A Second New Life Church Leader Resigns

Orginally published on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at 6:25 AM
by Todd Rhoades

I continue to be impressed by the way that New Life Church is dealing with the Ted Haggard situation. It has lead to another staff member resigning over sexual issues. This is the press release from the church.Check out the pro-activeness of this release. It is clear, concise, and direct (and written by Carol Haggard, a close relative of Ted, who is in charge of media relations at New Life. It reads... On November 4, 2006, an external Board of Overseers for New Life Church ("Church") permanently removed Rev. Ted Haggard from any position of leadership due to his admitted sexual immorality. The following day, Rev. Haggard advised the Church congregation by letter that he was a "deceiver and a liar" and that he had been warring with a "darkness" his whole adult life.

Immediately after this event, Acting Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, asked the Overseers to further assist the Church to ensure that its ministers and ministries are rightly ordered as the Church moves forward. As a result, the Overseers interviewed many members of the pastoral staff beginning with the senior leaders.

This process is continuing. The Overseers thereafter invited, through the Church website and other means, any person who had any concerns about the Church's ministers or ministries to contact them. A second group, including independent outside professionals, has interviewed other persons. The Church leadership took this action to make sure that any secondary effects of Rev. Haggard's disordered moral life would not be partof the Church's future.

On Friday, December 8, 2006, the Director of New Life Church's 24/7 ministryresigned his position, and the Church accepted his resignation. The 24/7ministry is a young adult leadership training program. This Director resigned because, in meeting with the Overseers, it became apparent that he had displayed poor judgment in several decisions throughout his tenure. This poor judgment included one instance of consensual sexual contact with another unmarried adult several years ago.

Pastoral work and personnel decisions are, by necessity, often confidential. Throughout the events in the wake of Rev. Haggard's termination, the Church has tried to be open about its disciplinary processes consistent with respect for the privacy of others. It, therefore, plans to make no additional statement about this matter than those contained in this pressrelease.

New Life Church leadership requests, again, that, if anyone has factual, first-hand information regarding the spiritual health of this Church, its ministers or ministries, they should report directly to the Overseers through the means provided on the Church's website.

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