Gateway Church founder and senior pastor Robert Morris has resigned, and his Texas megachurch is launching an investigation into allegations of abuse from 35 years ago, based on a press release to media.
Morris—a former advisor to President Trump and leader of certainly one of the most important nondenominational churches within the country—is leaving after an Oklahoma woman, Cindy Clemishire, shared a story of being molested by the pastor when she was a minor within the Eighties. He has led the congregation since 2000.
In a press release Tuesday announcing Morris’s resignation, Gateway’s board of elders said they were “heartbroken and appalled” to learn that what they believed was an extramarital relationship was allegedly abuse of a minor, The Christian Post reported.
“Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, the elders didn’t have all of the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age on the time and the length of the abuse,” they said. “The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’s extramarital relationship, which he had discussed repeatedly throughout his ministry, was with ‘a young lady’ and never abuse of a 12-year-old child.”
The elders had initially responded on Friday saying he had already disclosed what happened and “undergone restoration.” Morris’s earlier statement to The Christian Post referred to the incident as “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.”
The church has hired a law firm to conduct a review of Clemishire’s account from the Eighties. A spokesperson for Haynes & Boone, LLP, confirmed to CT that the firm “has been engaged to conduct an independent investigation.”
“Even though it occurred a few years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret that we didn’t have the knowledge that we now have,” the elders said. “We are heartbroken and appalled by what has come to light over the past few days, and we express our deep sympathy to the victim and her family.”
“For the sake of the victim, we’re thankful this case has been exposed. We know many have been affected by this, we understand that you just are hurting, and we’re very sorry. It is our prayer that, in time, healing for all those affected can occur.”
Clemishire told The Roys Report that she had previously notified a minimum of one pastor and one elder on the church that the abuse began when she was 12. She said she and her attorney, Boz Tchividjian, need to see the scope of the review expanded in case there are more victims.
The church didn’t bring up the allegations during last weekend’s services, where Morris was not scheduled to evangelise, and it has not posted in regards to the his resignation publicly on its website or on social media.
This is a breaking news story and will probably be updated.
