In the Dean Butters statement there is one line that is chilling. It discusses how information was collected for James MacDonald from Soul Care. This blog would like to ask how did that happen? Were reports given to James MacDonald or were people recorded without their consent and was Illinois law violated? What are the implications of what Dean Butters said for Garrett Higbee and the Great Commission Collective?
“James collects information from Soul Care (counseling), small groups, and
conversations with other pastors to use against people.”
Dean Butters sentence from his statement on James MacDonald.
“When you don’t take a stand against corruption you tacitly support it.“
Kamal Haasan
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 ESV
Garrett Higbee
One of the issues that comes out in the Dean Butters statement is that James MacDonald collected information from Harvest Bible Chapel counseling program known as Soul Care. Garrett Higbee was the leader of Soul Care for a number of years. There are many questions that need to be asked of Garrett Higbee and that is what this post is designed to do.
How was Information Transferred From Soul Care to James MacDonald?
There is one key sentence that needs to be asked, and it comes from the following statement by Dean Butters. “James collects information from Soul Care (counseling), small groups, and conversations with other pastors to use against people. ” So James MacDonald collected information from Soul Care to use against people. The question must be asked how did that happen? Did James MacDonald at one point sit down with Garrett Higbee and tell him that he wanted information from Soul Care turned over to him frequently and regularly? Did Garrett comply and go along with what James MacDonald wanted? Were upcoming appointments made available to James MacDonald and did he decide which people he wanted information from? Did he make those decisions based on who was an elder at Harvest Bible Chapel and who could be a problem down the road? Was James looking for information that can be used to blackmail people? How was the information obtained? Were sessions recorded and were people not made aware? If this happened then James MacDonald or Garrett Higbee violated Illinois state law. Illinois is legally a two party consent state so all parties had to agree to recording. The other possibility is as follows. Did the “therapist” take notes during the session and were reports then written up and given to James MacDonald for him to read. Or was it as casual as James approaching Garrett Higbee and others and asking, “What did ____talk about can you fill me in with the details?” The fact of the matter is that information got from Soul Care to James MacDonald in same manner. It could be either one of the possibilities above. This is an issue that needs deeper research and more questions need to be asked.
What Does this Mean for Garrett Higbee and the Great Commission Collective?
The Great Commission Collective (GCC) which as I understand is the former churches from Harvest Bible Fellowship. GCC launched in August of 2017. The organization is led by Brian White. Brian White is the pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel North Indianapolis. Now in the GCC Garrett Higbee is the Director of Pastoral Care for the organization. He is responsible for pastoral care for pastors inside the GCC. If Garrett was turning over information from Soul Care to James MacDonald then what would that mean for Garrett Higbee today? This blog doesn’t believe that Garrett should be practicing but in this situation thee are no psychiatric or psychology licenses involved. If Garrett was a counselor with a license from the states of Illinois or Indiana then either state can suspend his license. That is part of the problem with Biblical counseling and why it is unprofessional and lacking. But if Garrett has acted in such a way does that mean he is capable of discharging his responsibilities. Or are other people like Brian White also have ties and issues from Harvest Bible Chapel that they need to deal with? But these questions with Garrett Higbee need to be asked.
This Blog is Looking for Stories of Information from Soul Care Being Weaponized
In light of what Dean Butters has said this blog is putting out a call for information. Did you at one point use Soul Care in Harvest Bible Chapel, and was the information you gave in counseling then used against you? Were you shocked and stunned and wondered, “How did James MacDonald know that information? That was discussed in Soul Care?” If this happened to you and you want to share or tell your story let’s talk. My email is wonderingeagle261@gmail.com
Garrett Higbee is Trying to Reconcile with Individuals, this is How You Can Tell if Garrett is Being Honest
According to one of my sources in Chicago that has direct access to the information Garrett Higbee is trying to reconcile with a number of people. Before people gather around a camp fire and sing “Kumbaya” and make smores with Garrett there are some questions that need to be asked. These questions are especially important if people are trying to reconcile with Garrett Higbee. The chief question is as follows. Is Garrett Higbee telling the truth and being honest with you? Here is how you can tell. If you met with Garrett Higbee and had a long face to face talk and he came out and said that information from Soul Care was weaponized and and then the Dean Butters statement came out; well that would mean that Garrett is being honest. The Dean Butters statement would back him up. If you thought you had a productive meeting and Garrett apologized and you believed all is fine; and then the Dean Butters letter dropped and you learned that information from Soul Care was weaponized after the fact. Well that means that Garrett Higbee is not being honest or forthcoming. It also means that you have been had by Garrett Higbee. Hopefully this post and this information well help those who are having difficult conversations and prepare you from being manipulated further by Garrett Higbee.
