Haggard’s mentor Danny Ost, a missionary serving in Mexico City at the time, had a vision of Haggard starting his church in Colorado Springs in November 1984 while Haggard was serving as an assistant pastor at Bethany World Prayer Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Haggard relocated to Colorado a result of which he founded New Life Church. Haggard’s congregation first met in his basement with 22 people, and as it developed, it eventually rented space in strip malls.
After 22 years on a location in northern Colorado Springs, New Life Church has about 14,000 members. Haggard made a group trip to Israel in 1993, referring to it as his “first prayer vacation.”
In November 2006, Haggard gained notoriety after a male prostitute and masseuse called Mike Jones claimed that Haggard, who had fought for the prohibition of same-sex marriage, had paid him for sex for three years and had also bought and used crystal methamphetamine.
Shortly after the allegations were made public, Haggard quit his job at New Life Church as well as his other leadership positions. Later, Haggard acknowledged using drugs, having a relationship with a young man at New Life Church, and having some intercourse with Jones.
The Colorado Springs Independent released the first thorough interview with Haggard since the crisis of 2006 in October 2009.
The former pastor spoke about the matter, his oath to never return to New Life or the state of Colorado, suicidal thoughts, and the potential for founding a new church in Colorado Springs during the chat. Haggard announced on Twitter on November 4, 2009, that he will hold open prayer meetings in his Colorado Springs home.
He began planning prayer gatherings in his barn on December 7. The inaugural gathering of the brand-new church took place in Haggard’s home on June 6, 2010, with Haggard serving as the pastor.
Haggard was included among the top 25 evangelicals in the United States by Time magazine in 2005. Haggard was a vocal advocate for former US President George W. Bush, and it is believed that he helped Bush win over evangelical voters in the 2004 election.
