Image credit: Gateway Church (Texas). (2024, October 12). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Church_(Texas)
The embattled Texas megachurch, Gateway Church, has dismissed four elders from its leadership after hiring a law firm to investigate sexual abuse allegations against its founder, People.com reported.
On Saturday, Nov. 2, Tra Willbanks, an elder at Gateway Church, informed the congregation of the elders’ removal during a service in Southlake, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
According to NBCDFW and ABC affiliate WFAA, Willbanks provided an update on the investigation this weekend. The law firm Haynes Boone conducted the investigation after allegations emerged earlier this year against Gateway’s senior pastor and founder, Robert Morris.
Morris has acknowledged “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a “young lady” in the 1980s following accusations from Cindy Clemishire, who alleged he abused her from 1982 to 1987. Although Morris did not admit to Clemishire’s claims, he has since resigned from the church.
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Willbanks shared that three of the four elders dismissed from the church either had knowledge of Morris’s incident with the alleged victim or “failed to inquire further.”
Willbanks informed the congregation that the Church now understands that certain elders and employees at Gateway were aware, before June 14, 2024, that Cindy was only 12 at the time of the alleged abuse. Such actions and inaction are fundamentally unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Gateway Church, Willibanks stated, according to reports.
Willibanks added that the Church has drawn a clear line grounded in Biblical, moral, and church family values. As of today, no individual from either group holds a position as an elder, employee, or worker at Gateway Church. They have been removed, he stated to applause from the congregation, NBCDFW noted. Willibanks also noted that the church is actively cooperating with a criminal investigation.
To the church’s knowledge, Cindy Clemishire is the only individual who has come forward as a victim of Robert Morris, according to Willbanks.
Although Willbanks did not name the removed elders, both NBCDFW and WFAA reported that the names of Elders Kevin Grove, Thomas Miller, Jeremy Carrasco, and Gayland Lawshe were no longer listed on Gateway’s website.
In a statement released in June, Gateway Church clarified that three elders—Kevin Grove, Gayland Lawshe, and David Dulin—who served on the church’s board from 2005 to 2007, took voluntary, temporary leaves of absence following the law firm’s investigation.
“These three elders are men of integrity who have served Gateway Church with distinction. Each has clearly stated that they were unaware of the true facts surrounding this situation,” the statement read.
Cindy Clemishire’s attorney previously told NPR that Clemishire had attempted to settle a civil claim against Morris in 2007 related to the alleged abuse, but ultimately withdrew when he insisted she sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Founded by Robert Morris in 2000, Gateway Church now has multiple locations across the United States. Thanks to the Church’s sexual abuse scandals, including a recent allegation involving its youth group program, many congregants have left. Members have also filed a tithing lawsuit to recover economic losses.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org. Calls are free, confidential, and available 24/7 in over 170 languages.