New Life Church tried to avoid latest Rev. Haggard sex scandal

"Let's separate New Life's reputation from Ted Haggard's reputation," Boyd said. "Ted is not affiliated with New Life. These recent allegations are on his plate. Not ours."

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.(MCT) - New Life Church tried to head off the fallout that has embroiled the congregation in its second sex scandal involving Ted Haggard, the Rev. Brady Boyd said Saturday.

Boyd asked the church's disgraced former pastor in December to postpone the release of the HBO documentary "The Trials of Ted Haggard," saying that it could motivate a second man to go public with sexual allegations against him.

Three weeks ago, Boyd told the New Life volunteer not to go public about his relationship with Haggard, which occurred before the evangelical leader was fired from the church in November 2006.

Instead, the documentary will premiere Thursday on HBO, and the young man is scheduled speak about his relationship on Monday.

"The first thing I am so sorry about is that this wound, that was almost healed, has been reopened," Boyd said. "I will have to go back to the beginning with a lot of people in our church and take them through the process of healing."

As for Haggard, Boyd is dumbfounded.

"We are making progress, but it seems with him it's one step forward and two steps back," Boyd said. "This is my biggest burden ever."

In a wide-ranging interview on Saturday, Boyd also explained why the church gave money to the man who made the most recent sex allegations against Haggard. Boyd also discussed why New Life will survive this latest scandal, and what he plans to preach about today in the wake of the fallout.

"Let's separate New Life's reputation from Ted Haggard's reputation," Boyd said. "Ted is not affiliated with New Life. These recent allegations are on his plate. Not ours."

The latest Haggard scandal began Thursday when Boyd was notified by a Colorado Springs TV station that a church volunteer was going public with allegations against Haggard. On Friday, Boyd sent out an e-mail to inform thousands of New Life members that the church knew about the allegations and gave cash to the man, whom the church won't name because of confidentiality rules observed by preachers.

Boyd also said in the e-mail that over the past two years several others at the church have come forward to report "inappropriate behavior" by Haggard prior to his firing for sex with a gay Denver prostitute.

Boyd didn't elaborate Saturday on whether the accusations from those people included sex, or if the relationship with the young volunteer was consensual.

Shortly after Haggard was fired from New Life, church officials learned of the allegations from the volunteer, who was in his early 20s at the time of the relationship.

The man got months of counseling. Then in December 2007, he received the first of several payments for his tuition and board at a Chicago college and other money for continued counseling, Boyd said. The cash came with a confidentiality agreement that barred all parties from talking about the relationship.

"We offer confidentiality to the people we counsel," Boyd said. "The pastor-laity privilege is on par with the attorney-client relationship."

As for the money, Boyd said, "It was not a payoff. It was compassionate assistance."

The man decided to go public because of Haggard's documentary, Boyd said. In the film, Haggard at times rails against New Life for not forgiving him.

"The documentary incited this man," Boyd said. "When a victim feels that the person who violated him is not sorry for it, they lash out.

"It is very, very common. If Ted had not chosen to do the documentary, he would not have come forward."

Over the past two months, Boyd has met with Haggard twice at the disgraced pastor's Colorado Springs home. Both characterized the meetings as positive. Besides praying together and talking about New Life, Boyd and Haggard discussed the upcoming documentary.

At their first meeting in early December, Boyd asked Haggard to postpone the film's release because it might cause someone to go public with sexual allegations against him.

"Let's wait until the whole chapter is written," Boyd told Haggard.

Though HBO contends that Haggard was not paid to be in the documentary, Boyd said Haggard confirmed that he is being paid to promote it. Since Jan. 9, Haggard has given dozens of media interviews; on Thursday he is scheduled to appear on "Larry King Live."

Haggard could not be reached for comment.

Despite the trouble at New Life, Boyd was confident the church will rebound.

He pointed to the congregation's strength in weathering a the first Haggard scandal and the horrific Dec. 9, 2007, shooting that took the lives of two teenaged members.

Membership is up to 10,000 after dipping to 8,800 following Haggard's dismissal, and donations were up 9.5 percent in 2008 compared with the previous year, church records show.

"This is one of the most compassionate, forgiving groups of people I have ever met," Boyd said of his congregation. "We will walk it out together."

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Boyd's sermon today was prepared five weeks ago, but he said it is fitting given the circumstances.

After a talking about and praying for Haggard, Boyd will preach about forgiveness.

"This is no accident," Boyd said.

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© 2009, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.).