Pastor Jack Hayford: An Authentic Pentecostal Kingdom Giant

In a day where the integrity of many pastors and churches has come under constant ridicule and scrutiny, one story stands out. It’s the story of a man whose authenticity and personal character can never be questioned—Jack Hayford.

The retired senior pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, and the former president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, Hayford is known as a “pastor of pastors.” This Pentecostal leader has written more than 50 books along with over 600 hymns and choruses and remained committed to building bridges while maintaining humility and the integrity of the gospel.

It’s an exemplary kingdom life that Dr. David Moore, whom Hayford mentored, wrote about in his biography of Hayford, titled simply Pastor Jack. Moore was granted access to Hayford’s journals and conducted over 60 hours of interviews about the legendary kingdom warrior. Hayford’s life and legacy have inspired his lifelong followers to discover their calling and a fullness in Christ they’ve never experienced before.

“I think the key to Jack’s life in Christ has been his unflinching honesty with God about anything and everything in his life,” Moore told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “And when you read his journals, that’s what you find. You find frequent confession, frequent list of sins.

“But what was also characteristic of Jack is that he almost always ended his journal with praise to God, affirming his faithfulness to God. It is really like being able to see his heart. They [his journals] rambled, but they were remarkable because he would just acknowledge God—that ‘I need you; I depend on you. Whatever success I have is from your hand.’

“You become impressed with ordinariness, not his extraordinariness. I think what made the man was that he’s enormously gifted, and he is brilliant. He is radically dependent upon the Word of God, and that shows up in his journals. It shows up in his honesty. He was just willing to say, ‘Lord, I need you. Lord, help me live this way. I want to live this life dependently upon You, and I want to live to praise God despite my struggles and difficulties.'”

For more about the extraordinary life of Pastor Jack Hayford and Dr. David Moore’s relationship with him, listen to this entire podcast. {eoa}