The founder and senior pastor of North Texas’ Gateway Church, Robert Morris, announced his resignation on Tuesday in the wake of recent revelations that he had sexually molested a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.
The multi-site megachurch Gateway Church in Southlake, together with the Board of Elders, announced on Tuesday that they had accepted Morris’ resignation and would be conducting a comprehensive “review of the report of past abuse to ensure we have a complete understanding of the events.”
Morris was a traveling evangelist in his early 20s who allegedly had sex with a juvenile between 1982 and 1987. Cindy Clemishire, whose parents had become friends with Morris, accused the pastor in public on June 14 of sexually abusing her on multiple occasions during that time.
The elders assert in the statement that they were not privy to all the details surrounding the alleged sexual assault, such as Clemishire’s age at the time and the duration 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 [the] abuse of a 12-year-old child,” as per the statement. “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.”
Clemishire stated that she feels conflicted over Morris’ resignation and thinks she is not the only victim.
Clemishire released a statement on Tuesday saying, “Although I am happy that he is no longer a pastor at Gateway, I am disappointed that the Board of Elders allowed him to resign. He should have been terminated.”
Church leaders were chastised by Clemishire for being aware of her allegations of sexual abuse and accepting “the false narrative Robert Morris wanted them to believe.”
Read Also:Â Michigan Splash Pad Tragedy: Parents Shot 7 Times Defending Daughters
In 2000, Morris established the church’s first facility in Southlake. One of the biggest churches in the country, the evangelical church now has nine campuses throughout North Texas.
The Wartburg Watch, a site dedicated to monitorizng religious institutions in North Carolina, initially released the accusations made against Morris on Friday. On Saturday, The Christian Post published an article on it.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Morris acknowledged engaging in “inappropriate sexual behavior.”
“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,” he stated. “It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years.”
