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   Texas megachurch faces exodus of worshippers after a sex abuse scandal set   
   off a summer of turmoil   
      
      
    Summer was off to a tumultuous start when allegations of child sexual   
   abuse surfaced on a blog dedicated to Christian survivor stories. This   
   time, the man involved had gone on to lead one of America’s largest   
   megachurches.   
      
   Robert Morris, who founded and led Gateway Church for nearly 25 years in   
   the affluent Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, Texas, resigned after   
   the scandal came to light in June. His exit sent thousands of evangelicals   
   into a season of struggle that has lasted months.   
      
   Last week, a pastor who oversaw all of Gateway’s campuses departed amid an   
   undisclosed “moral issue,” becoming the latest in a series of changes for   
   the church: The cancellation of its annual conference. The departure of   
   Morris’ successor. The renaming of its Houston campus and an exodus of   
   worshippers.   
      
   At each weekend service, worshippers continue to face reminders of the   
   scandal, with interim or guest pastors kicking off their sermons saying   
   “I’m sorry,” talking about grief or finding hope in difficult times.   
   They’ve noticed people who have sat and prayed around them for years are   
   once again not showing up for service.   
      
   The church has seen a decrease of 17% to 19% in weekend services   
   attendance, a church spokesperson told CNN.   
      
   The turnover at the church could have far-reaching effects. Gateway Church   
   draws an estimated 100,000 people to its weekend services and has more than   
   560 employees at nine locations in Texas, and two others in Missouri and   
   Wyoming, according to the church.   
      
   It is considered one of America’s largest megachurches, which are   
   congregations with an average weekly worship attendance of 2,000 people or   
   more. There are nearly 1,800 megachurches in the United States, according   
   to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.   
      
   Morris’ standing as a public figure goes beyond the size of his former   
   congregation. In 2016, he was part of former President Donald Trump’s   
   Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, the campaign announced in a news   
   release at the time. Trump also held a roundtable at Gateway’s Dallas   
   campus in 2020 and Morris led a prayer before the event.   
   ‘I did not know the truth,’ elder says of Morris’ abuse   
      
   The congregation’s “difficult” and “uphill” season – as interim teaching   
   pastor Max Lucado called it in a sermon last weekend – began in June, when   
   Cindy Clemishire’s account of abuse was published in The Wartburg Watch, a   
   church watchdog blog.   
      
   Clemishire, 54, told CNN affiliate WFAA Morris molested her in 1982 when   
   she was 12 years old. It started on Christmas Day and it continued until   
   she told her parents in 1987, she said.   
      
   Shortly after the allegations surfaced, Morris admitted to having   
   “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” in the 1980s. In its   
   initial response, Gateway Church said the pastor had been “open and   
   forthright about a moral failure” that took place when he was in his 20s   
   and working at another church, and had a two-year “restoration process,”   
   according to statements obtained by WFAA.   
      
   It wasn’t until days later that Morris resigned from his role. In a   
   statement announcing the resignation, the Board of Elders of Gateway Church   
   said the group did not have all the facts about Morris’ extramarital   
   relationship, the victim’s age and length of the abuse.   
   WFAA.jpg   
   video   
      
   Related video Woman shares Dallas-area pastor allegedly molested her when   
   she was 12 years old   
      
   The board said Morris discussed it many times as something that happened   
   before founding the congregation, but he did not mention that it was with a   
   child.   
      
   “As an elder, I did not know the truth. And frankly, like so many of you,   
   my wife and I are shocked, devastated and grieving,” Tra Willbanks, one of   
   the megachurch’s elders, told the congregation in a June service.   
      
   For about 10 minutes, he was tearful as he spoke about Morris’ resignation   
   from behind a lectern at the center of the stage. “I can’t imagine carrying   
   a burden like that for so many years and I want to say to you, Cindy. I’m   
   so sorry,” he added.   
      
   Since then, the church said it hired a law firm to “review the report of   
   past abuse” so it can understand “the facts.” Clemishire alleges at least   
   one church leader knew about the abuse in 2005, she said in a statement to   
   CNN.   
      
   If there are other victims, Clemishire said she encourages them to speak   
   up.   
      
   “I wholeheartedly and sadly believe I am not the only victim. I encourage   
   anyone who has been sexually victimized by a leader at Gateway Church to   
   take the bold step forward and say something. Now is the time. Please know   
   that you will be supported and will not walk this journey alone,”   
   Clemishire said in her statement.   
   Morris’ successor steps down   
      
   At least three other pastors have left Gateway Church since Morris’   
   resignation, unleashing more uncertainty about the future.   
      
   Morris’ son James Morris, who was slated to become lead pastor next year,   
   and his wife Bridgette resigned a month after the scandal. They agreed to   
   leave their current roles and step down “from leading Gateway in the   
   future,” the church said in a July 27 statement. He had been asked to take   
   a leave of absence while the law firm conducted its review.   
      
   When the couple addressed the congregation one last time during service,   
   they held hands after taking the stage to a standing ovation from   
   worshippers. The young Morris chose to focus his message on the joy and   
   love he felt at the church, while his wife choked up before talking about   
   grief.   
      
   “The Lord is giving us vision for the future, but we do grieve, grieve (by)   
   not being here with you,” Bridgette Morris said.   
      
   With their departure, the couple chose to allow Gateway “to have a fresh   
   start,” said Willbanks, who introduced them at the service.   
      
   Three current elders who served on the board from 2005 to 2007 were placed   
   on leave while the law firm’s review is conducted, the church said. The men   
   are following a recommendation made by the law firm and have said “they had   
   no knowledge of the true facts of this situation,” according to a June 28   
   statement by the church.   
   Congregants at Southlake, Texas, megachurch Gateway sing during worship at   
   Sunday service on July 28.   
   Congregants at Southlake, Texas, megachurch Gateway sing during worship at   
   Sunday service on July 28.   
   James Hartley/Fort Worth-Star-Telegram/TNS/Getty Images   
   Another pastor leaves, Houston church cuts ties   
      
   Another pastor, Kemtal Glasgow, was dismissed over an unspecified “moral   
   issue,” the church announced last week. Glasgow’s role was overseeing all   
   of Gateway’s campuses.   
      
      
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