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The Gateway Church in Texas has removed elders and is assisting in a criminal investigation

The Gateway Church in Texas has removed elders and is assisting in a criminal investigation
Posted on | Posted on angela

Gateway Church in Texas announced the firing of several of its elders and staff after a law firm conducted an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse against former senior pastor Robert Morris.

A Texas megachurch has announced the removal of several of its elders after a law firm conducted an independent investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse against former senior pastor Robert Morris, who publicly admitted 35 years ago to “inappropriate sexual behavior toward a young lady.” to have had.

Tra Willbanks, an elder at Gateway Church, gave members an update during a livestreamed service Sunday. He said Haynes and Boone, the law firm hired by the church, had the results of their investigation into 54-year-old Cindy's allegations Clemishire v. Morris was presented before a subcommittee “formed to receive and act on this information.”

“What happened to Cindy Clemishire was heartbreaking and despicable,” Willbanks said during his update. “We condemn sexual abuse in all its forms and have deep compassion for those who have fallen victim to such heinous acts.”

Willbanks praised Clemishire for her courage in coming forward and speaking out about alleged sexual abuse by Morris, which began in 1982 when she was just 12 years old. The abuse continued until 1987, Clemishire told USA TODAY in June.

“(Clemishire) has impacted countless lives and because of their (elders') courage, several people have come forward and told us that they had their own stories of being victims,” ​​Willbanks said. “We continue to pray for healing, not only for them, but also for those who have been abused and are part of our family.”

Morris and Clemishire could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Robert Morris admitted to a “sexual affair” in the late 1980s but excluded Cindy Clemishire's age

Willbanks discussed Morris' previous accounts of his actions, including the former senior pastor's statement to the church that he had been unfaithful in his marriage in his early 20s. According to Willbanks, Morris also confessed his sin to apostolic leaders in the late 1980s, many years before the founding of Gateway Church.

Although Morris resigned from office for two years in the 1980s, he was restored to office by the same apostolic leaders, Willbanks said.

“We as a church knew what our former senior pastor shared publicly, and many people, including myself, simply believed his side of the story,” the elder said. “But on June 14 of this year, Cindy Clemishire shared her story publicly and made it clear that she was the one referred to in Robert Morris's story, which he had described as a sexual affair.”

Tra Willbanks: “They were removed”

During the independent investigation, Haynes and Boone collected 780 gigabytes of data, reviewed thousands of pages of documents and interviewed dozens of people, except Morris and five others who denied working with the law firm, Willbanks said.

According to Willbanks, the law firm learned of no additional allegations of sexual assault against Morris.

“At this time, to our knowledge, there are no other victims of Robert Morris other than Cindy Clemishire,” the elder said, adding that anyone who is a victim of sexual assault by a Gateway Church elder should report it to police then with him and other managers.

The investigation revealed that various elders and staff at Gateway Church knew of Morris' alleged actions before June 14, including the fact that Clemishire was 12 years old when the sexual abuse began, Willbanks said. The elder further explained that there were two groups: one group that knew without a doubt that Clemishire was twelve years old during the abuse, and another that had enough information about Morris's actions but did not bother to to ask further questions.

“Both groups are fundamentally wrong and simply cannot and will not be tolerated in this church,” Willbanks said. “We can report that to date, no person from either group serves as an elder, is employed by, or works at Gateway Church. They have been removed.”

Gateway Church is cooperating with criminal investigations

The elder said he could not elaborate on the elders' removal because there is pending litigation against the church, including against Morris, who has made “financial demands.”

“Let me be clear: We refuse,” Willbanks said of Morris’ financial demands.

Gateway Church is cooperating with an ongoing criminal investigation, Willbanks confirmed, but declined to provide further details at this time. He added that neither the church nor its current leadership are the subject of this investigation.

Willbanks called the entire situation the result of a “massive government failure” and a “failure of accountability” at Gateway Church.

“When the church focuses on one pastor, it loses its way,” he said. “Unfortunately, over the last few months we have come to the realization that at some point in the past the culture here at Gateway had become one in which power was centralized and the leader at the top was surrounded by people who wanted to protect him , some of them do it at any cost.

Departure of Gateway Church following allegations against Robert Morris

Aside from Morris and the deposed elders, Gateway Church has experienced three other significant departures in recent months.

The church announced the departures of James and Bridget Morris in July, releasing the following statement to WFAA-TV:

“We as elders affirm and believe that God has placed in the hearts of Pastors James and Bridgette the desire to serve as senior pastors of a church at some point in the future,” the statement said. “We love Pastors James and Bridgette and their children.” − We care deeply for them and sincerely thank them for investing their lives here at Gateway Church. They have served our congregation and this community faithfully and honorably throughout the years they have been a part of Gateway Church.”

According to the television station, James Morris' resignation came a year before Robert Morris planned to hand over leadership of the church to his son.

Willbanks announced the resignation of Rev. Kemtal Glasgow next month through a statement posted on the church's YouTube page.

“It recently came to light that Kemtal Glasgow had a moral failing, so we have asked him to step down as pastor at Gateway and devote himself to his marriage and family,” the megachurch said. “Although his employment is ending, we continue to care for Kemtal and his family.”

It is unclear whether Kemtal Glasgow or James and Bridget Morris spoke to Haynes and Boone during the firm's investigation.

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