Jack W. Hayford

Jack Williams Hayford
Born June 25, 1934 (1934-06-25) (age 77)
Los Angeles, California
Other names Pastor Jack
Education B.A. Life Pacific College
B.A. Azusa Pacific University
Hon.D.D. Oral Roberts University,
D.D. California Graduate School of Theology
Hon.D.Th, Life Pacific College
Spouse Anna Hayford
Congregations served The Church On The Way 1969-1999
Offices held (Former) President, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
(Current) Chancellor, The King's University
Title Dr. Jack Hayford
Website
jackhayford.com

Jack Williams Hayford ( /ˈdʒæk ˈwɪljəmz ˈheɪfərd/; born June 25, 1934) is an American author, Pentecostal minister, and Chancellor of The King's University (formerly The King's College and Seminary). He is the founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys and was the fourth President of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel from 2004 to 2008.

While working on his second bachelor's degree at Azusa Pacific University, Hayford, on a temporary basis, began pastoring a small congregation, the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, (the name later was changed to "The Church On The Way"), where he wound up serving as the senior pastor from 1969 to 1999. The church has subsequently become numbered among the largest churches in America, and particularly, the Foursquare denomination, reporting membership exceeding 10,000.[1]

Hayford is a graduate of L.I.F.E. Bible College (now Life Pacific College), where he served as dean of students, and Azusa Pacific University. He is widely known for his past involvement in the Promise Keepers movement, his role as founder and chancellor of The King's University, initiator of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, and for being a prolific author and song-writer, with over 600 hymns and choruses in his catalog. He is the author of the popular 1978 hymn "Majesty", which is rated as one of the top 100 contemporary hymns, performed and sang in churches worldwide.[2][3][4] In 1995, he recorded Men In Worship, under the Hosanna! Music label, with 1500 men.

Contents

Early life

Jack Williams Hayford was born on June 25, 1934[5] to Jack and Dolores Hayford, who had married two years earlier on September 28, 1932.[6] Hayford was born with a muscular condition in his neck, however his condition improved.[7] His parents were a bit confounded by their son's improvement. They later learned that a relative had called a Foursquare prayer line and asked for prayer for their son, which inspired the family to begin attending the local Foursquare church.

When the family moved to Oakland, California, young Jack and his siblings went to a church of another denomination.[7] While Hayford's father attended church the first four years of Hayford's life, he stopped attending church, due to his lifestyle of drinking and smoking, which was not well-received in the church. Hayford's mother, Dolores, stayed home with her husband, sending her children to church without her. His parent's later returned to church, when Hayford was 14.[8] Although Hayford's parents did not attend church during this brief time, Hayford has upheld his parents for providing him with a Christian upbringing.[7]

Pastorate

In 1952, Hayford returned to Los Angeles to attend L.I.F.E. Bible College (now known as Life Pacific College).[5] In 1969, during his fifth year as dean of students at L.I.F.E,[5] Hayford was asked to pastor a small congregation, the first Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, California. The congregaton was a struggling congregation of 18 members, with an average age of 65 years.[5][8]

While Hayford had initially agreed to pastor the church for only a period of six months, he later felt compelled to remain on a permanent basis.[8] Only a few weeks from accepting an offer to pastor another Foursquare church, Hayford met with Foursquare denomination president, Rolf McPherson, stating that he wanted to remain with the Van Nuys congregation. By the early 1980s, The Church On The Way became a pioneer of the megachurch movement.[5]

In 1999, Hayford resigned his role as the senior pastor of The Church On The Way, naming his son-in-law, Scott Bauer as successor.[9] Bauer served as the church's senior pastor until 2003, when he suffered a fatal brain aneurysm.[9] Hayford returned to temporarily serve as the church's senior pastor for a year,[5] eventually installing Jim and Alice Tolle as the successors to Bauer on April 4, 2004.[10] Tolle served as senior pastor for six years, resigning in 2010. On March 6, 2011, Dan Hicks was installed by the church council as the "interim" senior pastor.[11]

On October 4, 2004, Jack Hayford was elected to a four-year term as president of the Foursquare denomination, a position he chose not to pursue after that single term.[5][12]

During Tolle's tenure as Senior Pastor, Hayford was a regular Sunday speaker at the Church on the Way.

