Haggard ends team's oversight of 'restoration'
By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Haggard admitted to "sexual immorality."
A team appointed to oversee Ted Haggard's "spiritual restoration" after scandal forced him to end his ministry at New Life Church has agreed to his request to end their oversight of his recovery program.
New Life Church issued a statement Tuesday saying it believes that the termination of the relationship is premature, but would not say why. Earlier in the process, church leaders had said they assumed that Haggard's recovery could take several years.
The Colorado Springs evangelical congregation that Haggard founded also said it remains convinced that he should not return to any church ministry.
A year ago, Haggard voluntarily entered into an arrangement with a team of "overseers" to guide what it called his "spiritual restoration" after a scandal that rocked the 14,000-member church community over Haggard's admitted "sexual immorality."
While Haggard never specified, a Denver man accused him of engaging in sex with him. Haggard is now living in Phoenix and will remain as a member of Phoenix First Assembly of God. There, Pastor Tommy Barnett will maintain what New Life called an "accountability relationship."
"New Life Church recognizes the process of restoring Ted Haggard is incomplete and maintains its original stance that he should not return to vocational ministry," the church said in a statement.
Haggard resigned in November 2006 as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was fired as pastor of New Life Church after he admitted to buying drugs and "sexual immorality" involving a gay male escort.
The man alleged that Haggard had paid him for sex over a three-year period and sometimes had taken methamphetamine during the encounters. Haggard admitted paying Mike Jones for a massage and for the drug, but said that he didn't have sex with Jones or use the drug.
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February 7, 2008
8:13 a.m.
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Retread writes:
Send the guy to a real treatment center for drugs, let him figure out if he is gay or not. Geez is it the end of the world if he is gay? Or if he is gay he can't be a member of the new death church? Boy that would be the end of the world...
February 7, 2008
9:19 a.m.
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nate writes:
so...he pulled out prematurely?
February 7, 2008
9:20 a.m.
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Froward69 writes:
What a Slut!
February 7, 2008
12:06 p.m.
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dirkle writes:
Ted Haggard's finally "cured" (at least for now) of his addiction to crank and cranks. Praise the lord!
February 7, 2008
12:46 p.m.
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cforevereyez writes:
Another case of premature evangelation. When will we ever learn.