Gateway Church Pastor Resigns After Admission of Sexual Abuse

Robert Morris, senior pastor of Gateway Church in Texas, resigns following revelations of sexual misconduct with a child in the 1980s.

The Allegations:

• Cindy Clemishire accuses Morris of abuse starting when she was 12.
• Clemishire, now 54, shares her story in " The Wartburg Watch," a blog exposing Christian church scandals.
• The abuse allegedly continued for over four years.

Gateway Church Responds:

• The Board of Elders announces Morris' resignation, expressing regret for not knowing his past:

  "The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’s extramarital relationship...was with ‘a young lady’ and not abuse of a 12-year-old child...we regret that we did not have the information that we now have."

Clemishire's Response:

• Expresses "mixed feelings" about Morris' resignation, stating:

  "Though I am grateful...I am disappointed...He should have been terminated."

Legal Context:

• Texas law imposes no limitation on criminal charges for continuous sexual abuse of a young child (under 17).
• Texas Code of Criminal Procedure allows for charges, which have yet to be filed as of Thursday.