Texas Megachurch Pastor Robert Morris Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Abuse
Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in the Dallas area, on Thursday pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s, beginning when she was just 12.
Morris, who grew Gateway into one of America’s largest megachurches, admitted to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child before Judge Cindy Pickerill. Under a plea deal, he received a 10-year sentence but will serve only six months in county jail. He also will register as a sex offender and pay $270,000 in restitution.
He was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after the hearing.
Clemishire, now 55, was present in the courtroom with family, witnessing the accountability she had pursued for decades, NBC News reported.
“Today justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars,” Clemishire said. “My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up … Today is a new beginning for me, my family and friends who have been by my side through this horrendous journey. I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor.”
The plea signifies a stunning fall for Morris, 64, who founded Gateway Church in 2000, growing it into a megachurch that once attracted more than 25,000 attenders. His worldwide reach extended through bestselling books, televised sermons, and serving as a spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump.
Morris also served as a longtime overseer at Church of the Highlands (COTH), the flagship megachurch in the scandal-ridden Association of Related Churches (ARC).
The allegations were first reported publicly by The Wartburg Watch in June 2024, prompting Morris to resign from Gateway and COTH. He had previously described the abuse as a “moral failure” involving a “young lady” but avoided addressing specifics.
However, Morris’ attorney Bill Mateja said in a statement that Morris “pled guilty because he wanted to accept responsibility for his conduct. While he believes that he long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God — and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance — he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law by virtue of his guilty plea.”
Mateja added that Morris wanted him to tell Clemishire and her family “that he sincerely apologizes for his conduct and asks for their forgiveness.”
Clemishire previously told TRR that the abuse began on Christmas night in 1982, when Morris, then a traveling evangelist in his early 20s, was staying with her family in Oklahoma and invited her to his room. There, Morris molested Clemishire, who recounted that she wore “pink pajamas with bloomer pants over my underwear.”
Over the next several years, Morris continued to molest Clemishire warning her, “Never tell anyone because it will ruin everything.”
“It didn’t ruin anything for him, but it ruined everything for me,” she added.
Clemishire disclosed the abuse to her parents and church leaders in 1987. Morris then underwent a “restoration process” in the late 1980s and resumed ministry without the crimes ever being reported to police.
In 2005, as Morris gained national prominence, Clemishire sought money from Morris to cover therapy costs for her childhood trauma. Documents released to TRR show that Morris refused to pay Clemishire any money and warned that she could be criminally prosecuted for trying to get “money under a threat of exposure.”
But in 2007, Clemishire hired a lawyer—now Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond—to threaten Morris with a lawsuit if he didn’t reimburse her for thousands spent in counseling.
Clemishire told TRR that Morris’ lawyer “attempted to blame (her) for the abuse.” Morris offered Clemishire $25,000, contingent on a nondisclosure agreement, which Clemishire refused. This caused negotiations to collapse.
But in March of this year, Drummond’s office indicted Morris for crimes against Clemishire. Prior to the indictment, it was thought that criminal charges could not be brought because the statute of limitations had expired in this case.
However, the statute of limitations “is not applicable in this case because Morris was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time,” Drummond stated at the time.
On Thursday, Drummond issued a strong statement against Morris.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Drummond said. “This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day.”
As previously reported by TRR, numerous former elders at Gateway, as well as several prominent Christian leaders, knew about Morris’ abuse of Clemishire for decades.
Those who allegedly knew included XO Marriage founder Jimmy Evans and Brady Boyd, who was recently ousted from his Colorado megachurch because his elders didn’t believe his claims of ignorance regarding Morris’ abuse.
Two other pastors at Boyd’s former church—New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado—were also removed for covering up Morris’ abuse: Executive Pastors Lance Coles and Brian Newberg.
Reflecting on her decades-long ordeal, Clemishire said, “I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected.”
She also urged changes to the law, like the Texas bill passed in June, making NDA’s for child sex abuse survivors no longer valid. “I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims’ rights are better protected.”
This article was originally published by The Roys Report.
Julie Roys is a veteran investigative reporter and founder of The Roys Report. She also previously hosted a national talk show on the Moody Radio Network, called Up for Debate, and has worked as a TV reporter for a CBS affiliate. Her articles have appeared in numerous periodicals.