He was the senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel megachurch in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, United States[1][2] and was the host for the church's former broadcast ministry, Walk in the Word.

[11][12] In February 2019, MacDonald announced that Walk in the Word would no longer be broadcast on radio and television, but would be available in digital format, citing the financial strain stemming from the controversies surrounding him.

[23][24] In October 2018, MacDonald and Harvest filed a libel lawsuit against The Elephant's Debt bloggers Ryan Mahoney and Scott Bryant, and against journalist Julie Roys.

"[28] Church elders said that the decision left them without any means of protecting third parties, saying, "In good conscience we cannot knowingly subject innocent people, in many instances against their will, to a full subpoena process.

[29][30] On April 30, 2019, the outgoing elders of Harvest Bible Chapel issued an apology for having filed the 2018 lawsuit,[31] and they paid Roys $50,000 as a settlement to cover her legal fees.

[32] Over time, former Harvest members, elders, and staff have accused MacDonald of bullying, sexual harassment, authoritarian behaviour and lack of transparency in finances,[33] as well as misappropriation of church funds.

[34][35] In December 2018, World published Roys' expose on MacDonald and Harvest, outlining an alleged history of financial mismanagement and abusive leadership by the pastor.

[38] On January 16, 2019, MacDonald took an "indefinite sabbatical from all preaching and leadership,"[39] saying in a statement that he has "...battled cycles of injustice, hurt, anger, and fear which have wounded others without cause", and that as a result he has "...carried great shame about this pattern in certain relationships that can only be called sin.

[45] Later reports indicated that MacDonald had used funds from the Walk in the Word ministry to purchase a vintage 1971 Volkswagen Beetle (valued at approximately $13,000) for Ed Stetzer, a contributing editor at Christianity Today.