Dear New Life Family,
In the days ahead, there will be new press reports of allegations made by a man who knew Ted Haggard through his involvement with New Life Church. This man has decided to speak to the media about his alleged relationship with Mr. Haggard. Since these allegations were first brought to our attention, New Life Church leadership has reached out to him with compassion by providing him with pastoral care, professional counseling, and financial assistance. We did this with the hope that he would experience healing and move forward with purpose in his life.
At that time, he and church leaders agreed that publishing his allegations or our church’s assistance to him would not be in his best interest. This decision was made not as an attempt to conceal wrongdoings, but to protect him from those who would seek to exploit him. His actions now suggest that he has changed his mind.
A few weeks ago, when the news of the upcoming documentary about Mr. Haggard surfaced, this man informed me that he was considering telling the media the details of his relationship with Mr. Haggard. He was obviously upset about the reported content of the documentary and wished to tell his story.
After Mr. Haggard’s fall, we received reports of a number of incidents of inappropriate behavior. In each case, we have tried our very best to do the right thing, including disciplinary action when appropriate. Our concern has been and continues to be for every person affected. We renew our invitation today for anyone who believes he or she has been hurt to please come forward.
Our current elder team and all of our overseers have been aware of these allegations and have given us wise, prayerful counsel every step of the way. I regret that we have to revisit the unpleasant issues of the past, but I am convinced we are on the path of healing and great days are ahead for all of us. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support.
Love,
Pastor Brady
January 24, 2009 at 8:44 pm
My prayers are with you and your church family. I am sorry for the whole ‘family’ that these old wounds have been opened again.
Psalm 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 91:11 He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Our God is still on the throne!
Blessings and love,
Connie
Colorado Springs
January 25, 2009 at 2:26 pm
We understand that even leaders can fall from grace. On the other hand, for Ted Haggard to publicly air his dirty laundry at the church of Oprah is a willful disregard for God’s grace just for financial gain. I pray that you would seek the Lord’s guidance in issuing a statement that would build up the church. This is not simply a New Life Church thing, but it matters to the whole Church of Christ.
Blessings,
Bernard
January 26, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Our family is with you. Thank you for being faithful and doing the right things. We are praying for you, for strength and wisdom. The NLC staff make us proud to attend NLC. God is good and He is on the throne. His kingdom will be advance no matter how many attacks are sent our way,
We love you and are humbled by your example. We can only imagine what great things God is planning.
Blessings to you and your family
The Thompson Family
January 26, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I wish to thank Pastor Brady for the way he is handling these issues. Pastor Brady is doing an excellent job in loving the church and being an encouragement by stating “It’s okay not to be okay”. Life happens. We are all an imperfect family, but reaching out is help and heal is wonderful. I am glad to be a member of New Life Church, and be under the shepardship of Pastor Brady Boyd. We need to join together and pray for healing and bonding to make our church stronger. We have the perfect pastor in Brady Boyd for this mission. I know the whole church loves Pastor Boyd, as he loves us.
God bless Pastor Brady Boyd.
Brenda McDowell (Single Purpose Ministry)
January 26, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Dear Pastor Brady and the congregation of New Life. This is yet another season in the life of the church, but we take solace in the fact that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”.
I leave you with this words from 1 Cor 15:58 (NIV)
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Amen)
January 26, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Pastor Boyd, my wife and I visited New Life Church in Fall of 08 and were warmly recieved. We felt in our Spirits that New Life would be our Church one day. I also watch your Pod Cast on the Net each week and have been very blessed as God has communicated through your direction for the church and our lives, as well. AS I view the service via Pod Cast each week it is most evident that you have a pastor’s heart and are lead by the Holy Spirit as you speak into the lives of the congregation. In this most difficult time we will be praying for you,your family and church leaders. God Bless you, Pastor,for you are in the center of God’s perfect will. Buzz and Linda Hogan Modesto,CA.
January 26, 2009 at 11:40 pm
This concerns the whole church of Christ, and I admire your position. I know there is a song that desperation wrote but I don’t remember the name of it, it is about overcoming. Anyways that’s how I knew what has happened to new life church. Now I just went on cnn and read it, and well I admire you, and you know what? Even tho all this stuff is happening I’m glad to read that you know regardless of everything God got you. I don’t know much of this church, but this is not the only church that faces the problem new life is facing. The differ3ence is that the “news” went public. God will take you even further than you are now. =) xoxo n God bless.
January 27, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Pastor Brady,
Thank you for allowing Ted & Gayle to come back to the Springs, and foryour recent meetings with him. We had hoped for reconciliation following true repentace. We are stronger as a church with you at the helm, & because of the storms we’ve gone through. I pray God continues to give you wisdom and strength.
My dream is that some day Ted & Gayle can come to visit on a Sun. night, and we can go up as we’re led and shake his hand and show him we have forgiven him.
