SOUTHLAKE (TX)
Fort Worth Report [Fort Worth, TX]
July 26, 2024
By Marissa Greene
Jared King and his family were active members at Gateway Church for 11 years. That changed in June, after King saw news reports that the church’s founder and senior pastor, Robert Morris, had been accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.
The family appreciated the worship music and the community built with other congregants at the church, but has not attended in-person worship services since. One of King’s reasons for not returning to Gateway was that James Morris, Robert Morris’ son, was set to become senior pastor and succeed his father as leader of the church.
“I wouldn’t be supportive of attending the church if the Morris kids are in charge, just because I think the church needs to just move on,” King said. “I think the only way to save the church is if you just bring in somebody new.”
The Morrises will no longer follow through on plans to lead Gateway, according to a July 25 announcement by church elders. James Morris and his wife, Bridgette Morris, have resigned from their positions and will not take over from Robert Morris. Prior to their resignations, James Morris served as the church’s associate senior pastor and Bridgette was its executive pastor.
“We as Elders affirm and believe that God has placed a desire in both Pastors James and Bridgette’s hearts to serve as senior pastors of a church at some point in the future,” Gateway’s board of elders said in a statement.
Max Lucado, a Christian author and San Antonio pastor, is to step into an interim teaching pastor role at Gateway Church, the statement said. Joakim Lundqvist, a pastor for Word of Life Church who has been a guest speaker for Gateway, is to join Lucado in “teaching and preaching, as well as taking on a more pastoral role with our staff,” the statement said.
Jared King and his wife, Jamie King, said they see the decision as a step in a “better direction.” However, the couple said they are still awaiting answers about their concerns regarding the church’s financial state and whether James and Bridgette Morris were given severance payments to step down.
“I hope I’m wrong, but if you’re really trying to seek restoration in the church with current members, then transparency has to be 100% in all areas,” Jamie King said.
A spokesperson for Gateway did not immediately respond to questions about whether James and Bridgette Morris were offered a severance agreement.
Until their questions are answered, the Kings have decided not to return to in-person services at Gateway and have visited other churches. But they have watched Gateway’s services online in efforts to stay up to date.
Road to recovery is no “quick-fix,” expert says
There is no “quick-fix” to this form of crisis, Victor Vieth, a staff member at the Zero Abuse Project and director for the Center for Faith & Child Protection, said by email. In the aftermath of a scandal involving child abuse, congregants, especially those who have experienced child abuse themselves, are at a “significant risk to be spiritually wounded and perhaps leave the church or even abandon their faith altogether,” he said.
There are steps a church can take to demonstrate a willingness to improve, Vieth said. He pointed to actions like hiring an independent investigator with significant experience in addressing child abuse to assess what happened and commiting to releasing a public report.
Churches should commit to utilizing outside experts in training clergy and leadership on trauma-informed care and to reviewing child protection policies, Vieth said.
Developing working relationships with children’s advocacy centers and other child abuse experts who can assist the church with ongoing education and other resources to address the needs of child and adult survivors of abuse can be important steps as well, he said.
“The church should commit to growing its knowledge of how to address theologically the spiritual impact of child abuse which includes trauma informed sermons, Bible studies, and pastoral care which is coordinated with appropriate medical care and mental health care,” Vieth said.
Concerns over accountability
Robert Morris nominated his son, James Morris, to the elders in February 2022 to be his successor. James Morris was originally set to begin his role as Gateway Church’s senior pastor in spring 2025.
Gateway Church hired law firm Haynes and Boone to conduct an investigation following the allegations made against Robert Morris. Before James Morris’ resignation, the firm had recommended he and three other elders temporarily step down from the board.
Stephen LeBlanc, a former pastor at Gateway Church, has been outspoken in calling for church leadership to be held accountable. LeBlanc was executive pastor at the Southlake-based Gateway Church for nearly three years starting in 2011. He’s now senior pastor of Sherman Bible Church, just over 70 miles from Southlake.
LeBlanc has told media outlets that one of his reasons to resign from Gateway Church was a disagreement over doctrine. LeBlanc told the Report that he wants the church’s leadership to be held accountable for its previous decisions in making James Morris his father’s successor.
“Staying in that role would have proven impossible for (James Morris) and destructive to his family,” LeBlanc said to the Report in a social media direct message. “The eldership of (Gateway) should be held accountable for lying about what God supposedly told them in 2022.”
Gateway Church released a statement on Facebook addressing congregants that the “independent investigation is still ongoing” and that there are plans for the church’s board of elders to provide an update during its weekend service.
Gateway and its board of elders have not addressed the continued employment of Morris’ daughter, Elaine Fisher. She remains a leadership pastor for the Gateway Church campus in Katy, a suburb of Houston. Josh Morris, Robert Morris’ son, was a pastor at Gateway Church’s Southlake campus but is no longer listed on its leadership staff.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, it’s not your fault. You are not alone. Help is available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE or visit the Online Hotline, y en español en rainn.org/es.