Source: Rocky Mountain News, Christian Post, and TruthWinsOut press release
A team appointed to oversee Ted Haggard's "spiritual restoration" after scandal forced him to end his ministry at New Life Church has agreed to his request to end their oversight of his recovery program.

New Life Church issued a statement Tuesday saying it believes that the termination of the relationship is premature, but would not say why. Earlier in the process, church leaders had said they assumed that Haggard's recovery could take several years.

The Colorado Springs evangelical congregation that Haggard founded also said it remains convinced that he should not return to any church ministry.

Early last year, just months into his "recovery" program, the overseers had indicated that the restoration process could take years.

In a Friday press release "ex-gay"watchdog group TruthWinsOut.org said Ted Haggard's inability to go from gay to straight was no surprise and indicative of these failed programs.

"As far as predictions go, the failure of Haggard's 'ex-gay' program was not exactly like picking the New York Giants over the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super bowl," said TruthWinsOut.org's Executive Director Wayne Besen.

A year ago, Haggard voluntarily entered into an arrangement with a team of "overseers" to guide what it called his "spiritual restoration" after a scandal that rocked the 14,000-member church community over Haggard's admitted "sexual immorality."

One of his mentors claimed just three weeks later that Haggard was "completely heterosexual." Haggard then embarrassed New Life leaders when he requested donations while he sought a degree in counseling. The donations were to be collected by Families with a Mission, a Colorado non-profit run by Paul Huberly, a twice-convicted registered sex offender.

Haggard resigned in November 2006 as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was fired as pastor of New Life Church after he admitted to buying drugs and "sexual immorality" involving a gay male escort.

While Haggard never specified, a Denver man accused him of engaging in sex with him during a three-year cash-for-sex relationship.

The former megachurch pastor now lives in Phoenix and is a member of Phoenix First Assembly of God. Pastor Tommy Barnett, one of the overseers in the restoration team, said he will maintain an "accountability relationship" with Haggard.

Barnett runs the Phoenix Dream Center, helping the homeless, recovering alcoholics, drug addicts and prostitutes. In August, Haggard had reportedly said he would move in to the Dream Center, saying he could identify with the people there. But Haggard's counseling team denied the report and said he would not be doing any ministry work.

Since early in the recovery process, the overseers have strongly urged Haggard to seek secular employment.

"It is time for conservative churches to admit that their approach to homosexuality is an experiment that has failed," said TWO's Besen. "How many lives will be shattered, families destroyed and careers ruined before the religious right accepts gay people for who they are?" 

Full article: Haggard ends team's oversight of 'restoration' : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News
Haggard Ends Restoration Process with Overseers | Christian Post
TruthWinsOut: Ted Haggard’s Inability To Go From Gay To Straight ... | Miami Herald