Elders Removed by Gateway Church Based on Robert Morris Abuse Investigation Results

Gateway Church: Based in Southlake, Texas, Gateway Church has removed seven elders as an inquiry into claims of abuse against its founder, Robert Morris, comes to an end. After 54-year-old Cindy Clemishire came out claiming that Morris sexually molested her as a kid starting when she was 12, the church started the four-month internal inquiry in June. Law firm Haynes & Boone performed the research, and only now the results led to major changes in leadership.

Speaking for Gateway Church, Elder Tra Willbanks verified that all but three of the church’s leaders knew about the accusations but neglected to look into it more thoroughly. Willbanks said, “There were elders and employees at Gateway who knew before June 14, 2024, Cindy was 12 at the time of the abuse; those who knew the specifics have been removed from their positions.”

Before Clemishire’s public comment in June, Morris had reportedly characterized his previous misbehavior as a “affair” and minimized the seriousness of his acts. Morris quickly left his post at Gateway when Clemishire exposed the whole degree of the mistreatment.

Gateway Church currently intends to implement major governance reforms including eliminating the “apostolic elder” status from its bylaws and guaranteeing future elders function outside of the church’s personnel. The church has also turned down financial claims Morris has lately made against it and is working with an ongoing criminal inquiry on his behavior.

The disclosures have rocked the community of Gateway Church; Willbanks, expressing great grief for Clemishire’s suffering, has praised her fortitude. Emphasizing the church’s dedication to responsibility and assistance of abuse survivors, he added, “What happened to Cindy was heartbreaking and vile.”