Robert Morris’ Son Steps Down As Pastor At Gateway Church
James Morris preaching at Gateway Church in 2023. (YouTube screenshot)
Seven weeks after Robert Morris resigned from Gateway Church after Cindy Clemishire publicly claimed he abused her in the 1980s when she was 12 years old, Gateway has announced that Morris’ son, James Morris, is stepping away from the church.
James Morris was slated to take over church leadership after his father’s impending retirement in 2025. But after Clemishire’s claims went public, Robert Morris admitted “moral failure” with a “young lady” before resigning as the Texas megachurch’s lead pastor.
Weeks later, James Morris and three other elders announced they would temporarily step down to allow room for a third-party investigation.
But last week, in a special announcement to the congregation, Gateway elder Tra Willbanks announced that James Morris and his wife, Bridgette Morris, had decided to permanently relinquish their positions at Gateway.
James and Bridgette Morris stood on the platform as church attendees gave them a standing ovation. Then Willbanks said Gateway elders support James and Bridgette Morris’ desire to establish a church in the future.
Prior to announcing the couple’s departure, Willbanks apologized in front of the congregation to Clemishire, now 54, and thanked her for coming forward.
According to Clemishire’s attorney, Boz Tchividjian, Clemishire acknowledged the church’s apology but said Gateway leadership has yet to reach out to her directly.
Willbanks told congregants the church plans to increase communication with them “in the coming days” and will update them with the findings of an independent review conducted by Haynes & Boone, a law firm the church hired shortly after Robert Morris stepped down.
James and Bridgette Morris are not the only ones to have left in the fallout of Robert Morris’ resignation. According to the leadership pages on its website, Gateway has made additional changes to its staff and elder board. It removed former-felon-turned-Prison Ministry Campus Pastor Stephen Wilson after The Roys Report revealed Wilson’s past charges from 2002 involved a minor and resulted in his being a registered sex offender.
In recent developments, former Gateway pastor Tom Lane says he wasn’t aware that Clemishire’s abuse began when she was 12.
In a public statement released on June 18, Clemishire claimed she made her complaints known to Morris and church leaders in 2005 and 2007. She argued that Gateway’s board of elders ought to have looked into Morris’ account of events far earlier.
Clemishire also said Gateway elders received notice of Morris’ “crime” when she emailed Morris directly at his Gateway email address. Clemishire said “former Gateway elder Tom Lane received and responded to my email, acknowledging that the sexual abuse began on December 25, 1982, when I was 12 years old.”
Richard Harmer, a spokesperson for Lane, told The Christian Post that the statement is somewhat misleading. He added that at no point was it mentioned in any dialogue between Lane and Clemishire that she was 12 when Morris began sexually abusing her.
According to Harmer, the statement implies the email Lane received from Robert Morris’ assistant in 2005 included the phrase “when I was 12,” which he argues is not accurate.
He admitted that although Lane was aware of the year and exact date in 2005, he was not aware of Clemishire’s age or that Morris may have committed a crime. “Although this is how Cindy’s attorney wrote it, we feel strongly about clarifying the statement,” Harmer added.
In closing his special address to Gateway’s congregation, Willbanks informed congregants that Max Lucado, a popular author and teaching minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, and Swedish pastor Joakim Lundqvist, will be filling leadership roles at the church. Lucado will become the interim teaching pastor, preaching at Gateway about twice a month. Lundqvist will share preaching duties with Lucado and take on a pastoral role with staff.
This piece originally appeared at MinistryWatch.
Jessica Eturralde is a military wife of 18 years and mother of three who serves as a freelance writer, TV host, and filmmaker. Bylines include Yahoo, Huffington Post, OC16TV.