In a stunning courtroom admission that has reverberated through evangelical circles, Robert Morris, the once-revered founding pastor of Texas megachurch Gateway Church, pleaded guilty Thursday to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The charges stem from allegations of sexual abuse against a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s, a scandal that first erupted last year and forced his abrupt resignation.
Morris, now 64, entered the plea in Osage County District Court in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, before Judge Cindy Pickerill. Under a negotiated agreement, he faces a 10-year sentence, though only six months will be served in the county jail. The rest? Suspended, with strict probation to follow. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution to his victim, Cindy Clemishire, who has long accused him of repeated assaults beginning in 1982 during his time as a traveling evangelist.
Indeed, the fallout from these revelations has been swift and severe. Gateway Church, which Morris built from a small Bible study group in 2000 into a sprawling network drawing some 100,000 weekly attendees across multiple campuses, saw its leadership in turmoil. His son, James Morris, resigned from his role as successor amid the chaos, and several elders stepped aside for an independent probe. Donations plummeted, leading to fresh layoffs announced just months ago—a stark reminder of the church's plunging fortunes post-scandal.
Moreover, Morris's ties to former President Donald Trump, as a spiritual adviser during his White House years, added a layer of national intrigue. Yet, for all his influence—broadcasting sermons to millions worldwide—the pastor's past caught up inexorably. Indicted in March 2025 after Clemishire's public accusations, he turned himself in briefly, posting $50,000 bond before this week's reckoning.
However, the church itself faces ongoing scrutiny, with separate settlements over unrelated abuse claims and questions lingering about how Morris's behavior was handled internally for decades. As Gateway vows to rebuild, one can't help but wonder if trust, once shattered in such profound ways, can ever truly be restored in these shadowed halls of faith.