Ted Haggard

Ted Arthur Haggard (born June 27, 1956) is an American Methodist pastor.

Haggard is the founder and former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is a founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches.

In 1972, at age 16, Haggard became a born-again Christian after hearing a sermon from evangelist Bill Bright in Dallas, Texas, and becoming acquainted with the Christian apologetics of C. S. Lewis.

As a co-editor of his high-school newspaper in 1974, Haggard published frank articles that described services that were available to prevent and deal with increasingly prevalent pregnancies and STDs.

These articles scandalized his small town and embroiled him in a free-press lawsuit.

Haggard describes feeling the call of God on his life after his first year in college while he was in the kitchen at home.

He had been a telecommunications major with a minor in journalism, but after this experience he believed he had been called to be a pastor.

Haggard subsequently attended Oral Roberts University, a Christian university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, graduating in 1978.

He became a minister in the Southern Baptist Convention for a few months.

According to Haggard, in November 1984, when he was an associate pastor of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his confidant and mentor Danny Ost, a missionary to Mexico City, had a vision of Haggard founding his church in Colorado Springs.

Accordingly, Haggard moved to Colorado shortly afterwards, and founded New Life Church.

Initially, the 22 people who met in the basement of Haggard's house formed his church, which then grew to rented spaces in strip malls.

After 22 years, New Life Church operated from a campus in northern Colorado Springs and had a congregation of 14,000.

In 1993, during what Haggard describes as his "first prayer journey," he traveled with a group to Israel.

They stood on the Mount of Olives, where Haggard claims that he felt the Holy Spirit speak to him.

"From that time until now," Haggard writes in The Life-Giving Church, "apostolic power has blessed me. My only problems are with me – not with the enemy, not with circumstances, not with people."

Under Haggard's leadership, New Life Church formed the Association of Life-Giving Churches.

It has been listed as a denomination by the U.S. National Association of Evangelicals.

He served as president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) from 2003 until November 2006.

Haggard made national headlines in November 2006 when male prostitute and masseur Mike Jones alleged that Haggard, who had advocated against the legalization of same-sex marriage, had paid him for sex for three years and had also purchased and used crystal methamphetamine.

Haggard resigned his post at New Life Church and his other leadership roles shortly after the allegations became public.

Later, Haggard admitted to drug use, some sexual activity with Jones, and an inappropriate relationship with a young man who attended New Life Church.

As of 2006, Harper's Magazine reported that it comprised some 300 congregations.

In November 2006, male prostitute and masseur Mike Jones alleged that Haggard had paid him for sex over a three-year period and had also purchased and used crystal methamphetamine.

Jones said he had only recently learned of Haggard's true identity, and explained his reasons for coming forward by saying, "It made me angry that here's someone preaching against gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex."

Jones made the allegations public in response to Haggard's political support for a Colorado Amendment 43 on the November 7, 2006, Colorado ballot that would ban same-sex marriage in that state.

Jones told ABC News, "I had to expose the hypocrisy. He is in the position of influence of millions of followers, and he's preaching against gay marriage. But behind everybody's back [he's] doing what he's preached against."

Jones hoped that his statements would sway voters.

Haggard's immediate response was denial.

He told a Denver television station, "I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver... I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."

Haggard also said, "I have never done drugs – ever. Not even in high school. I didn't smoke pot. I didn't do anything like that. I'm not a drug man. We're not a drinking family. I don't smoke cigarettes. I don't socially drink. We don't socially drink. We don't have wine in our house. We don't do that kind of thing."

Many evangelical leaders initially showed support for Haggard and were critical of media reports, including James Dobson who issued a statement of support for Haggard, which stated: "It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation.... Ted Haggard is a friend of mine, and it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election – especially the vote on Colorado's marriage-protection amendment, which Ted strongly supports."

Cornered by his voicemail to Mike Jones requesting methamphetamine, Haggard told the press, "I bought it [methamphetamine] for myself but never used it. I was tempted but I never used it."

Haggard claimed he bought the methamphetamine but threw it away, and added that he had never met his accuser.

Jones volunteered to take a polygraph test on a KHOW radio show hosted by Peter Boyles, where Jones first made the allegations.

However, Jones's responses during the section of the polygraph test about whether he had engaged in sex with Haggard indicated deception.

In 2010, Haggard and his wife, Gayle, founded Saint James Church (Free Methodist Church) in Colorado Springs.

Haggard was born in Indiana.

His father, J. M. Haggard, a practicing veterinarian in Yorktown, Indiana, founded an international charismatic ministry, which was featured in a PBS Middletown documentary series.

Haggard has stated that he was molested when he was seven years old.