Recent reports have revealed that several elders on the board of Gateway Church, which is a megachurch located in Southlake, Texas, have been removed from their positions due to a scandal that was uncovered earlier in the year. The move to boot these individuals from their positions of authority within the church comes after a four-month investigation into Gateway Church after allegations popped up concerning its founder, Robert Morris, who is alleged to have engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor during the 1980s. The relationship is believed to have lasted years.
The Christian Tribune is reporting that the removal of the elders was announced to the congregation over the weekend, when Elder Tra Willbanks told folks all about the investigation from the Haynes & Boone law firm and the allegations that have been brought against Morris, who stepped down from his position back in June.
Willbanks went on to say on Sunday, “We now know that there were elders and employees at Gateway who knew before June 14, 2024, that Cindy was 12 at the time of the abuse. Both groups are fundamentally wrong and simply cannot and will not be tolerated at Gateway Church.”
The church leader explained that there were several elders who knew about the allegations before they were made public or “failed to inquire further” about them. These individuals were removed. “We have decided to draw a very bright line here based on biblical and moral values and the values of our church family, and we can report to you that as of today, no individual in either group serves as an elder, is employed by or works at Gateway Church. They have been removed,” Willbanks continued.
For context, the allegations against Morris were brought forth by 54-year-old Cindy Clemishire, who accused Morris of sexually assaulting her for over four years beginning on Christmas Day 1982 when she was 12. “What happened to Cindy was heartbreaking and vile, and we denounce any sexual abuse in all of its forms,” he stated. “We feel deep sorrow for those who have been victimized by such despicable actions, but I do want to take a minute, and I just want to appreciate Cindy for her bravery and for telling her story for helping bring some awareness to this issue. She has positively impacted countless lives.”
Morris had supposedly confessed to the sinful relationship in the 1980s. However, Willbanks said, “According to this version, Robert confessed his sin to apostolic leaders in the late 1980s, many years before Gateway Church was formed. He stepped down from ministry for two years and then was restored back into ministry with the blessing of those same apostolic leaders. We as a church knew what our former senior pastor had shared publicly. Many people, including myself, simply believed his version of the story.”
“On that same evening of June 14th, Robert Morris directed Gateway employees to release a statement that intended to minimize the severity of Cindy’s claims in one final attempt to hide the truth,” Willbanks further elaborated. “As you know, our Gateway Church family was rocked by these revelations. Over the next 48 hours, the elders were able to independently verify critical elements of Cindy’s story, enabling us to move swiftly to confront Robert Morris. When we insisted on meeting with him, he immediately resigned. Despite his resignation, we knew that further investigation was needed.”
It’s a tragic thing when someone who professes to be a man of God, especially a person who is entrusted to care for God’s flock, falls so hard from grace. The damage that is ultimately done to the church is almost impossible to quantify. How many people will end up being so damaged from this incident that they walk away from Christ completely? Even one is too many.
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My word of advice is not to leave Jesus because of Judas. Remember, even one of the Twelve Apostles was evil and a traitor. The rest of Christ’s closest confidants didn’t permanently abandon him because of Judas. And just because wicked people infiltrate the Church, we shouldn’t walk away from our only hope of salvation. Remember, God is just. What men like Morris do in this life will be avenged. Either by eternity in Hell or by Christ’s suffering on the Cross.