Gateway Church Pastor Morris Admits to Molesting 12-year-old
In a candid revelation, Robert Morris, the prominent megachurch pastor from the Dallas area, has acknowledged engaging in “sexually inappropriate behavior with a young woman” during the 1980s. The allegations stem from a woman named Cindy Clemishire, who claims that Morris molested her when she was just 12 years old.
Pastor Rapes and Impregnates 12-Year-Old Stepdaughter
Clemishire's painful ordeal began on Christmas Day in 1982 and persisted until 1987, when she finally confided in her parents. The Wartburg Watch, an online church watchdog, brought her story to light last Friday.
Morris, a senior pastor at Gateway Church and a former member of Donald Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board during the 2016 campaign, did not disclose the victim's name or age in his statement. However, he admitted to inappropriate sexual behavior that included kissing and touching—though not intercourse—over several years.
Gateway Church Pastor Morris Admits to Molesting 12-year-old
The scandal came to light in 1987 while Morris was serving as a pastor at Shady Grove Church, which has since become one of Gateway Church’s 11 locations.
In March of 1987, this situation was exposed, and I confessed and repented.
He voluntarily stepped out of ministry and sought counseling and freedom ministry. Since then, he claims to have walked in purity and accountability.
Clemishire's family forgave Morris, but they did not support his return to ministry. Gateway Church facilitated a two-year “restoration process” for Morris following his moral lapse in his twenties.
In 2016, Morris was part of Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, and he even led a prayer at a roundtable event held at Gateway’s Dallas campus in 2020. Whether he will participate in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign remains uncertain.
Gateway Church's website indicates that Morris’s son, James Morris, will assume senior pastor duties starting in 2025, while the elder Morris will continue as a weekend speaker.
