-denominational; formerly flagship of Harvest Bible Fellowship (now disbanded). Independent post-reorg — yellow.

Caution

Assessment

Harvest Bible Chapel at 800 S Rohlwing Rd, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. Founded 1988. Original pastor James MacDonald was removed in 2019 amid allegations of financial impropriety and bullying. Dr. Jeff Bucknam became Lead Pastor in July 2021 to rebuild. Seven campuses in Chicago metro area. The MacDonald scandal was significant — evaluate whether the church has genuinely rebuilt culture, accountability, and governance under new leadership. The founding campus has 30+ years of history.

#chicago#illinois#national

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

James MacDonald removed in 2019 for disqualifying conduct; Bucknam's leadership + active elder updates in 2025 suggest accountability rebuild is functioning. Kept at yellow rather than green due to recency of reorganization.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source harvestbible.org
[2] Live source harvestbible.org/ourelders/
[3] Live source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_Bible_Chapel

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.