Sixteen years have passed since a sex scandal led overseers of New Life Church in Colorado Springs to fire Ted Haggard as senior pastor from the church he founded in 1984 and led for 22 years.

It’s a legacy that Pastor Brady Boyd, Haggard’s successor at New Life, wishes would fade into history.

But Boyd said he realizes that New Life, now bigger than ever with 15,000 active members on eight campuses, forever will be tied to its creator.

“I don’t have any relationship with him,” Boyd said of Haggard. “He has nothing to do with our church, and New Life Church has nothing to do with Ted Haggard anymore. He’s been purged from our church.”

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Overcoming the November 2006 public accusations that Haggard was having sexual encounters with a gay male prostitute and doing methamphetamine has been difficult, Boyd said, but he believes New Life has successfully done that.

“I have worked for 16 years to build a stellar reputation,” he said. “New Life Church is above reproach. We are doing amazing things.”

Eight years after the 2006 uncovering, New Life paid an insurance settlement to former church member, Grant Haas, who accused Haggard of sexual misconduct. 

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Contrary to news reports at the time, Boyd said he put no demands on Haas to be silent about the agreement.

“I’ve never kept things quiet,” he said.

The money Haas received was the only insurance payout New Life made for a claim against Haggard, Boyd said, and Hass was not prevented or punished financially for going public with his story.

Many people at New Life were hurt by Haggard, Boyd said.

While “dozens, if not hundreds” of people came forward to talk about their experiences in confidentiality after Haggard was removed from New Life, Boyd said “none rose to the level of being illegal.”

Haggard’s alleged actions were, however, “immoral,” he said.

Such conversations were private and not shared publicly, he said.

“I have no obligation to stand in the pulpit and tell everybody how Ted Haggard was a moral failure, and he still has those problems today,” Boyd said.

“My goal is not to cover anything up but help the people he hurt and be healed.”

Boyd recommended in a public letter that Haggard not return to ministry after he failed to complete a treatment and recovery program in 2007.

New allegations against Haggard by former members of the second church he started, Saint James, have nothing to do with present-day New Life Church, Boyd said.

He also said that nothing sexually inappropriate has occurred with a minor or any other New Life employee since he took over the job 16 years ago.

“… I would never cover up something about a minor,” Boyd said. “I would immediately go to the police. It’s illegal and immoral not to.

“We have nothing to hide. We have every accountability we can. I’m so grateful at how we’ve recovered to become a really healthy church.”