Barring a miraculous amount of forgiveness and forgetfulness, Pastor Robert Morris is probably done as a senior pastor. He faces five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child for the allegation from Cindy Clemishire. In 1982, Morris, then a traveling evangelist, stayed at her house and began abusing her for five years. Clemishire was 12 years old when the alleged abuse began; Morris was 20 years old.
Now that he is without the church he founded in 2000 and grew to 100,000 members, he needs to consider his future. Whether that’s as a free man or forced to be in the custody of the state of Oklahoma remains to be seen. Regretfully, it’s the former at the moment.
According to newly released court documents, Morris’ lawyers demanded that the non-denominational megachurch in the Dallas suburb of Southlake cough up millions of dollars in “financial commitments” less than two months after the pastor resigned. This could be his last paycheck, and Morris is directing his lawyers to get him paid.
Should he get the money if that agreement did take place? Does he deserve a golden parachute despite the black eye he gave that church and the shattered heart he allegedly gave Clemishire?
Before we delve into those questions and gain an understanding, stay in touch with faith-based issues that hit “close to home.” Subscribe to our free newsletter and never miss what’s being said about the Church and being done in the Church—and what real Christians can say and do in return to defend the love and work of Christ.
It’s a Matter of Trust
According to the CBS News affiliate in Dallas (KTVT CBS 11), Morris’ legal team has been busy. They filed a new complaint in Tarrant County District Court last week. The claim is the Board of Elders (many of whom are gone) agreed in September 2024 to give Robert Morris over $1 million in accrued retirement benefits, per the Dallas Morning News.
Morris attests through his attorneys that he was verbally promised an annual retirement benefit of $800,000 until he turns 70. Then, he will receive $600,000 until he and his wife, Debbie, die.
From that, the church argues that Morris is “strong-arming the church” with these claims and other writs. Morris seeks to obtain the intellectual property rights to books he authored, recorded sermons, URLs and social media accounts tied to the pastor.
Gateway Church isn’t selling Robert Morris’ teachings or writings on any of its national campuses for transparency’s sake. And it’s doubtful people are visiting his social media handles for inspiration. Yet, the beleaguered pastor claims that IP should be worth millions of dollars.
“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 Daily Oklahoman after the indictment was made public. Spokespeople from Gateway Church note that “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.”
Get that? A series of demands.
The September letter Morris’ attorneys sent to the church alleges that Gateway elders had known the facts of the allegations as far back as 2005 and knew the victim’s age in 2011. The letter also claims that a recording exists of Morris from early 2024 when he “recounted the details of his encounters with Ms. Clemishire – including her age – to multiple Gateway employees, including at least one elder.” (CBS Texas)
To their credit, Gateway Church is not willingly giving Robert Morris a dime amid the church’s fight for survival.
“We are filing our own response to this lawsuit, affirming our commitment to addressing these issues thoughtfully and thoroughly,” Gateway said. “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.”
If Morris intended to be in any pulpit, he should think. These comments should be in the privacy of a courtroom. Yet, “there is death and life in the power of the tongue.” Well, his tongue is providing Morris with a death knell to his legacy. Excluding present-day thinking about the man, that church has done remarkable things for millions. Many God-fearing people were there when Morris was the pastor. Many others have stayed to keep the doors open for millions more.
For such a wise man, Robert Morris should reconsider this move. If there was an agreement, settle it. If there is a parachute, pull the cord and go away. He loved the Lord despite the allegations from yesterday or today’s actions. Prayerfully, he’ll use some reserved intellectual property to think about remaining souls and ask God what’s best for them.
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