Gateway Church hopes to help congregation heal with new interim pastors, independent investigation
SOUTHLAKE — Gateway Church is taking steps to help its congregation move forward after its founder and senior pastor, Robert Morris, resigned over allegations that he sexually assaulted a young girl decades ago.
Morris' son and his son's wife have also stepped down from their roles within the church.
Pastor Joakim Lundqvist from Sweden and well-known author and pastor Max Lucado will serve as interim co-pastors for the next six months.
"Max is very polished," said Christopher Osborne, a longtime pastor who now serves as a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, who called the choice a smart decision. "He's very balanced. He's mature. Not going to do anything brain-dead. He's excellent for the church. That's one of the best moves they can do. Bring in somebody in a room that's very solid. Let them have some time. Let the people heal a little bit because it is a sting."
Osborne has seen how these types of allegations can devastate church members.
"That is what happens when you have a guy you love, you respect, you find out he's really made some bad mistakes," he said. "It crushes you. So individually, they're crushed. But as a church, if they've handled it right before and handled it right afterward, they'll be fine."
Gateway is one of the country's largest megachurches, with nine locations spread throughout North Texas and online programs posted online and broadcast in more than 190 countries.
At the beginning of June, the church's founder and senior pastor, Robert Morris, resigned a few days after Cindy Clemishire's story went public. She said Morris began molesting her when she was 12 years old. He was in his 20s at the time.
In a statement to The Christian Post, Morris admitted to "inappropriate sexual behavior."
"When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying," Morris said. "It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years."
On June 18, less than a week after the accusations came out, the Board of Elders at Gateway Church released a statement saying they accepted Morris' resignation and planned to conduct a thorough "review of the report of past abuse to ensure we have a complete understanding of the events."
This past Sunday, church elder Tra Willbanks began the service with an apology.
"Cindy, in case you are watching, we want to again apologize to you on behalf of our entire church for the years of pain that you have endured," Willbanks said. "We are sorry for our initial communication, which was clearly incorrect. You were a child, not a young lady… To be clear, we believe that this was sexual abuse of a child. Any description falling short of that does not reflect our position. I'm sorry that we got that communication wrong. We are in no way attempting to cover up or minimize this situation. In fact, I would like to say to you, Cindy, thank you for coming forward."
Willbanks told the congregation the church brought in an independent law firm to investigate the matter fully, including who knew what and when.
"We will deliver their findings to you," he said. "They're making progress, and we hope to be able to come back to you in the near future."
Willbanks also urged members not to let their hurt drive them away from Gateway.
"You've got to make sure you understand just because a pastor fails, that doesn't mean Jesus failed," Osborne said.
Osborne believes this case, and other instances of high-profile pastors stepping down or creating controversy, do damage others' perception of religious institutions in general.
"Pastors, we're not immune to failure, but I know a ton of guys that have done it right and did it a long time and finished," said Osborne. "Well, they don't make the papers. The Tony Evans and the Morris's make the papers. The guys that do it right and live it well and love their wife and die well and raise great children and do good by their congregations, they don't make the paper."
He hopes it serves as a reminder to other pastors and church leaders to guard their hearts and lives since no one is immune to human failings.
"The best thing you can do is you build a church, really not on the pastor, but on Jesus Christ, on the Bible, then that takes some of the sting away afterward," he said.
Gateway Church says it has already taken steps to find a new senior pastor and expects to make its decision within six months.