Haggard Aftermath: 44 Lose Their Jobs at New Life
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, March 05, 2007
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- (24) comments so far
The church had about 350 part-time and full-time staff members. Those affected range from custodians to administrators at the World Prayer Center.
Parsley said the church is consolidating some positions and in other cases will use volunteers in place of paid staff.
At a question-and-answer session with congregants after the Sunday-night service, Parsley said that in the four months since Haggard’s departure, revenue is off 10 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. Parsley said the church was not in a finan- cial freefall and attributed much of the problem to overstaffing.
“We were kind of living on the edge,” he said. “That’s good for everybody until a rainy day comes, and now we’re in the rain. We certainly can’t keep using money we don’t have.”
Associate pastor Rob Brendle said the church was “committed to getting the house in order” before a new pastor is selected. He also stressed that although the church cut positions, it wasn’t cutting any ministry functions.
On Sunday morning, Parsley called the restructuring a “holy process” during which the church needed to ensure it was a good steward of tithes and offerings.
At the request of The Gazette, the church provided financial documents spanning 2003 to 2005. The church said 2006 figures were not yet available, so it’s unclear how Haggard’s departure affected the last two months of last year or projections for this year.
From 2003 to 2005, church cash-flow statements show income from tithes and offerings steadily increased, from nearly $10.9 million to almost $13.3 million.
Overall revenue increased from $14.4 million in 2003 to $24.4 million in 2005. The rise, according to budget figures, was primarily caused by an increase in giving designated specifically to missions and other ministry projects.
Salaries and benefits increased from roughly $5.4 million in 2003 to $7 million in 2005, with Haggard being paid $114,500 in 2003 and other senior employees’ salaries ranging from $69,000 to $108,000, according to the financial records.
By 2004, Haggard was earning nearly $126,000. The church did not break out individual salaries in 2005 budget documents.
Total expenditures rose from $13.3 million in 2003 to $23.4 million in 2005.
During services Feb. 18, church leaders announced that New Life would offer financial support to the Haggard family over the next year. The amount, they said, will be roughly the equivalent of the $130,000 annual salary Haggard received as pastor, according to Brendle.
In addition to being forced out as pastor, Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after a Denver man said he repeatedly had sex with Haggard. Haggard admitted to “sexual immorality” and buying methamphetamine.
Brendle said New Life decided to provide support because “the local church is in the business of redemption.”
“We recognize that is the work we are about,” he said. “We recognize that Ted and Gayle’s contribution as our founder and as our senior pastor for over 20 years are immeasurable, even as Ted’s indiscretions are inexcusable.”
Asked whether the payout to Haggard had an impact on the layoffs, Brendle said it was only a tiny fraction of the cuts that needed to be made.
Read more here at the Gazette.com
FOR DISCUSSION: Last week, we had a discussion here about whether Ted’s severance package was appropriate (one full year’s salary). Not trying to be cynical, but I wonder if the 44 people who had to be let go are also receiving the same level of severance support as the person who caused their release. It’s a sad situation, to be sure. What are your thoughts?
Giving is down 10% at New Life Church after Pastor Ted Haggard was forced to step down just a few months ago; and in the aftermath, 44 people are being let go this week from church. Here's what the Gazette wrote about the decision: "The 14,000-member New Life Church, citing overstaffing and a decline in giving, laid off 44 people over the past week. The move came just four months after Ted Haggard, its former charismatic pastor, was removed amid a sex and drugs scandal. “Several people on our staff are being affected,” Ross Parsley, the church’s interim senior pastor, told congregants at Sunday-morning services. “The reality of that forces us to make some good decisions,” he said, adding that the layoffs had been a “painful process.”
Comments
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Jim from NJ on Mon, March 05, 2007
It makes me wonder if any of those jobs could have been saved with any of the $130,000 severance given to Ted Haggard. Innocents sacrificed for the guilty?
Daniel Acuna on Mon, March 05, 2007
I have the same question about to use the $130,000 to save those positions. I wonder it the people who lost their job are going to receive any help? Anyway, I know they are not easy decisions. I decided to pray specifically for the people who have to decide.
Billie on Mon, March 05, 2007
This is just more confirmation to a personal conviction.
