Pastor Robert Morris, founder of Gateway Church in Dallas, has resigned amid allegations of child molestation dating back to the 1980s. The allegations, brought forward by Cindy Clemishire, have exposed not only the abuse but also Morris's attempts to buy her silence with a $2 million offer. This development has sent shockwaves through the evangelical community and raised serious questions about accountability within religious institutions.
Clemishire's harrowing account was first published on June 14 by The Wartburg Watch, a blog dedicated to examining abuse in churches. She alleged that Morris began abusing her in 1982 when she was just 12 years old, and he was 21. At the time, Morris was a traveling evangelist. The abuse reportedly continued for over four years, occurring in Texas and Oklahoma.
Morris's attempts to silence Clemishire were revealed in a transcript of a phone call from 2005, where he pressed her to name a price for her silence. "Put a price on it," Morris said during the call. Clemishire, after initially resisting, stated "$2 million." The settlement never materialized as she refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and the abuse continued to haunt her for decades.
The church's board of elders, in response to the growing scandal, has initiated an independent inquiry, hiring the law firm Haynes and Boone to conduct a thorough investigation. "Gateway Church is committed to protecting people - first and foremost children and the most vulnerable. Abuse simply cannot be tolerated," the board wrote in a statement.
Tra Willbanks, an elder at Gateway, addressed the congregation last weekend, expressing his shock and dismay. "What has happened is extremely disturbing. And I'm experiencing a wide range of emotions like you. As an elder, I did not know the truth. And frankly, like so many of you, my wife and I are shocked, devastated, and grieving," Willbanks said.
Morris, 62, founded Gateway Church in 2000. Under his leadership, the church grew to become one of the largest in the nation, with about 100,000 active attendees across multiple campuses. Morris gained further prominence as an evangelical advisor to former President Donald Trump, hosting him at Gateway Church in 2020.
Despite his resignation on June 18 and his admission of "inappropriate sexual behavior," Morris has not faced criminal charges. His public acknowledgment came after Clemishire's account was published, stating that he had engaged in "several sexual encounters" with a "young lady" when he was in his 20s and that he had sought counseling in the late 1980s.
The fallout from these revelations has been significant. Clemishire's story, corroborated by emails and a phone call transcript, has put a spotlight on the actions and responses of Gateway Church's leadership. Clemishire's attorney, Boz Tchividjian, has criticized the church's inconsistent narratives about their knowledge of Morris's actions. "Only a couple of weeks ago, the leadership at Gateway was publicly claiming that Robert Morris was transparent with them and that the senior pastor had no other moral failures," Tchividjian wrote in an email to NPR.
The case has drawn attention to the broader issue of how churches handle allegations of abuse. Clemishire's account revealed that Morris initially tried to negotiate a settlement in 2005, suggesting a willingness to pay for her silence. In sermons, Morris has frequently recounted overcoming his sinful past after a divine encounter, but Clemishire believes she was the catalyst for his repentance by confronting him about the abuse.