Wondering Eagle 
I think this whole concept of “soul care” should be disbanded. If people need more intensive emotional care they should be referred to licensed therapists. This idea of training lay people to be able to care for souls is dangerous in my opinion one for the reason you stated above, there are no legal guidelines for confidentiality, then just the truth of unqualified people trying to help people with deep issues. Now son to my opinion of Garrett Higbee. After reading his letter to the elders in my opinion he did a terrible job being the CHO! He needs to go back to school and take refresher courses on ethics, clinical diagnossis! He should not be the person at GCC continuing on in developing the soul care model! Garrett Higbee covered for James Macdonald pathologies on a regular basis for hisbown personal gain is my perspective.
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I see both sides there…on one hand what you blog about is attention worthy and needs to be said. On the other, you obviously don’t consider yourself to be in the same group as the majority of these “Evangelical” readers, specifically on the Harvest stuff. So people can get a little bent about an outsider critisizing things, but on both sides it’s often squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Personally I don’t trust any of the Harvest affiliated crew that left in the last 5 years or so, they all have the same mentality. I firmly believe it started as a great Bible based church with great intentions. But those founders and good intentioned people all left 10+ years ago when things went into the American Idol realm. It left a weird mix of folks caught up in a trap of what to do with their families and friends, new members that were just there for the tunes, and leaders that were drunk on titles and recognition from James. It’s all very sad, and without a charismatic leader like James, will most likely “fade into Bolivian”. Maybe they re-find their roots and remain a renewed albeit smaller Bible based church. That’d be great…but the reality is you’re beating a dead horse at this point and sometimes that comes across as gloating to some readers that may be left in the wake wondering what just hit them, google it, and see your blog.
There’s lots of church corruption out there Eagle! Go find it!
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What if the dead horse digs its way out of its grave and walks the earth looking for fresh living prey?
A lot of these crooked churches and MenaGAWD don’t really die, they just turn undead and walk the comeback trail.
“What’s it going to take to keep him from coming back? A stake through the heart?”
— Hunter S Thompson re Richard Nixon
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Well I suppose it’d be a new horse to beat then?
“God is silent. Now if only man would shut up…” – Woody Allen
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A question of clarification: In what ways exactly did soul care get weaponized?
Higbee says in his letter to the elders that he did not violate confidentiality. But… Was it public knowledge as to who was receiving counseling and how often? Did Macdonald ask for those schedules and follow up himself to find “the dirt”. Did lay counselors under Higbee in soul care get pressed for information which they gave?
Not giving Higbee a pass yet, only asking in case it was others who broke confidentiality.
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Dean Butters statement said that information in Soul Care was given to James MacDonald. See the sentance l used in the post. What information was used from Soul Care? How did MacDonald get the information? It’s a serious question that needs to be asked.
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I am not an Illinois AG, Federal Prosecutor, nor FBI Agent, but if weaponizing private and confidential mental/emotional health care information to extort someone’s specific behavior is not a violation of at least 10 felony-incurring federal laws, possibly including RICO statutes in this instance, I don’t know what else could possibly qualify as such.
I also suspect that giving such information to a known brutalizing psychopath like James McDonald (and his merry band bootlicking sociopaths) would probably incur additional and very serious felonies.
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JUST LIKE SCIENTOLOGY AUDITING RECORDS!
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Yes!!!!!
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When your ministry can be described as “Just Like Scientology, Except CHRISTIAN(TM)!”, that is NOT a good sign.
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