The founding pastor, Robert Morris, has stepped down from his leadership role. This decision came after allegations surfaced of past sexual abuse involving a young girl during the early 1980s.
On June 18, Gateway Church’s Board of Elders confirmed Morris’s resignation and disclosed the engagement of the Haynes & Boone, LLP law firm. This firm is tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the allegations against Morris from 1982 to 1987.
The accuser, 54-year-old grandmother Cindy Clemishire, claims Morris began abusing her on Christmas Day 1982 when she was just 12 years old. The abuse reportedly continued for over four years.
Morris, without directly naming Clemishire, previously admitted to engaging in “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a young woman during his early twenties. He described the incidents as involving kissing and petting, acknowledging they were wrong and not fitting of his pastoral duties.
In 1987, when the abuse was initially brought to light, Morris confessed and sought forgiveness. He stepped away from ministry to undergo counseling, after which he claimed to have maintained purity and accountability in his conduct.
However, the church elders recently learned they had been misinformed about the full extent of Morris’s past actions, including the victim’s age and the duration of the abuse. They expressed regret over their lack of information, noting that Morris had been transparent about his past actions, but not about the severity of his misconduct with a minor.
The elders voiced their heartbreak over the revelations, offering sympathy to the victim and her family. They acknowledged the community’s pain and extended their hopes for healing to all impacted by the distressing revelations.
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