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How Colorado Springs became an evangelical mecca
By Tori Lee | March 5, 2026
Pastor Ted Haggard leads a prayer at New Life Church, which he founded in Colorado Springs in the 1980s.Donated to the Denver Public Library by the Rocky Mountain News / Maria J. Avila
A mile above sea level, nestled at the base of Pikes Peak, sits the city of Colorado Springs.
Among the dazzling rock formations are the United States Air Force Academy, a bustling high-tech industry and the headquarters of over 50 evangelical Christian organizations.
“This is everything that I want to study in one place,” said Asst. Prof. William Schultz, a historian of religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
In Jesus Springs: Evangelical Capitalism and the Fate of an American City, Schultz outlines how Colorado Springs transformed from a resort town to a booming military complex to a sprawling network of evangelical megachurches, media outlets and missionary groups.
“As America grows this unprecedented wealth and power after World War II, what does that do to this faith?” Schultz said. “This is where Colorado Springs is significant; it is the headquarters of this project.”