Gateway Church and founding elder part ways in the latest of a series of exits
Gateway Church and one of its founding elders have parted ways in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal involving former pastor Robert Morris.
Leaders of the Southlake megachurch met with Steve Dulin this week and decided to “go in a different direction” regarding the 63-year-old’s role as elder and staff member, the church announced in a statement obtained by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Dulin, who was the executive pastor of the Gateway Kingdom Business Leaders Ministry, has been on a temporary leave of absence from the North Texas church’s board since the end of June.
“We love Steve, his wife Melody, and their family and sincerely thank them for investing their lives here at Gateway Church,” the statement said. “They have faithfully served our congregation, our community, and our church through the years.”
Following Robert Morris’ admission that he sexually abused Cindy Clemishire when she was a child in the 1980s, Gateway Church hired the law firm Haynes & Boone LLP to conduct an independent investigation.
The firm recommended that anyone who served on the board of elders between 2005 and 2007 — the time period in which Clemishire said she reached out to Gateway about Morris’ abuse — temporarily step down during the investigation.
Dulin and two other elders volunteered to take a temporary leave of absence at that time, the church said in a June 28 statement.
“Each of these three Elders has clearly stated that they had no knowledge of the true facts of this situation,” the statement said.
Robert Morris’ son James Morris also stepped down from the board of elders at the recommendation of the law firm. The church announced James Morris’ resignation in a statement last week.
Gateway elder Tra Willbanks told the congregation Sunday that James Morris and his wife, Bridgette Morris, were leaving the church to establish a new one somewhere else.
He also apologized for the church’s initial characterization of Clemishire as a “young lady.” He said the church is praying for her and that Robert Morris’ actions were unacceptable.
Robert Morris, who founded Gateway Church in 2000, resigned from his position as lead pastor on June 18. Clemishire, who is now in her 50s, told the religious watchdog blog The Wartburg Watch in June that Morris abused her for four years in Oklahoma and Texas beginning when she was 12 and Morris was 21.
When Clemishire confronted Robert Morris with her intention to file a civil lawsuit in 2005, his attorney responded by saying the abuse was Clemishire’s fault, according to an email. After she asked for $50,000 to reimburse her for counseling, Morris and his attorney said they would provide $25,000 if she signed a non-disclosure agreement, which Clemishire refused, The Wartburg Watch reported.
North Texas leaders including former Southlake mayor John Huffman urged Robert Morris to resign after Clemishire’s allegations came to light.
Two well-known evangelical leaders - Max Lucado and Joakim Lundqvist — will serve as interim pastors until a replacement can be found for Robert Morris, the church told its congregation Sunday.
This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 12:15 PM.
