The pastoral selection committee of New Life Church in Colorado Springs has picked a Texas minister to replace Ted Haggard as senior pastor.

Brady Boyd, 41, associate pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was chosen from four finalists for the position, said Rob Brendle, associate pastor for New Life Church.

"He's a man of strong character," said Brendle. "He has tremendous leadership skills, and a good reputation. He's a vibrant communicator and he has a pastor's heart."

Boyd, who still must be approved by a vote of the congregation, was selected after an eight- month search by the pastoral selection committee, which was formed last November after Haggard stepped down in a midst of a scandal over his contact with a male prostitute.

Boyd has been with Gateway Church since 2001. Before that, he had been the senior pastor at Trinity Fellowship Church in Hereford, Texas.

While at Gateway Church, Boyd coordinated the small group ministry and the men's ministry. He also preached regularly at the church's main services and assisted the senior pastor there.

"All of his experience ideally prepares him for the challenges of leading New Life," said Brendle. "He has a reputation as a strong leader and a man of unwavering integrity, and a man who prioritizes his ministry through relationships."

Brendle said Gateway Church is similar to New Life Church in many ways, including being a mega- church with 10,000 members. New Life Church has 14,000 parishioners.

Boyd, who was traveling, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He is scheduled to arrive in Colorado on Monday.

Under the New Life Church's bylaws, Boyd would preach at New Life for three weeks, starting Aug. 12, and would hold "family meetings" after Sunday evening service with church members.

The family meetings would allow parishioners to ask Boyd questions before the congregation votes on whether to accept him as the new senior pastor on Aug. 27.

A two-thirds majority of the voting parishioners - those who have contributed financially in the past year to the church - must approve Boyd before he is officially hired.

If Boyd is not voted in, the selection process begins anew.

The church laid off 44 staff members in March, after revenues dropped by 10 percent since the scandal involving Haggard, who founded New Life Church in 1985.

But Brendle said Wednesday that attendance and revenue have stabilized in the past few months.

"There is a pervasive sense in New Life that a new day is dawning," he said. "The future looks bright."