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Gateway Church (Texas)

Coordinates: 32°56′21″N 97°07′17″W / 32.939123°N 97.121525°W / 32.939123; -97.121525
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Gateway Church
Service in 2011
Map
CountryUnited States
DenominationNon-denominational charismatic
Websitegatewaypeople.com
History
Founded23 April 2000 (Easter)
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Vacant

Gateway Church is a non-denominational, evangelical Christian multi-site megachurch based in Southlake, Texas, near Fort Worth.[1] As of 2023, it was ranked as the 9th largest in the United States, with attendance of 25,805.[2] In 2024, its founding pastor, Robert Morris, resigned after allegations of past sexual abuse of a minor.[3][4]

History[edit]

On September 16, 1999, Pastor Robert Morris began to plan an evangelistic church in Southlake, Texas. Gateway Church's first service was held on Easter morning, April 23, 2000, at the Hilton Hotel in Grapevine. Approximately 180 people attended the service. The church grew, and moved to an old movie theater in Grapevine. In June 2003 the church moved into its first permanent building, a 600-seat, 64,000-square-foot (5,900 m2) facility on Southlake Blvd. In 2010 Gateway opened its current facility, a 64-acre (26 ha) property with a 4,000-seat sanctuary.

In 2017, Gateway Church downsized their staff by 10-15 percent.[5]

Campuses[edit]

Worship in 2010, old Southlake Campus

In 2008, the church began work on a new main campus located along State Highway 114. The project included a 4,000-seat sanctuary. It opened on November 13, 2010. [6] Mark Jobe, father of contemporary Christian singer Kari Jobe, serves as the Campus Pastor.[7]

In early 2019, Gateway Church announced it was starting a ministry inside the Coffield Unit, the largest prison in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It is open to minimum security inmates (and, with special permission, medium security inmates) but all inmates may obtain church materials.[8] The church also ministers at the Estes Unit outside of Venus.[9] Stephen Wilson, who earned his masters from Liberty University[10] and has ministered in prisons previously,[11] serves as the leader of both of these prison efforts. The church uses the term 'campus' in describing each prison outreach program.

Robert Morris allegations[edit]

On June 15, 2024, Robert Morris admitted to what he characterized as a "moral failure" involving a pre-teen girl (described by Morris only as a "young lady"[12]) that is alleged to have occurred from 1982 through 1987 when he was a young minister. This alleged serial sexual abuse occurred over a five-year period, beginning when the child was 12 years old and ending when the child was 17.[13] This admission appeared shortly after his accuser, Cindy Clemishire, accused Morris of molesting her for four and a half years dating to December 1982, when Clemishire was 12 years old.[14][15] Morris described his behavior as mere "petting" while the victim alleges eventual "rape by instrumentation"[16] (penetration that is not intercourse). The alleged victim is now in her 50s. In a statement reportedly sent to church staff by the elders of the church, the elders said that: “Since the resolution of this 35-year-old matter, there have been no other moral failures ... Pastor Robert has walked in purity, and he has placed accountability measures and people in his life. The matter has been properly disclosed to church leadership.”[17]

Shortly after the church elders learned additional details of the allegations, including the alleged victim's age and length of the supposed abuse, Robert Morris tendered his resignation, which was accepted.[18]

Evangelical Daystar Television Network announced it was removing all Robert Morris programming from its broadcast schedule.[19][20] Morris programs were broadcast every day except Saturday.[21]

Ministries[edit]

The King's University at Gateway[edit]

The King's University was founded in 1997 by Jack W. Hayford.[22] in Van Nuys, California. In September 2012, The King's University at Gateway was launched. The school offers full accredited undergraduate, master's, and a doctorate degree.[23]

Gateway Worship[edit]

Main article: Gateway Worship

Gateway Church utilizes its worship band to lead worship services and create original music that it sells on a commercial record label. Its Live album God Be Praised was released on November 9, 2010,[24] with Japanese, Korean and Portuguese versions released in 2012.[citation needed] The live album, Walls, which was released on October 2, 2015, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums Chart.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Charlotte Stewart (November 13, 2010). "New building opens at Gateway Church". Longview News-Journal. p. C1.
  2. ^ "Outreach 100". Outreach. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Trivett, Abby. "BREAKING NEWS: Robert Morris Resigns as Pastor of Gateway Church". Charisma. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Hixenbaugh, Mike (June 18, 2024). "Pastor Robert Morris resigns from Gateway Church after child sex abuse allegation". NBC News. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Nicholas Sakelaris. "Southlake-based Gateway Church confirms it will cut staff by 10-15 percent". Star-Telegram. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  6. ^ "Gateway Church opens new campus". MySouthlakeNews.com. November 25, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  7. ^ "Mark Jobe". Gateway Church. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "Gateway Church Seeing Revival, 500 Salvations at Its New Prison Church Campus". CBN News. February 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "Gateway Church". gatewaypeople.com.
  10. ^ "Gateway Church". gatewaypeople.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  11. ^ "Texas megachurch opens new campus in maximum-security prison: 'Our brothers and sisters in Christ'". Fox News. January 31, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  12. ^ "Southlake megachurch pastor Robert Morris accused of sexual abuse in the 1980s". Dallas News. June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  13. ^ "Southlake megachurch pastor Robert Morris accused of sexual abuse in the 1980s". Dallas News. June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  14. ^ Blair, Leonardo (June 15, 2024). "Pastor Robert Morris confesses to "moral failure" after woman claims he began molesting her at age 12". The Christian Post. Christian Post. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  15. ^ "I Was 12 Years Old and Wearing My Pink Pajamas When Robert Morris, Now of Gateway Church, Began to Molest Me. The Alleged Abuse Lasted for 4 1/2 Years". The Wartburg Watch. June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Stogsdill, Sheila (June 15, 2024). "BREAKING: Gateway Pastor Robert Morris Admits 'Moral Failure' After Allegations of Sexually Abusing 12-Year-Old". The Roys Report. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Southlake megachurch pastor Robert Morris accused of sexual abuse in the 1980s". Dallas News. June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  18. ^ Rogers, Chase (June 18, 2024). "Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris resigns after sex abuse allegations surface". The Dallas Morning Times.
  19. ^ dee (June 19, 2024). "Daystar Television Network Is Removing All of Robert Morris Programming and Broadcasting". The Wartburg Watch. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  20. ^ @Daystar (June 19, 2024). "A Statement from Daystar Television Network" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Blair, Leonardo (June 20, 2024). "Daystar Television removes Robert Morris content from network after child sex abuse allegations". The Christian Post. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Moore, S. David (October 1, 2020). Pastor Jack: The Authorized Biography of Jack Hayford. David C Cook. ISBN 978-0-8307-8112-6.
  23. ^ "TKU – Accreditation and Assessment". TKU.edu. 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  24. ^ a b Billboard AllMusic

External links[edit]

32°56′21″N 97°07′17″W / 32.939123°N 97.121525°W / 32.939123; -97.121525

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