Gateway Church Faces Reckoning after Founder Robert Morris Indicted on Abuse Charges
Robert Morris, founder of Gateway Church, has been indicted on five counts of child sex abuse in Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office.
As reported by The Dallas Morning News, the indictment follows allegations made by Cindy Clemishire last year, who claims Morris abused her from ages 12 to 17 in the 1980s
"After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child," Clemishire told The News on Wednesday.
"Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable," she said. "My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail."
Clemishire filed a lawsuit against Morris in 2007, and she was briefly represented by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
"There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children," Drummond said in the Wednesday news release. "This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done."
In a statement to The News, Tra Willbanks, chair of Gateway's elder board, confirmed that the church is aware of the indictment.
"We are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions," he said.
"We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all those impacted by this terrible situation."
After the allegations went public, Gateway announced it hired the law firm, Haynes Boone, to investigate such claims independently.
During a service in November, Willbanks explained that at least four elders and numerous staff members in light of the investigation had at least "some" knowledge of the Morris abuse allegations.
Willbanks added that Gateway was assisting with a criminal investigation that was separate from the current leadership of the church. Additionally, he claimed that Gateway had a "failure of culture."
"We must be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that our culture allowed this truth to be buried for too long," Willbanks said of Morris' alleged abuse.
Following Morris' resignation, Gateway has faced a number of challenges, including losing roughly a quarter of its weekly attendees following the scandal.
Prior to Morris' departure, several staff members told The News the church had a "narcissistic" culture, where there was a silencing of criticism and staffers were left with lasting trauma.
"I think we're going to be better, going forward, because of these lessons that we've learned over the last eight months," he said. "We had been 'off' for a while, and this was a wake-up call."
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Robert Morris
Originally published March 13, 2025.
