From Mega-Church Pastor to Alleged Child Molester: The Downfall of Gateway's Robert Morris

Gateway Church Scandal Hints at Mishandling of Abuse Claims

The response to the scandal involving Robert Morris, 62, of Gateway Church in DFW embodies a distressing pattern in how independent Charismatic churches handle clergy sexual abuse claims: victims and whistleblowers are discredited, organizational finances are prioritized over the abused, and decisions are guided more by legal defenses than by the morality preached from the pulpit.

Over the weekend, The Wartburg Watch, a blog dedicated to exposing and discussing abuses of power, theological errors, and ethical concerns within Christian organizations, revealed that when Robert Morris, who is now married with three children and several grandchildren, was a minister in his 20s, he had a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl.

The focus has been on Morris’ celebrity status as the leader of a 100,000-member church and his connection to former President Donald Trump, overshadowing the allegations of child molestation. As a member of Trump’s Evangelical advisory group, Morris hosted Trump in 2020 for a discussion on race and policing at his church.

On Monday, the Trump Campaign Spokesperson Steven Cheung told media outlets that Morris had no role in Trump’s presidential run this year.

But Gateway’s size and Morris’ politics are elements of a more important story about faith, the abuse of power, and a pack mentality of unaffiliated but politically aligned independent charismatic Christian leaders.

As scandals arise within their own flocks, these leaders exploit the elapsed time of the abuse, deploy euphemisms that mask crimes, and blatantly lie to cover for one another rather than acting as the “Apostolic Overseers” their titles suggest.

Morris has admitted to a past moral failing and agreed to step down, but the Wartburg story set off a chain reaction of conspicuous maneuvers and guarded responses from Gateway, hinting that more was being concealed. On social media, current and former Gateway attendees claimed that the head of the church’s prison ministry was a registered sex offender, a detail not disclosed to congregants.

Another post hinted at a long history of deception at Gateway. It noted that several years ago, a Gateway pastor named David Smith suddenly disappeared. Church representatives explained his absence by denying that Smith ever worked there, according to the post.

Gateway’s responses suggest deeper malfeasance and overriding interest in safeguarding the church’s assets, which according to a 2018 tax return are $218 million, placing Gateway among the wealthiest megachurches in the U.S.

The Morris scandal is not an isolated incident within the independent Charismatic church community. For the past eight months, there has been a palpable sense of frustration and confusion as to why other charismatic leaders have remained silent on the allegations against Mike Bickle, the founder of the International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC), and the organization’s apparent dishonesty and silencing of victims.

The reason for this silence may lie in the hierarchical structure inherent in Charismatic church organizations, where leaders claim divine revelation and near-absolute authority over their flocks.

Dr. Matthew D. Taylor, a senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies and author of the forthcoming book “The Violent Take It by Force,” which details the links between the New Apostolic Reformation movement and the January 6th riots, wrote in a Substack post last year:

“In these apostolic and prophetic circles, people like Mike Bickle are given an almost unfathomable amount of spiritual authority — far beyond most evangelical pastors. They are seen as oracles of God, speaking with the voice of God through prophecy, and leading the church under divine apostolic directives. That is a straightforward recipe for abuse and cover-up.”

This also describes the origins of a mafia mentality disguised as ministry, where leaders, intoxicated by their own power, abuse it, creating simmering scandals and highlighting the necessity of a protective network.

Despite spending millions on sophisticated social media operations, these religious organizations are no match for the ad hoc army of Christian and ex-Christian advocates that has forged on social media and seems to grow with each scandal.

The documents, screenshots, and secret recordings posted online reveal a stark truth: modern Charismatic church leaders often resemble the Canaanite worshipers of the god Moloch, willing to sacrifice anything for favor and power—even if it means throwing the innocent into the fire.

REJECTING HUSH MONEY

In 1981, Cindy Clemishire’s family met Robert Morris, then a 20-year-old traveling evangelist. The families became close friends.

