(RNS) Leith Anderson, the Minnesota megachurch pastor who has twice served as interim president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was formally named president on Oct. 11.
In a unanimous vote, the association board approved Anderson’s selection during a meeting in Arlington, Va.
Anderson, senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., was named interim president in November 2006 following the resignation of former Colorado megachurch pastor Ted Haggard, who was brought down in a sex and drug scandal.
Anderson, 63, has been the senior pastor of his church, which is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, since 1977. The congregation has grown to 5,000 regular attendees during his tenure and is known for its outreach abroad, including to those suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Anderson also served as the NAE’s interim president from 2001 to 2003, when Haggard became president.
