Son of Ex-megachurch pastor resigns amid father's child sex abuse allegations
The son of former Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris has stepped down from his position more than a month after his father admitted to having "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" 35 years ago.
James Morris and his wife, Bridgette Morris, are no longer pastors at Gateway Church, the Southlake, Texas megachurch said in a statement obtained by WFAA-TV.
“We as Elders affirm and believe that God has placed a desire in both Pastors James and Bridgette’s hearts to serve as senior pastors of a church at some point in the future," the statement said. "We love Pastors James and Bridgette and their children - we deeply care about them and sincerely thank them for investing their lives here at Gateway Church. They have faithfully and honorably served our congregation and this community through all the years that they have been part of Gateway Church.”
James Morris' resignation came a year before Robert Morris planned to turn over the leadership of Gateway Church to him, the TV station reported. The younger Morris has worked with the church in various roles since 2012.
Robert Morris resigned from Gateway Church on June 18, four days after 54-year-old Cindy Clemishire went public with allegations that Morris started molesting her when she was 12 and he was 21. Gateway Church appointed the Haynes and Boone law firm to conduct an independent and comprehensive inquiry relating to the allegations against Morris.
James Morris took 'temporary leave of absence' from Gateway Church last month
On June 28, at the advice of the church's attorneys with the Haynes and Boone law firm, James Morris took a temporary leave of absence from the Board of Elders because he is Robert Morris' son, Gateway Church shared in a Facebook post.
"Pastor James Morris is a man of integrity, and he has clearly stated that he had no knowledge of the true facts of this situation," the post said. "However, because Pastor James Morris is related to Robert Morris, Haynes and Boone has recommended that Pastor James also take a temporary leave of absence from the Board of Elders and Pastor James has volunteered to do so to demonstrate his commitment to a truly independent and unbiased inquiry."
In a Facebook post shared Thursday, the church wrote, "The independent investigation is still ongoing, but the Elder Board does have a few important updates they will be sharing during services this weekend."
What are the allegations against Robert Morris?
Cindy Clemishire first shared her story with the Wartburg Watch, a blog about sexual abuse within the church, and said Morris began sexually abusing her on Christmas in 1982.
Cleminishire said the abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987.
She told USA TODAY that she has been sharing her story for decades with leadership in "very large and high-profile" churches and organizations, but no one removed Morris from ministry or the pulpit. She decided to come forward publicly to encourage other possible victims of Morris' alleged actions to tell their stories, she said.
"I've always just trusted that God's timing would take it wherever it needed to go," she said about Morris. "Why hide?"