Pastor Robert Morris Resigns from Gateway Church
Gateway Church founder Pastor Robert Morris has allegedly resigned as the senior pastor of his 24-year-old church in Southlake, Texas.
His resignation comes following an investigation into a claim by a woman, a 54-year-old grandmother identified as Cindy Clemishire, who alleges Morris sexually abused her over multiple years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.
According to The Christian Post, a Christian news outlet based in Washington, D.C., Pastor Morris’s resignation was received Tuesday by his church’s Board of Elders. The Board also acknowledged the abuse claim and charged a law firm to conduct a “professional review” of the report.
“Today, June 18, the Board of Elders of Gateway Church accepted the resignation of Robert Morris, the senior pastor,” the board reportedly said in a statement to The Christian Post. “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,” they added.
Last week, The Christian Post quoted pastor Morris as saying that he had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.”
“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying,” Morris told The Christian Post. “It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years.”