On Christmas night 1982, when Cindy was 12, Morris allegedly began touching her inappropriately in his room. This continued over the next 4.5 years in Texas and Oklahoma. When Cindy was 16, Morris allegedly attempted to have sex with her.

Cindy eventually told a friend who encouraged her to inform her parents, leading to Morris stepping down from ministry for two years.

Cindy, now 53, witnessed Morris’s ministry grow, even as he seemed to obliquely reference publicly having to step away from ministry in the past for “pride” and “youthful indiscretions.”

The Wartburg post describes how Morris lied about or misrepresented the truth of his sexual abuse of Cindy to others on multiple occasions, including the lie that her own father approved of Morris’ return to ministry.

Morris allegedly told his wife Debbie that he was merely “counseling” Cindy, when in fact he was sexually abusing her. When Cindy sought a settlement in 2005, Morris’ lawyers implied that the abuse was Cindy’s fault for being “flirtatious,” a blatantly dishonest attempt to shift blame onto a child victim.

Cindy rejected a $25,000 settlement offer from the church in exchange for her silence, according to the story.

Cindy has undergone over a decade of counseling to process and understand the abuse she suffered, according to the blog post, which also notes that many child victims of clergy sexual abuse often don’t speak about it until their late 30s or 50s.

The #ChurchToo and #MeToo movements have created environments where more survivors feel empowered to share their stories.

The social media hashtags galvanized former members of Mike Bickle’s International House of Prayer — aiming to raise awareness about sexual harassment, abuse, and assault, particularly in situations where there is a power imbalance between the perpetrator and the victim.

PARTIAL TRUTHS

Gateway’s default actions amid crisis mirror those of IHOPKC.

Bickle’s International House of Prayer in Kansas City touched millions worldwide with its call to 24-7 prayer and worship.

However, when allegations surfaced in October that Bickle had used prophecies about his wife’s death to seduce women, he agreed to step away from ministry. IHOPKC’s now-shuttered Forerunner Church hosted two prominent Charismatic speakers, Michael Brown, an author and talk show host, and Chris Reed, President and Executive Director of MorningStar Ministries in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Brown advised the congregation to avoid discussing the scandal on social media. In Reed’s sermon, he implied that those who look back to examine the past could meet an untimely end, similar to Lot’s wife when she was transformed into a pillar of salt for glancing back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Both leaders have since apologized for their comments after waves of criticism on social media and elsewhere.

Bickle admitted to inappropriate relationships but denied being a sexual predator.

Earlier this year, two women, Tammy Woods and another individual who requested to be referred to by the initials TH, accused Bickle of abusing them when they were minors.

Another Dallas-Fort Worth area mega-church pastor, Tony Evans, announced he was stepping down from ministry for an unspecified amount of time shortly before the Morris scandal erupted.

Evans, a Charismatic leader who has pastored Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for 48 years, issued a statement on the church’s website: “A number of years ago, I fell short of that standard. I am, therefore, required to apply the same biblical standard of repentance and restoration to myself that I have applied to others.”

Evans categorically denied that his conduct was criminal.

In 2020, Morris and Bickle were named as new contributors to Jack Hayford’s Spirit-Filled Life Bible. Also, Morris remarked on Instagram about the “great time” he had speaking last year at Evans conference.

This past weekend, Gateway issued a preliminary statement to staff from Morris in which he admitted to a sexual relationship with a “young lady” decades ago.

Morris’ statement did not explain how a 12-year-old could meet the criteria for being a young lady.

The statements issued by all three men emphasized the amount of time that had passed since their misconduct and that they had previously repented for their deeds.

Charisma Magazine, a leading publication focused on the Christian charismatic movement, which emphasizes the spiritual gifts such as healing and prophecy, has characterized the exposure of clergy sexual abuse as a spiritual attack.

But spiritualizing abuse and stressing that it happened a long time ago does little to blunt sharp calls for justice and accountability.

It only serves to amplify the rage of those tired of seeing victims blamed for their own abuse.

“Women are gaslit to hell and back,” said Susan Tuma, a former IHOPPER who advocates for the organization’s victims. “Then you find out it’s to protect all the men who are running the church.”