I do not condemn Haggard, nor look down on him or think less of him. Here’s my personal conviction. Full time vocational ministry can be a powerful tool against your marriage and against your personal commitment to Christ. Think about it…you give so much to so many other people, neglecting your family, wearing yourself out and giving room for Satan to attack your weakened state. I have for a couple years now wondered if I needed to give more energy and more time to my church, being a staff minister. My marriage is doing really well and family life is terrific, but I feel my ministry is lacking. And hearing about Haggard is more confirmation to me that if my marriage or spiritual condition begins to suffer and go south, I’ll quit church work in a heart beat. Christ can use me at Starbucks, McDonald’s, public trash pick up…I refuse to let this church minister life suck my most valuables away from me. I’ll serve Christ no matter what I do, but I’ll not allow church minister life to bring me down. It’s not that important. The kingdom of God is important enough to remain faithful to the Great Commission, but churches can always replace you, find someone else, and new churches can always be planted. Who cares that I’m a youth minister. I care that I stay obedient to Christ and faithful to my wife and family - at any cost. I feel that Haggard is one more example of someone who gave more to the areas that would eat his lunch, and now his lunch has eaten him. I’m frightened of this happening to me, so I make the stand now to remain humbly afraid of greatly falling. Some of the best advice I heard at seminary was this: you can fail at Hebrew and Greek and still be an effective minister, but you can’t fail at marriage and family and still be an effetive minister (Dr. Ken Hemphill). I choose family over minister life, and I choose Christ and his commission over church life and it’s chaos.
Mark on Mon, March 05, 2007
I don’t know if the $130,000 is appropriate or not. But I do think 2 things…
1) Regardless of whether or not the church thinks it can afford it, it should do what it believes is right before God. You can’t use your lack or money to decide what is right or wrong. We must use scripture, wisdom and seek God.
2) I don’t think Ted’s situation can be compared to those who are losing their jobs. Certainly they can blame Ted for their job loss, but the truth is that they wouldn’t have had a job in the first place if Ted didn’t plant the church.
Wendi on Mon, March 05, 2007
As a stand alone question, I didn’t think one year of severance for Haggard was out of line. Now it seems sadly inappropriate.
The amount of severance is reasonably based on several things (length of service, ongoing employability). Another reasonable factor to include in the decision about severance packages is the fiscal health of the organization. This financial short fall should have been anticipated by both the church (in determining their offer) and Haggard (in deciding whether/what to accept).
Although it would make only a nominal overall difference, I sure wish there would be an article in the Gazette tomorrow stating that after learning the depth of the financial impact his moral failures have had on his church and hard working and loyal (and morally upstanding) staff members, he has decided not to accept further severance payments from New Life.
Wendi
Billie on Mon, March 05, 2007
What’s wrong with you people? A prominant figure falls and all you can do is think about money? You all seriously need to visit DaveRamsey.com. This is not about money. You’re no different than E! Entertainment. Good grief…
Kristy on Mon, March 05, 2007
I think that Haggard’s daughter and possibly more of his kids worked there; do you know if they were affected in the layoffs?
Leonard on Mon, March 05, 2007
There are a few factors here that cannot be overlooked. First, how well was the church run. Haggard aside, the church was more than likely top heavy and staffed to it fullest capacity. Were these positions full time positions? More than likely not. Often for financial reasons a church or company will hire part time people over full time people, when a cutback comes the setback to ministry is less as well.
Haggards severance is not the issue nearly as much as the decline ins giving which could indicate a loss of trust in leadership. Even without the severance the probability of them cutting back their personnel was likely.
Additionally, the church owes no job to anyone. It does not owe employment to people and it is not it’s responsibility so “save the jobs” of people. It will be too easy to get on a moral high horse if we think this way. The church has a responsibility to be stewards of God’s resources and they were “on the edge” before the scandal. Now the scandal has created a decline and you cannot live on the edge anymore. The reality is that the 130k would have probably extended the employment of these 44 people about a month.
I do not think Haggard should have received 130k but these issues are connected to the severance. The cutbacks are the ripple effect of Haggards sinful behavior. The church is now trying to place the shattered pieces back together with as little collateral damage. No small task.
kent on Mon, March 05, 2007
First off, Billie, relax a little. Off course this is more than just money, but the post is about the people being laid of and gave a number of figures. Secondly if you think ministry is the only occupation that chews up family time take a look at almost any salaried middle to upper level managment position, They often expect from 50-70+ hours per week.