Hayford had neck surgery in July 2011.

Family

Parents

Jack Hayford is the son of Jack and Delores Hayford, Sr. His father had served in the military as a young man [6] and served as a switchman for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Hayford's mother, Dolores, was a Bible teacher who spoke at interdenominational women's classes and Women's Aglow Fellowship (now Aglow International).[8] She died on October 31, 1997 of cancer.[6]

Siblings

Hayford's sister, Luanne died in 1978, while serving as a missionary in Hong Kong.[6] Jack Hayford's brother, Jim, is the pastor of Eastside Foursquare Church in Seattle, Washington.

Marriage and children

Hayford and wife, Anna, were married in 1954. They have four children and 11 grandchildren.

Daughter Rebecca Hayford Bauer is a Gold Medallion author, who has written several books, including a 2011 release co-written with her father. She was married to Scott Bauer for 27 years, before his sudden death in 2003, while he was serving as senior pastor of The Church On The Way. She resigned her position at the Church on the Way in 2008 to pursue other, more lucrative, interests.

Christa Hayford Andersen, another daughter, is married to Pastor Doug Andersen and they have three children. She is an ordained Foursquare minister and assists her husband in his role as senior pastor of The Church On The Way, Santa Clarita, established in 2008, when the North Campus of the Van Nuys congregation was established as a free-standing church Foursquare Church. Christa is also an author. One son, Jack W. Hayford III currently teaches theology and Biblical studies at a Christian school in the midwest.

Hayford's grandson, Brian Bauer, is the worship leader at The Church on the Way in Santa Clarita.

Honors and awards

Published works

References

  1. ^ http://hirr.hartsem.edu/cgi-bin/mega/db.pl?db=default&uid=default&view_records=1&ID=*&sb=5
  2. ^ http://www.praisecharts.com/ccli-top-100/
  3. ^ http://www.worshiparchive.com/song/majesty
  4. ^ Bessman, Jim. "Words & Music: Brentwood/Benson Gets Songs by Hayford" Billboard, November 10, 2001, Vol. 113, No. 45, page 58. ISSN 0006-2510
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "‘A Pastor’s Pastor’ Church On the Way Founder Jack Hayford is a Quiet Force Among Nation’s Evangelicals". Los Angeles Daily News. 4 January 2007. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/%60A+PASTOR'S+PASTOR'+CHURCH+ON+THE+WAY+FOUNDER+JACK+HAYFORD+IS+A+QUIET...-a0156790088. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
  6. ^ a b c d Jakes, T.D.; Jack Hayford (2006). Mama Made the Difference. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. pp. 157–167. ISBN 0399153632. 
  7. ^ a b c "Double Coup for Foursquare". The Seattle Times. July 20, 1996. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DOUBLE+COUP+FOR+FOURSQUARE.-a065030503. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
  8. ^ a b c d Stafford, Tim (July 2005). "The Pentecostal Gold Standard". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/july/18.24.html?start=2. Retrieved 22 July 2009. 
  9. ^ a b "Senior Pastor of The Church on the Way Dies". Charisma (magazine). 30 November 2003. http://charismamag.com/index.php/component/content/article/268-people-and-events/8289-senior-pastor-of-the-church-on-the-way-dies. Retrieved 15 July 2009. 
  10. ^ "News Briefs". Charisma (magazine). May 31, 2004. http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/component/content/article/232-unorganized/9050-news-briefs. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  11. ^ http://www.tcotw.org/#/on-the-way/our-leaders
  12. ^ Young, Eric (May 27, 2009). "Foursquare Church President Hayford Will Not Seek 2nd Term". Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090527/foursquare-church-president-hayford-will-not-seek-2nd-term/index.html. Retrieved 23 July 2009. 
  13. ^ "Dove Awards History Artist: Jack Hayford". Gospel Music Association. http://www.doveawards.com/doveawards/history.php?x=artist. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  14. ^ "The Salvation Army Honors Dr. Jack Hayford, Martha Williamson, A.C. Green, Paul J. Orfalea and Esther L. Snyder at the 43rd Annual Sally Awards Gala". Business Wire. 29 November 2001. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Salvation+Army+Honors+Dr.+Jack+Hayford%2c+Martha+Williamson%2c+A.C....-a080407739. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 

Further reading

External links