DENVER—The megachurch pastor forced out of his job after being caught up in a sex scandal involving a former male prostitute has returned to Colorado Springs.
Ted Haggard, the former leader of New Life Church, answered the telephone at his Colorado Springs telephone number on Sunday. He confirmed he was in the city but said he couldn’t talk to reporters.
New Life’s new pastor Brady Boyd said that Haggard moved back to Colorado Springs about two weeks ago.
Under a severance deal Haggard reached with the church in 2006, Haggard agreed to leave Colorado Springs and not talk about the scandal publicly. The deal expired at the end of 2007 and Boyd said Haggard was now free to live where he wanted.
“They have moved back and they live in the original house that they lived in for many years,” Boyd said of Haggard and his wife Gayle.
Haggard’s return was first reported by The Gazette of Colorado Springs.
Haggard was fired in November 2006 as pastor of the 14,000-member church he founded after a former male prostitute alleged they had a cash-for-sex relationship.
Haggard, who also stepped down as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, confessed to undisclosed “sexual immorality” and said he bought meth but didn’t use it.
Haggard then moved to Phoenix with his family to begin what church leaders called a spiritual restoration program which was expected to include counseling and prayer and last five years or longer. Boyd said Haggard asked to released from the restoration program in January and he no longer has any ties to New Life Church.
Haggard and church officials clashed last summer after Haggard sent an e-mail to a Colorado Springs television station outlining his plans to work as a counselor at a Christian-run halfway house in Phoenix. The e-mail also solicited financial support.
A four-pastor team of overseers said those plans were unacceptable and said Haggard would seek secular employment instead.
Boyd said Haggard was in private business but didn’t have any further details. He said there were no plans for him to work again at New Life.
