Jack W. Hayford

Jack Williams Hayford was born on June 25, 1934,^[7] in Los Angeles, California, to Anita Dolores (née Farnsworth) (1916–1997) and Jack Hayford (1911–1979), who had married two years earlier on September 28, 1932.^[8] Hayford was born with a muscular condition in his neck, which improved later.^[9] His father had served in the military as a young man and worked 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).^[10] Although Hayford's parents did not always attend church, he has credited them with providing him with a Christian upbringing.^[9]

Hayford was raised in Oakland, California, and attended Oakland Technical High School.^[11] After graduating in 1952, Hayford moved back to Los Angeles to attend Life Pacific University (formerly L.I.F.E. Bible College) and received his first bachelor's degree in 1956.^{[7][verification needed]} Nearer to middle age, he would earn a second bachelor's degree, from Azusa Pacific University (APU, graduating 1970).^{[7][verification needed]}

Early academic and pastoral appointments

Early in Hayford's Career, he served as the National Youth Director of International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.^{[citation needed]} He then joined the faculty of his alma mater, L.I.F.E.,^[when?] and went on to become dean of students there.^[7] (In that time, he began work on his second bachelor's degree, at APU.^{[7][verification needed]})

In 1969, while serving as dean at L.I.F.E. and finishing his APU degree,^[7] Hayford was asked to pastor a small congregation, the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, California, a struggling congregation of only 18 members, with an average age of 65 years.^[7][10] While Hayford had initially agreed to pastor the church for only a period of six months, he later felt compelled to remain permanently.^[10] 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 had become a pioneer of the megachurch movement and numbered among the largest churches in America, particularly within the Foursquare denomination, at one point reporting membership exceeding 10,000.^[7][12] Actor Dean Jones (deceased), a close friend of Hayford's, was an elder in the church,^{[citation needed]} as was Pat Boone,^{[citation needed]} along with Jan and Paul Crouch (founders of Trinity Broadcasting Network, which regularly broadcast services from the church).^{[citation needed]}

Hayford was a prolific songwriter, with more than 600 hymns and choruses in his catalog.^{[citation needed]} He wrote and composed the popular 1978 hymn "Majesty", which is rated as one of the top 100 contemporary hymns,^[2][3][4] and which is performed and sung in churches worldwide.^{[citation needed][editorializing]}

In the late 1990s, Hayford felt called to establish a Pentecostal seminary in Los Angeles to train other pastors and founded The King's College and Seminary, which would later become known as The King's University.^[13] In 1999, he resigned as the senior pastor of The Church On The Way to focus on the college, although he briefly returned to help the church through a difficult transition after his successor and son-in-law, Scott Bauer, died suddenly.^[14] On October 4, 2004, 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.^[7][15] In 2013, Hayford felt called to move the King's University to Southlake, Texas, under the stewardship of Gateway Church. In 2015, The Church On The Way, led by senior pastor Tim Clark, honored Hayford with the title of Pastor Emeritus in recognition of his continuing contributions to church management and oversight.^[16]

In March 2014, Hayford was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame.^[6] He has also won the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for his part in the album God With Us^[17] and the Salvation Army's William Booth Award, as well as serving as Worship Leader on the Men In Worship album.^[18]

Over the course of his life, Hayford has also been awarded several honorary degrees, including doctorates from Life Pacific College (Hon. D.Th.),^{[citation needed]} and Oral Roberts University (Hon. D.D.),^{[citation needed]} and one for literature from California Graduate School of Theology (Hon. D.D.).^{[citation needed]}

On July 4, 1954, Hayford married his college sweetheart, Anna Marie Smith.^[1] Their marriage produced four children (Rebecca, Jack III, Mark, and Christa).^{[citation needed]} In early 2016, Anna was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and died in 2017.^{[citation needed]} Hayford married Valerie Lemire the following year, and they lived in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.^{[citation needed]} He discontinued making public appearances in 2019.^{[citation needed]}

Hayford died at his home in Los Angeles on January 8, 2023, at the age of 88.^[19][20]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

The following are some of the published works of the title subject:

• Prayer is Invading the Impossible. revised ed. (Logos International, 1977) ISBN 9780882702186
• The Key to Everything (Creation House) ISBN 9780884193425
• The Church On The Way (Marshalls Paperbacks, 1985) ISBN 0551012323
• Moments with Majesty (Multnomah Books, 1990) ISBN 0880703652
• Kingdom Warfare: Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, and the Ministry of Angels (Tommy Nelson, 1993)ISBN 0840784333
• The Power and Blessing (Victor Books, 1994) ISBN 1564764818
• Glory on Your House (Chosen Books, 1994) ISBN 0800792181
• The Beauty of Spiritual Language (Thomas Nelson, 1996) ISBN 0785272682
• The Heart of Praise (Regal Books, 1997) ISBN 0830716092
• Built by the Spirit/Rebuilding the Real You: Nehemiah (Regal Books, 1997) ISBN 1599794713
• Pastors of Promise(Regal Books, 1997) ISBN 0830718079
• Hayford's Bible Handbook (Thomas Nelson, 1999) ISBN 0785243062
• Grounds for Living, sound teaching for sure footing in Growth & Grace (Sovereign, 2001) ISBN 080079320X
• Rebuilding the Real You (Charisma House, 2013) ISBN 9780916847364