Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, which attracts an estimated 100,000 worshipers weekly, has confessed to “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” greater than 35 years in the past whereas he was a younger pastor after a girl accused him of sexually abusing her over a number of years starting when she was 12.
“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. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years,” Morris mentioned in an announcement to The Christian Submit after Gateway Church was requested concerning the allegations.
“In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counseling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area,” Morris added.
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He defined that he returned to ministry in March of 1989, two years after his abuse was uncovered with the blessing of the survivor’s father and the elders of his church. He additional famous that he and his spouse met with the survivor and her household in October 1989.
“I asked their forgiveness, and they graciously forgave me,” Morris mentioned.
Morris’ accuser, Cindy Clemishire, first informed The Wartburg Watch that he started sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982, and continued with the abuse for four-and-a-half years after that. When contacted by CP on Saturday, the 54-year-old grandmother confirmed the small print within the report however insisted she was no “young lady” when Morris started abusing her.
“I’m, of course, just appalled,” Clemishire informed CP on Saturday about his description of her as a “young lady.”
“I was 12 years old. I was a little girl. A very innocent little girl. And he was brought into our home. He and his wife, Debbie, and their little boy, Josh, and trusted and preached at the church that my dad helped start and then began grooming all of us to do this, which took me decades to wrap my brain around as an adult,” she mentioned.
“It went on for many years. He says there was no sexual intercourse, but he did touch every part of my body and inserted his fingers into me, which I understand now is considered a form of rape by instrumentation. I was an innocent 12-year-old little girl who knew nothing about sexual behavior.”
Clemishire mentioned in her report back to The Wartburg Watch that she and her household first met Morris at a youth revival in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1981 when he was a 20-year-old touring evangelist. On the time, he was married to his spouse, Debbie, and so they had their son, Josh.
She mentioned Morris started preaching at her church frequently on Sundays after he was invited to do a youth revival in her hometown of Hominy, Oklahoma. Her household and the Morrises rapidly turned associates. They had been invited into their dwelling and infrequently went on journeys collectively.
On that fateful Christmas night time in 1982, Clemishire mentioned the security of the connection with Morris and his household ended for her once they visited her dwelling.
“The Morris family came to visit and spend some time there. Cindy sat in the back seat of the car with Robert. He asked her to visit him in his room that night. She shared a room with her sister. Cindy, an innocent twelve-year-old girl, movingly described what she was wearing. She was wearing pink pajamas with bloomer pants. She wore underwear underneath. She had a snap-up robe on,” The Wartburg Watch mentioned.
“She thought nothing of visiting a family friend in their bedroom. He told her to lie down on her back and touched her stomach. He told her to close her eyes. Then he touched her breasts and felt under her panties. He warned her: Never tell anyone about this because it will ruin everything,” the report famous.
Clemishire claims Morris repeatedly abused her in Texas and Oklahoma, and he usually informed his spouse that he was merely “counseling” her in the course of the abuse.
When she turned 16, Clemishire mentioned Morris would take her out in his automotive and attempt to have sexual activity.
By this time, Morris was a pastor at Shady Grove Church, which might ultimately turn into Gateway Church-Grand Prairie Campus,” the report mentioned.
Clemishire ultimately confided what was occurring to her to an in depth pal, who inspired her to inform her household. When her father discovered, he informed the lead pastor at Shady Grove Church that if Morris didn’t “get out of ministry,” he would get the police concerned. That risk compelled Morris to step away for 2 years.
Morris would return to Hominy along with his spouse and televangelist James Robison. They informed Clemishire’s father that he needed to return to ministry, and “at that point, her father washed his hands of Morris and no longer interacted with him,” The Wartburg Watch mentioned.
The survivor made it clear to CP that Morris didn’t get her father’s blessing to return to ministry.
“My father never ever gave his blessing on Robert returning to ministry! My father told him he’s lucky he didn’t kill him. I am mortified that he is telling the world my dad gave his blessing! Of course, we forgive because we are called to biblically forgive those who sin against us. But that does not mean he is supposed to go on without repercussions,” she mentioned.
Clemishire defined that she retained an lawyer in 2005 to file a civil lawsuit however Morris’ lawyer instructed she induced the abuse on herself as a result of she was “flirtatious.” She mentioned she requested for $50,000 to cowl the price of her counseling stemming from the abuse. She mentioned they provided her $25,000 if she signed a non-disclosure settlement, however she refused.
For years, she defined to CP, she has been warning church buildings and pastors who would take heed to her story about Morris as a result of she does not consider she’s the one one who suffered his abuse. She additionally argued that he should not be serving in ministry and will step down.
“I don’t think he ever should have been allowed to be in the ministry. We would never allow someone to go teach in a school … work in a daycare or be a doctor if anybody had done these things. And I have a very difficult time believing I’m the only one,” Clemishire mentioned.
Elders at Gateway Church informed CP in an announcement that Morris was clear with them about his previous and so they consider he has been biblically restored to ministry.
“Pastor Robert has been open and forthright about a moral failure he had over 35 years ago when he was in his twenties and prior to him starting Gateway Church. He has shared publicly from the pulpit the proper biblical steps he took in his lengthy restoration process,” they mentioned.
“The two-year restoration process was closely administered by the Elders at Shady Grove Church and included him stepping out of the ministry during that period while receiving professional counseling and freedom ministry counseling,” they mentioned. “Since the resolution of this 35-year-old matter, there have been no other moral failures. Pastor Robert has walked in purity, and he has placed accountability measures and people in his life. The matter has been properly disclosed to church leadership.”
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“Well bless their hearts.”
