A disgraced leader of the evangelical Christian movement in the United States has agreed to resign from his Colorado church after its independent investigative board found him guilty of "sexually immoral conduct."
"We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard," said a statement from the 14,000-member church in Colorado Springs.
Ted Haggard denied the sex allegations made by a Colorado man, but admitted buying drugs from him.
(Erik Stenbakken, New Life Church/Associated Press)
"Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct."
Haggard — former president of the influential U.S. National Association of Evangelicals outspoken gay marriage opponent and confidant of the Bush administration — admitted Friday he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from Michael Jones, a gay prostitute, who claims Haggard paid him for drug-fuelled sex trysts.
Haggard denied the sex allegations, but said that he did buy the street drug known as meth from the man because he was curious.
"I bought it for myself but never used it," he said Friday. "I was tempted, but I never used it."
Investigation will continue: church
The church's statement said the investigation would continue to determine how extensive Haggard's misconduct had been.
The Rev. Ross Parsley will lead the church until a permanent replacement for Haggard is chosen, something that should happen by the end of the year, the statement said. A letter explaining Haggard's removal and an apology from Haggard will be read at Sunday services.
"The language of our church bylaws state that as Overseers we must decide in cases where the Senior Pastor has 'demonstrated immoral conduct' whether we must 'remove the pastor from his position or discipline him in anyway they deem necessary,"' the statement said.
"In consultation with leading evangelical and experts familiar with the type of behaviour Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal," it continued.
James Groesbeck, a church elder, said he is glad the investigative board acted quickly.
"I'm saddened by what came out but I think they've done their job," Groesbeck said by telephone.
With files from the Associated PressRelated
Internal Links
More World Headlines »
- Senior al-Qaeda member caught in Afghanistan
- A senior member of al-Qaeda has been arrested in southeastern Afghanistan by U.S. and Afghan forces, according to a Afghan provincial police chief.
- Israeli PM arrives in Washington for talks on Iran, Palestinians
- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has kicked off a five-day U.S. visit to talk about Iran's nuclear program and Israeli-Palestinian relations.
- Train collision at railway crossing kills 27 in South Africa
- A train smashed into a truck pulling a trailer packed with farm workers Monday morning near Cape Town in South Africa, killing 27, paramedics said.
- Georgian province votes for independence
- Voters in the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia declared overwhelming backing for its independence drive in a referendum that underlined a sharp split between Russia and the West and is likely to increase tensions in the volatile Caucasus region.
- Insurgent attacks in Afghanistan quadrupled: report
- The number of attacks by militants in Afghanistan has quadrupled since 2005, to about 600 a month with 3,700 deaths so far this year, says a bleak report released Sunday.
World Features
- HENRY CHAMP Washington file
- In with the old guard
