Jack W. Hayford Jr.: A spiritual biography.

摘要

"Jack W. Hayford: A Spiritual Biography" is a postcritical narrative study exploring Hayford's early life & ministry, his self understanding, and his Pentecostal spirituality. Hayford, one of America's most widely respected Pentecostal leaders, assumed in 1969 a small Los Angeles (LA) pastorate, later known as The Church on the Way (TCOTW), which grew to over 12,000 members. LA born in 1934, Hayford was raised in Oakland, California and after high school, attended LIFE Bible College, the primary school for the LA headquartered International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (ICFG). After a five year Midwest pastorate, Hayford returned to California in 1960, serving as the ICFG National Youth Director and then as Dean of Students at LIFE Bible College. While in that role he began pastoring TCOTW.;Fundamentally, it is his integrative Pentecostal spirituality with its emphasis on the kingdom of God, integrity, prayer, the dynamic presence of the Spirit, wherein he contends God speaks to him, that most shape his life and ministry. Hayfords story reflects the changing complexity of North American Pentecostalism.;After marginal growth, Hayford reported seeing "God's glory" in the church sanctuary in 1971. Soon the church began to grow remarkably, gaining national attention. Hayford's communication skills garnered him influence in the charismatic renewal and TCOTW found a constituency including classical Pentecostals, charismatics, hippies, professionals, and Hollywood personalities. In 1999, Hayford stepped aside as pastor of TCOTW, devoting his attention to developing King's College and Seminary, founded in 1996. In 2004 he was elected president of the ICFG. Hayford's public ministry defies Pentecostal stereotypes, according him respect in the broader Christian community, with Christianity Today, calling him "the Pentecostal Gold Standard." He avoids the strident insistence that glossolalia is the initial evidence of Spirit baptism, instead arguing for the "value of spiritual language" in personal devotion.