Texas Mega-Church Pastor Confesses to Former Immoral Conduct with a Minor Following Allegations of Sexually Abusing a 12-Year-Old
The woman, identified as Cindy Clemishire, shared with WFAA that the sexual abuse she endured started on Christmas Day in 1982 and persisted until 1987, when she confided in her parents. The Wartburg Watch, an online church watchdog, first revealed her narrative on Friday.
Morris, a senior pastor at Gateway Church and a member of Donald Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board during the 2016 campaign, failed to disclose the victim's name and age in his statement, but admitted to inappropriate sexual behavior that included kissing and touching, sans intercourse, over a number of years.
"During my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was not intercourse, but it was wrong, and it happened on several occasions over the next few years," Morris stated.
The pastor's misconduct was eventually exposed in 1987 while he was a pastor at Shady Grove Church, which is now one of Gateway Church’s 11 locations, as reported by WFAA.
"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 explained in his statement, further sharing that he and the survivor’s family met in 1989, with him seeking their forgiveness.
Clemishire informed WFAA that, although her family offered forgiveness, they never supported Morris resuming his ministry.
"I believe leaders can get swayed into thinking it's our duty to protect God, but our responsibility is to safeguard the people," she added. "God is greater than all of that."
CNN reached out to Morris, Gateway Church, Clemishire, and her legal representative for comment.
In a statement to WFAA, Gateway Church explained that Morris underwent a two-year "restoration process" following a moral lapse in his twenties.
"Pastor Robert has been truthful about a moral lapse he experienced over 35 years ago when he was in his twenties and before the inception of Gateway Church. He has publicly spoken about the correct Biblical steps he took during his prolonged restoration process," the church's statement read.
"The two-year restoration process was closely supervised by the Elders at Shady Grove Church and involved him temporarily leaving the ministry while receiving professional counseling and freedom ministry counseling," the statement continued. "Since the resolution of the 35-year-old incident, no further moral lapses have occurred."
In 2016, Morris was part of Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, as confirmed in a press release at the time. Trump also held a roundtable at Gateway’s Dallas campus in 2020, with Morris leading a prayer prior to the event.
It remains unclear if Morris is participating in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. CNN has sought comment from the campaign.
According to Gateway Church’s website, Morris’s son, James Morris, will assume senior pastor duties beginning in 2025, with the elder Morris continuing as a weekend speaker.
Read also:
- The congregation at Gateway Church, where Morris served as a senior pastor, expressed their support for him during his restoration process, emphasizing that they believed in his confession and repentance.
- Despite the pastor's misconduct being exposed and his temporary leave from ministry, the church community firmly believed in the changes and growth that Morris had made since then, recognizing his role as a weekend speaker in the future.
