Haggards Incorporate St. James Church in Colorado
The home of former megachurch pastor Ted Haggard has been listed as the site of the recently incorporated "St. James Church," according to Colorado state documents.
But the "church," for now, is only be used for accounting purposes and not as a place for regular public worship, says the ousted founder of New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
Haggard told The Gazette of Colorado Springs that newly formed non-profit would provide an orderly way for him and his wife to be reimbursed for the traveling expenses they incur as they visit churches across the country to give paid talks.
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"Sometime, somewhere we will do some type of ministry," he added.
It has been nearly four years since a former male prostitute claimed Haggard had paid him for sex over the course of three years and had also taken methamphetamines.
The highly-publicized drugs and sex scandal led to Haggard's resignation from the presidency of the National Association of Evangelicals, forced him out of New Life Church, and moved him and his family into two years of seclusion.
Since late 2008, however, Haggard has been stepping back into the limelight, starting with his promotion of "The Trials of Ted Haggard," a documentary produced by Alexandra Pelosi that debuted on HBO.
Haggard also made waves when news spread of the prayer meetings he held last November at his home, just miles away from the church he had grown to become one of the most prominent in the nation.
With over 100 having attended the last prayer meeting, many expressed skepticism over Haggard's intentions, noting that the charismatic pastor had started New Life Church from the basement of his house at the age of 28.
Supporters, however, argue that Haggard's fall from grace in 2006 has deepened and enriched the 53-year-old preacher, who they hail as gifted speaker.
Some "New Lifers" have even told Haggard that they are being healed through his television appearances.
"I think Gayle and I both want to tell our story to the degree that it's helpful to other people," he told CNN last year. "I don't know that that would mean a pulpit, but certainly I'd be interested in public speaking."
Currently, an accountability team of five pastors – all personally selected – is helping guide Haggard's spiritual walk. Haggard has also received counseling and advice from a number of other Christian leaders including Gary Holcombe, a former missionary turned Christian businessman, and Pastor Jack Taylor, a Christian author and speaker.
Haggard claims that he has felt God's touch in his life more in the past three years than in the previous 30.
