(May 12) -- Four years after resigning from church leadership amid a gay sex scandal, evangelical preacher Ted Haggard has taken a first step toward resurrecting a ministry by incorporating a new church. The St. James Church is located in Colorado Springs, the same city where Haggard founded New Life Church 26 years ago. Haggard was forced to resign as senior pastor of the 14,000-member megachurch in 2006, when it became public that he had been involved with a male prostitute.
In April, Haggard's wife, Gayle, registered St. James Church as a nonprofit located at their home address on Old Ranch Road, according to documents filed with the Colorado secretary of state's office.
Evangelical preacher Ted Haggard is forming a new church in Colorado Springs, four years after resigning from New Life Church amid a sex scandal with a male prostitute.
Haggard told the Colorado Springs Gazette on Tuesday that St. James had been incorporated for accounting purposes, because the couple gives paid talks around the country.
Haggard did not return immediate requests for an interview from AOL News. On his Facebook page, Haggard posted that he and his wife were traveling to teach a conference and speak in Albuquerque, N.M., this weekend, and traveling to San Diego next weekend.
Part of Haggard's severance agreement with New Life Church required that he leave Colorado Springs, which he did at the time.
However, he and his family returned in June 2008 and kept out of the spotlight until November, when Haggard hosted two prayer events at his home. More than 100 people attended each, and Haggard had to suspend services because their home wasn't large enough to accommodate the worshipers, according to the Gazette.
Haggard told the Gazette he doesn't rule out the possibility that St. James will become a full church in the future.
"Sometime, somewhere we will do some type of ministry," Haggard told the paper.
There are some 500 churches in the Colorado Springs area, a city of 400,000 residents, 70 miles south of Denver.
