Ted Haggard, head of the National Association of Evangelicals and a prominent opponent of gay rights, resigned Nov. 2, after a Colorado man came forward with allegations that Haggard paid him for sex and drugs.
According to a Colorado Springs, Colo., television station, a representative of the church where Haggard is senior pastor said late Nov. 2 that at least some of the allegations are true.
“I don't have any … accurate information about the precise details, I just know that there has been some admission of indiscretion, not admission of all the material that has been discussed, but there is an admission of some guilt, and that's what we're working with—with outside overseers who are working with Pastor Ted and his family to investigate what has happened,” said Ross Parsley, acting senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, according to a video posted on the website of KKTV 11 News, the city's CBS affiliate.
“It is a difficult process to go through, but we really are seeing how the church family functions,” Parsley continued.
The admission came hours after the church announced Haggard had gone on administrative leave and the National Association of Evangelicals said he resigned from the president's post, which he held for three years.
The congregation released a statement saying Haggard had gone on leave in accordance with the congregation's governing structure. His case will be investigated by a panel of four “overseers,” according to the statement. They are pastors of other evangelical churches in Colorado Springs; Larkspur, Colo.; Westminster, Colo.; and Baker, La.
“I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity,” the statement quoted Haggard as saying. “I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date. In the interim, I will seek both spiritual advice and guidance.”
On Nov. 2, the day the charges were first publicized, Haggard told KKTV he never had a homosexual relationship and was faithful to his wife.
A Denver man, Mike Jones, claimed Haggard paid him for sex and methamphetamine for three years until their last encounter in August. According to news reports, Jones had been speaking with KKTV reporters since around the same time, when he discovered Haggard's identity. He first went public with his allegations on a Colorado radio show Nov. 2 and on the KKTV newscast that night.
As head of the NAE, Haggard has been one of the nation's most influential evangelicals. He has met regularly with President Bush and other conservative leaders. Last year, an article in Harper's magazine called New Life under Haggard “America's most powerful megachurch.” Time named him among the “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America.”
Haggard and his church have been outspoken supporters of a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution that would ban gay marriage. It was on the state's Nov. 7 election ballot.
New Life Church has about 14,000 members and is the largest congregation in Colorado, according to news reports. The National Association of Evangelicals has approximately 60 affiliated denominations and thousands of affiliated congregations.