A Dallas-area megachurch accepted the resignation of senior pastor Robert Morris on Tuesday following allegations of a past inappropriate relationship with a 12-year-old that surfaced last week.
The Board of Elders of Gateway Church stated on Tuesday that they were unaware of the full extent of the abuse prior to June 14.
"The elders' prior understanding was that Morris's extramarital relationship, which he discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with 'a young lady' and not the abuse of a 12-year-old child," the statement reads.
"Although the incident occurred many years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret not having the information we now have."
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Pastor Robert Morris is seen on June 11, 2020, in Dallas. |
The elders expressed being “heartbroken and appalled” by the revelations, extending their sympathy to the victim and her family.
“In my early twenties, I engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It involved kissing and petting, but not intercourse. It was wrong and occurred on several occasions over the next few years,” Morris said in a statement.
The woman, Cindy Clemishire, told WFAA that the abuse began on Christmas Day in 1982 and continued until 1987, when she informed her parents. The Wartburg Watch, a church watchdog blog, first reported her story on Friday.
Clemishire expressed mixed feelings about Morris’s resignation in a statement released through her attorney.
“While I am thankful that he is no longer a pastor at Gateway, I am disappointed that the Board of Elders allowed him to resign,” she said. “He should have been terminated.”
According to WFAA, Morris’s behavior was exposed in 1987 while he was a pastor at Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, which has since become one of Gateway Church’s 11 locations.
“In March of 1987, this situation came to light, and I confessed and repented. I submitted to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and undergo counseling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since then, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area,” Morris said in his statement, adding that he and his wife met with the survivor and her family in 1989.
“I asked for their forgiveness, and they graciously forgave me,” he said.
Clemishire told WFAA that although her family forgave Morris, they never supported his return to ministry.
“I think leaders can get caught up and think it’s our responsibility to protect God, but it’s not. Our responsibility is to protect the people,” she added. “God is bigger than all of that.”
Jamiel Lynch and Andy Rose contributed to this story.
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