Another American pastor resigns over alleged child sexual abuse

Another American pastor has resigned over allegation of sexual abuse by a woman.

Robert Morris, founder of a mega church, Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, resigned after he was accused by the woman of abusing her sexually when she was 12, the Board of Elders of the church said.

Cindy Clemishire, 54, alleged that Morris abused her in the 1980s.

Mrs Clemishire, now a grandmother, said the pastor abused her on December 25, 1982, and continued to do so for four-and-a-half years after that in Oklahoma and Texas.

Morris’ resignation comes a few days after Pastor Tony Evans of the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, temporarily quit preaching due to a past sin.

The 74-year old Evans said he had fallen short of the standards expected of a pastor and would undergo spiritual healing and restoration.

Meanwhile, the elders of Gateway church said though they didn’t have all the facts, they have accepted Morris’ resignation of the pastor.

“Today, June 18, the Board of Elders of Gateway Church accepted the resignation of Robert Morris, the senior pastor. In addition, the Board has retained the law firm of Haynes & Boone, LLP, to conduct an independent, thorough, and professional review of the report of past abuse to ensure we have a complete understanding of the events from 1982-1987,” the Board said in a statement to The Christian Post.

The newspaper reported that Morris admitted in an earlier statement that as a pastor in his early 20s, he had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behaviour with a young lady.”

He did not however mention Mrs Clemishire’s name.

He said, “When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behaviour with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behaviour happened on several occasions over the next few years.

“In March of 1987, the situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counselling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area.”

Gateway church elders also said Morris had been transparent about his past and that they believed he had been biblically restored to ministry. They however noted that the pastor never revealed he had abused a 12-year old girl.

They explained further, “Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse. The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’s extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with a ‘young lady’ and not abuse of a 12-year-old child.

“Even though it occurred many years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret that we did not have the information that we now have. 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 are thankful this situation has been exposed. We know many have been affected by this, we understand that you are hurting, and we are very sorry. It is our prayer that, in time, healing for all those affected can occur.”

Who is Robert Morris?

Morris was born on July 29, 1961. He married his wife, Debbie, in 1980 and they both have three children.

He was raised a Baptist but he founded Gateway on April 23, 2000 during that year’s Easter.

The church is one of the biggest in the United States and has an 8000-seat sanctuary though with over 100,000 weekly attendees in several of its branches across Dallas-Fort Worth.

It also has a food court/commons, extensive adult activities facilities, children’s ministry facilities, a youth centre including a 2000-seat auditorium, a 700-seat chapel administration building and prayer centre.

Wikipedia reports that Morris published several books including The Blessed Life, Dream to Destiny, The God I Never Knew, and Grace, Period.

He also runs a radio show called “Worship & the Word with Pastor Robert,” which reaches over 6,800 cities, and a television programme aired in 190 countries.

Morris is reputed to be a spiritual adviser to former President Donald Trump. He served on a 25-member evangelical executive advisory board to Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

The former president visited the church in June 2020.

Before the allegation of child sexual abuse broke out, Morris had announced plans to step down as the senior pastor of Gateway and hand over to his son in 2025.