Thank you for being such a loving shepherd, a real pastor to hurting sheep. God will use all of this for good as we trust Him to do so. We’re having taco night at our small group and prayer. We’ll be praying for you and the team at New Life.
Trish
January 28, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Pastor Brady,
THank you for being such a man of leadership in this time. I would follow you and this team to the ends of the world.
Nic
January 29, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Ted claims he’s a “heterosexual with issues.” Issues? We all have issues. If it’s not sexuality, it’s greed or pride. Or gluttony, lust or hate. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
The point is not having issues, it’s what we do about them. Oprah argues we just accept ourselves and be content. Content? Content that I hate my neighbor? Content that I lust after his wife (or children) or stuff? Content that I lie, cheat, steal, even murder my way through life? I don’t think so.
Who we are—what particular issues plague us—is less important than how we respond. We can be so much better than the stuff we’re made. None of us should settle for the old self.
Non-Christians and Christians may disagree what route leads us to that transformation, but let’s have no twaddle about accepting who we are. Might as well get back on the boat and return from where our ancestors came (willing or not) because that’s not the American way.
We’ll get through the current economic mess. We’ll survive politics. We’ll succeed at life. Not by accepting the status quo, but by declaring it unacceptable. And seeking better for ourselves, our children and our neighbors.
And I don’t remember anyone at New Life–then or since–expressing hate for Ted. Something tells me he’s still being deluded.
January 30, 2009 at 2:15 am
I am so glad to be a part of this church family. I am thankful for our Godly leadership, and feel that we are so blessed to have pastor Brady as our shepherd. I agree with the previous comment that I would love to have the opportunity to see Ted and Gayle come to New life someday so we have a chance to tell them in person that we forgive Ted and love them both. They will know we are christians by our love for one another… It brought healing to me to hear them speak on Larry King live.
I am also reminded of Corrie Ten Boom sharing the story of how she had to face one of the men that had dealt with them so harshly in the concentration camp. Having to face him and choosing to forgive was and important step in her total healing. It made her come face to face with whether she was going to forgive or not. It think this would be a good step for New life someday. I trust the leadership and know that they will do whats best for us in the right time. But I hope someday we can have that opportunity
January 30, 2009 at 8:51 am
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I send a warm greeting to each of you in the Name above all names, Christ Jesus. Having heard the stories on the news, which we all know are only what they want us to hear and the reat is pushed to the wayside, I believe that this attack by the enemy to disgrace and demolish the Church body. I am reminded of an incident that happened several years ago and the words of a brother in Christ. As a young seminary student, I made the foolsih comment that I would never allow myself to be caught in an immoral act against my wife. My brother reminded me that only King David was known in Scripture as being a “man after God’s own heart” but yet he allowed himself to fall into sin with Bathsheba. He then asked me if I considered myself to be more righteous than King David. The point is, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and all of us are capable to allow sin in our lives. While this act of sin effects the entire Church body, it is also a time that we must ban together in prayer and fasting, seeking repentence from the Lord, interceding for a fallen brother and allowing the world to see that while we may stumble or fall, God can and will restore a broken child. The world and its evil intent will quickly point a finger and judge the church for a failure but chooses to look the other way when positive things flow. We are called by God to be a light in a dark place and to edify the church at all times. We are to pray for a fallen member of the body of Christ. Most of all, we are to let the world see Christ in us, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18)
January 31, 2009 at 12:10 am
Pastor Brady and fellow New Life members,
Thank you for informing us about the overseers’ position regarding Pastor Ted and Gayle. My heart was broken over this issue two years ago, and the wounds have opened again. We were angry and we were hurt when we first heard about what he did, and our immediate reaction was to cast him out. In this, we cast stones. I do not think our church body has been able to fully heal. Any “reconciliation funds” have been skewed as bribe money. In these times, as any other, we don’t need money, we need the grace of God.
“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'” Mark 2:17
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). One sin is not bigger than another – all are equal in His sight, regardless of the deed or the doer. I appreciate your efforts to protect us and try to find healing for the Haggard family through separation, but I think that the only way we as a body of Christ can have full redemption is through open reconciliation. I pray you will consider airing the Oprah episode or the HBO documentary during church service this Sunday, and I pray even more you will allow the Haggards back into the fold so we can welcome them with loving arms again.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:14-16
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ…therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galations 6:1-2,10
God is using this for a purpose to further his fame in our nation. Let us at New Life prove the media wrong and love our fellow sinners like the Christian church was founded to do.
In Christ,
Elena
February 3, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Amen Paster Reid, and Amen.
Your brother should be commended on his biblical insight.
blessings of God be upon you,
JCD
February 21, 2009 at 7:23 pm
You made some good points here.
August 21, 2014 at 1:47 am
Have you ever thought about publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other websites?
I have a blog based on the same topics you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers
would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.