Pastorate
In 1952, Hayford returned to Los Angeles to attend L.I.F.E. Bible College (now known as Life Pacific College). In 1969, during his fifth year as dean of students at L.I.F.E, 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.
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. 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.
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. Bauer served as the church's senior pastor until 2003, when he suffered a fatal brain aneurysm. Hayford returned to temporarily serve as the church's senior pastor for a year, eventually installing Jim and Alice Tolle as his successors on April 4, 2004. Tolle served as senior pastor for six years, resigning in November, 2010.
On January 8, 2012, Hayford installed Ricky Temple as his third and latest successor at The Church On The Way, in a complex pastorate sharing arrangement involving the church Temple founded in Savannah, Georgia.
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.
Hayford had upper spinal (neck) surgery in July 2011, causing him to curtail his otherwise aggressive travel and speaking schedule.
Read more about this topic: Jack W. Hayford