Who is Pastor Ted Haggard?

Ted Arthur Haggard is an American evangelical preacher. He is the founder and former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He also founded the Association of the Life - Giving Churches and was the former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Known as Pastor Ted to his congregation at New Life Church he was born in Indiana on June 27, 1956. He became a born-again Christian in 1972 after he heard a sermon from the late evangelist Bill Bright in Dallas. He received his education at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa Oklahoma.

In 1978, he married Gayle Alcorn and they have five children, In November 1984, he became an associate pastor of a mega church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to Haggard while he was there, a friend had a vision of him founding a church in Colorado Springs. Shortly after this, he and his family moved to Colorado.

The first New Life Church was held in Haggard's basement. It quickly grew from their to rented spaces at local strip malls and then evolving into the current location of the mega church near the United States Air Force Academy in northern Colorado Springs.

Haggard who is a firm supporter of George W. Bush, and often is credited for rallying Evangelicals behind Bush during the 2004 election. In 2005, he was listed in Time magazine as one of top 25 most influential evangelists in America.

On November 2, 2006 Mike Jones a gay escort and massage therapist alleged Haggard, who he knew as "Art" (Haggards' middle name is Arthur) paid him for sex on a monthly basis for close to three years. Jones stated he made his allegations due to Haggard's political support for the proposed amendment on the November 7, 2006 Colorado ballot that would ban same-sex marriage in that state.

Pastor Ted admitted to purchasing methanphetamines from Jones and to receiving massages, but he denied using the drugs or having sex with him. During a November 5 service at New Life Church, a pastor there read a letter written by Haggard to the church congregation. The letter expressed his sorrow for causing shame and embarrassment to his followers and the fact that he was guilty of sexual immorality. He also told the congregation he took responsibility for the problem, that he was a deceiver and liar. He further said that the accusations made against were not all true, but enough were that he felt that removal from his church leadership was the appropriate thing to do.