Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma on Wednesday. The indictment stems from allegations made by Cindy Clemishire last June that he sexually abused her over multiple years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.
“In December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy with the family of the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. The indictment alleges Morris’ sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years. In all, Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child,” a statement from the Office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond shared with The Christian Post on the charges against 63-year-old Morris, said.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Drummond, who once served as Clemishire’s attorney as she sought to get justice in the past. “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.”
Gentner’s office noted that the statute of limitations is not applicable to the charges against Morris because he was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time.
Reacting to the indictment, Clemishire, now a 54-year-old grandmother who has been pushing to hold Morris accountable for decades, said she is grateful for the indictment some 43 years later.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable,” she said in a statement to CP. “My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail.”
Gateway Church released a statement shared with CP late Wednesday, saying: “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 of those impacted by this terrible situation.”
Morris resigned from Gateway Church on June 18, 2024, just days after Clemishire reported that he began sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982. She said the abuse continued for four-and-a-half years before it came to light. But Morris was later allowed to return to ministry.
When questioned by CP about the allegations, Morris initially confessed to being involved in “inappropriate sexual behaviour with a young lady” more than 35 years ago. He said he repented and was restored to ministry.
“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behaviour with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years,” Morris said.
“In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counselling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area,” Morris added.
Clemishire insisted to CP at the time, however, that she was no “young lady.”
“I was 12 years old. I was a little girl. A very innocent little girl. And he was brought into our home. He and his wife, Debbie, and their little boy, Josh, and trusted and preached at the church that my dad helped start and then began grooming all of us to do this, which took me decades to wrap my brain around as an adult,” she said.
Elders at Gateway Church also initially told CP that Morris was transparent with them about his past and they believed he had been biblically restored to ministry. In their statement announcing his resignation on June 18, 2024, however, the elders said Morris did not reveal that he had abused a 12-year-old girl.
“Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, [2024], the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse. The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’s extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with ‘a young lady’ and not abuse of a 12-year-old child,” the elders explained.
Gateway Church subsequently authorized an independent investigation into the allegations against Morris, and last November, Gateway Elder Tra Willbanks announced that multiple elders were removed from the church as he presented an overview of the four-month internal investigation.
All but three Gateway elders, he said, had some knowledge about Morris’ encounter with Clemishire and “failed to inquire further.” Some, he said, allegedly knew that Clemishire was a child when she was abused prior to her going public.
“We now know that there were elders and employees at Gateway who knew before June 14, 2024, that Cindy was 12 at the time of the abuse,” Willbanks said. “Both groups are fundamentally wrong and simply cannot and will not be tolerated at Gateway Church.”
