Ted Haggard is the pastor of St. James Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the second church he and his wife, Gayle, have started during their 32-year marriage. Their first church, New Life Church, in Colorado Springs grew from 20 people meeting in the basement of Ted and Gayle’s home to 14,000 people meeting in a $50 million campus in 22 years. Ted also served as president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) from 2003-2006.
In the fall of 2006, Ted resigned from his positions as senior pastor of New Life Church and president of the NAE after confessing to a personal moral failure. During a two- year period of quiet healing, Ted and Gayle rebuilt their marriage and emerged a stronger couple and family. After this period, they began to share the story of their trials and restoration with some church audiences around the country, as well as on some national television programs.
In the summer of 2010 Ted and Gayle started St. James Church in their barn before moving to a local middle school for weekly services. Currently, some 300 people gather at St. James each week to worship and study the Bible.
Earlier that year, Gayle released a book titled “Why I Stayed”, in which she gave a candid account of their trials of the previous four years and why she remained committed to her marriage to Ted. The book quickly reached the New York Times bestseller list.
For thirty years Ted Haggard has effectively equipped strong leaders in the body of Christ and this he continues to do at Saint James Church. Ted is a pragmatic and compassionate thinker, as well as a gifted communicator. His emergence from crisis has proven him to be a man of faith and courage and he is committed to offering hope and help to those who are hurting or suffering or dealing with crises. He continues to emphasize the truths of the Scriptures as they are what guided him through his darkest hours. As a result, St. James Church is built on the foundation of biblical teaching and the ‘tried by fire’ understanding of the teachings of Jesus Ted and Gayle have gained as a result of their trials.
Ted and Gayle live in Colorado Springs, where their five children also make their homes, and continue to speak and write. Ted has authored nine books; Gayle has authored two.