In my opinion if the buget was 23 milion then $130,000 for salary is not out of line. With 350 employee the church was probably over staffed. Even with 14000 members. I agree with Leonard no church is an employment agency. If the giving is down, if the staff structure is wrong then it has to be adjusted. Yes these are people and I am sure they will deal with them graciously.
Don on Mon, March 05, 2007
Rats!!
Kent beat me to the point (he must be brilliant) anyway, I am guessing that layoffs were being discussed before the scandal. churches almost always overhire during growth with the mentality that “money follows ministry” which is true in principle. another thought is that the giving is only 10% off, that is pretty amazing considering what happened. I am curious as to how much attendance has declined, and with the giving being down a fraction it is obvious that the ministry has discipled thousands of believers to just follow Jesus regardless of the temperary circumstance of the leadership, this is also a pretty good reflection on the present leadership in that they are not (at least publically) spending all of their energy hammering the Haggard’s but they are within the best of their ability trying to move the ministry forward. My biggest concern is that the church will move in fear to hire a new pastor in that they will want some kind of board to control and affirm his or her direction in ministry for the church (I am not talking about being accountable for lifestyle or behavior) I am talking about an unscriptural church government that will decrease this great churches influence in the lost and dying world. Hire a man or woman of God as Senior Pastor then go with it.
Peter D. on Mon, March 05, 2007
There is no doubt that Haggard should have received some sort of severance. That should be expected after 20 years, regardless of the moral charges. He still has a wife and bills. But it is more than the money. Churches have a very bad sinful habit of eating their wounded. Haggard is wounded right not, yes of his own doing, but still wounded. The church said that they were about redemption, they are not eating their wounded, they are stepping up to the plate and being honorable. Anything less, and then it would not be a church. Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Like one blogger above, you are worse than E.
Jim from NJ on Mon, March 05, 2007
Yes we have to be good stewards of the resources God gives us. My viewpoint is probably different from many of you in that I am a church treasurer (unpaid). My viewpoint is that Ted Haggard was released for cause. He didn’t just commit one immoral act. He evidently lied for years to his board and his church. Do you praise him for the church he built through lies and deception? I am not saying that he should not receive some sort of severance. I just question if a couple of those jobs could have been saved from that severance money.
I am a little surprised at the lack of compassion I’m hearing here for the people who were laid off. I don’t know if any of the layoffs were contemplated before Haggard resigned, but I’m sure the final decision was colored by the 10% reduction in giving which was a direct result of Ted’s deceipt.
As a church grows, it needs to operate a little differently. You look for God’s guidance, but you also need to apply certain business and financial principles. Staff reductions may be part of it, although I think you have to look at all the laternatives before going that direction.
I am sorry for Ted Haggard and his family, but I am even more sorry for the hundreds (or thousands) of people whose faith was weakened by Ted’s actions.
Don on Mon, March 05, 2007
Jim, did u really say a church built through lies? Do you think it is a cult?
just wondering
unpaid treasurer was an interesting way to describe your ministry position.
Jim from NJ on Mon, March 05, 2007
i did not mean that Ted’s chucrh was totally built on lies, but you certainly have to accept that Ted lied and deceived for years. Could it be that Haggard has less to do with building that church than is attributed to him? Did God grow that church in spite of Haggard’s lies? It is entirely possible. What happens next to that church might show which is the truth. If it was built on Haggard’s false charisma, then it will fail. If it is built on the solid rock, it will rebound and flourish.
To more fully explain my viewpoint. I am a lay person serving as the treasurer on a church board. I do tend to look at things from a more financial position than some others. But I hope that doesn’t mean I don’t apply biblical principles in what I say and do.
don on Mon, March 05, 2007
obviously God built the church inspite of Haggard’s or any other staff member or congregant speech or behavior. Just like he grows any ministry. Jesus had his bad staffers (the treasurer) no pun intended and look at how well His ministry is doing today. My point is that God is God and we are not. most of us live in a presumed reality, with few evidentciary facts and much assumption in which we form our opinions, and in the end that is all that they are. But it is sure fun to blog them back and forth. Thanks for your time Jim I am glad that you and I are different, if everyone was like me it would sure be a boring world hahahaha
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