Gateway Church accused of misusing tithes in new class-action lawsuit
NORTH TEXAS – In a class-action lawsuit filed Friday, four church members accuse Gateway Church of misappropriating millions of dollars in donations, known as a "tithe."
"So when you talk about giving money to the bride of Christ, which is the church, you expect it to be handled biblically based," said former Gateway member Valentina Hansen.
Hansen claims she's been banned from the church for speaking out. She says tithes can total thousands of dollars per family.
"So, on the low end, I will say probably about $5,000 in a year, to the high end of probably six figures being given to the church," Hansen said.
At a conference last year, former lead pastor Robert Morris said 15-20% of the church's yearly revenue goes to ministries across the world. In the class-action lawsuit, it says a CPA oversaw Gateway Global Ministries. The CPA claims the church's revenue totaled more than $100 million, but he only saw no more than $3 million given to global missions, which is far less than 15%.
"We are wanting to know where did the money really go? Did it go to any cause?" Hansen said.
The four members listed in the suit now want their money back but say the church will not offer them a refund, despite promises made by Morris, who repeatedly told members in recorded sermons, "he would give their money back if they were not fully satisfied with their tithe at the end of the year."
"Our clients do not want to sue their church, but they deserve answers and we are going to have to get subpoena power to get those answers," said Micah Dortch, lead legal counsel for the plaintiffs.
Gateway sent CBS News Texas a statement that reads in part: "These are serious allegations. Some of these concerns were brought to us recently, and we are actively investigating them. Funds donated to our church are sacred, and it is important that we hold ourselves to the highest biblical standards of ethics and integrity."
This is now the second lawsuit brought against the church this year and follows a string of resignations from church leadership over the summer.