{"id":26693,"date":"2025-03-14T09:33:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T13:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=26693"},"modified":"2025-03-14T09:33:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T13:33:13","slug":"former-gateway-church-pastor-robert-morris-indicted-on-child-sexual-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/03\/former-gateway-church-pastor-robert-morris-indicted-on-child-sexual-abuse","title":{"rendered":"Former Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris Indicted on Child Sexual Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Robert Morris, founder and former pastor of the nearly 100,000-member Gateway Church in North Texas, has been indicted for child sex crimes dating back to the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Morris, 63, resigned his leadership in June 2024, following claims from an anonymous woman at the time that he abused her in 1982 when he was a traveling evangelist. His accuser, now known as Cindy Clemishire, said she was only 12 years old when Morris would stay with her family during his travels in Hominy, Okla. She claimed the abuse lasted four years.<\/p>\n

“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” said Clemishire, now 55. “Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”<\/p>\n

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond officially indicted Morris with five counts of “lewd or indecent acts with a minor” this week.<\/p>\n

In an official release<\/a>, Drummond said, “There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “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.”<\/p>\n

His office noted that the 35-year statute of limitations is not applicable in this case because Morris was not a resident of Oklahoma when he allegedly committed these offenses.<\/p>\n

When asked about the indictment, Gateway Church issued a written statement<\/a> to the Christian Post: “We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions. 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.”<\/p>\n

When allegations first arose, Morris admitted from the pulpit that he had “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.”<\/p>\n

At the time, he didn’t mention Clemishire’s age or the circumstances. However, Morris did add that he asked her and her father’s forgiveness, and “they graciously forgave [me].”<\/p>\n

Clemshire, now a 54-year-old grandmother, said she “was a little girl, a very innocent little girl.”<\/p>\n

In her interview with the Post, she said, “My father told him he’s lucky he didn’t kill him” and that she was “mortified” that Morris claimed he was given her father’s forgiveness.<\/p>\n

Shortly after his pulpit confession, the former adviser to President Trump resigned from the church and the Board of Directors he helped establish.<\/p>\n

In a text message to the national media, Clemishire’s attorney, Boz Tchividjian, said his client has been working with advocates for reformative action related to claims of childhood abuse.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know if they have gotten to the point of testifying committees,” he said. “But I have no doubt she will do so when that time comes.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robert Morris, founder and former pastor of the nearly 100,000-member Gateway Church in North Texas, has been indicted for child sex crimes dating back to the 1980s. Morris, 63, resigned his leadership in June 2024, following claims from an anonymous woman at the time that he abused her in 1982 when he was a traveling…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":26696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris Indicted on Child Sexual Abuse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris has been indicted for child sex crimes dating back to the 1980s.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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