Gateway Church Cuts Staff Amid Robert Morris Scandal

Since child sex abuse allegations emerged against former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris, the church has seen a drop in attendance and donations. In a statement, the church said it's cutting back, starting with the elimination of Saturday services.

The church also said it would lay off staff, claiming that "restructuring of our staff is necessary, requiring the tough but necessary step of staff reduction."

"As we continue to strengthen our relationship with the Gateway Church family and community, we're making a shift at several of our DFW campuses by hosting our church services on Sundays only," the statement read.

"Our Southlake campus will continue to offer both Saturday and Sunday services, and midweek services will remain to serve our communities at all our campuses. This adjustment will allow us to minister to and love our congregation well while prioritizing the needs of our individual campus communities."

According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, in December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting Hominy, Oklahoma, with the family of Cindy Clemishire, the alleged victim who was 12 at the time. Morris was 21. The indictment alleges Morris’s sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years.

Clemishire detailed her abuse in The Wartburg Watch, a blog focusing on nefarious issues in Christian churches. The alleged abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987, Clemishire said.

"After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child," Clemishire said in a statement to the Oklahoman after the indictment was made public.

Plaintiffs, Cindy Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, filed a lawsuit last month in Dallas County District Court against former megachurch evangelist Robert Morris and Gateway Church leaders.

According to the civil suit, the church was aware of Morris' alleged misconduct, concealed it, and profited significantly, earning millions from what it describes as his moral failings and the alleged assault of the plaintiff, Cindy Clemishire.

The lawsuit names Gateway Church, Robert Morris, Robert Morris' wife Deborah Morris, Thomas H. Miller, Jr., John D. Willbanks III, Kevin Grove, Jeremy Carrasco, Kenneth W. Fambro II, Gayland Lawshe, Dane Minor, Lawrence Swicegood, Steve Dulin and the Robert Morris Evangelistic Association Inc.

"We filed this lawsuit on behalf of Ms. Clemishire because, while criminal charges continue to progress, Morris and those who conspired with him deserve to be held civilly accountable for their actions as well," said S. Alex Yaffe, one of the attorneys serving Clmeshire. "The lawsuit and the crimes alleged speak for themselves, and we look forward to seeing justice served for the Plaintiffs in this case."

Former North Texas-based Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris believes his previous employer owes him money.

Gateway Church, the former employer of ex-pastor Robert Morris, filed a request last May in Tarrant County to stop an arbitration related to his indictment on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor this past March.

According to reports, the church argues that Morris is strong-arming the church to pay him $1 million in postponed payments and additional retirement benefits, which are estimated between $600,000 to $800,000. Morris's arbitration also seeks to obtain the intellectual property rights to books he authored, recorded sermons, social media accounts tied to the pastor, the domain addresses pastorrobert.com and PSRobert.com.

Gateway Church said in its petition that Morris's contract was invalidated due to the accusations and criminal charges against him, relieving the church of any obligation to pay him.

"Shortly after the troubling revelations about his past conduct came to light last year, Robert Morris reached out to Gateway Church with a series of substantial financial demands," according to a statement by the church shared with CBS News Texas.

"Gateway Church has chosen not to meet those demands. In response, Robert Morris has filed a lawsuit in arbitration seeking financial compensation. His claims are false and do not reflect accountability for the impact of his actions on the community. We are filing our own response to this lawsuit, affirming our commitment to addressing these issues thoughtfully and thoroughly. We recognize the pain that has been felt by so many, and we are dedicated to maintaining the trust of our church family as we navigate this situation."

Additionally, Gateway argues that Morris bypassed a crucial step outlined in their agreement — mediation. According to the church, the contract required both parties to attempt resolution through mediation before resorting to arbitration. Instead, Morris proceeded directly to arbitration through a new entity that Gateway asserts was not part of the original agreement.

Gateway further maintains that certain claims made by Morris, including alleged verbal promises, are not supported by any written contracts and therefore should not be subject to arbitration.

The church is requesting a Tarrant County judge to halt the arbitration process and declare that Morris lacks the authority to compel arbitration. Gateway is also seeking reimbursement for attorneys' fees incurred during the proceedings.