Robert Morris, Gateway must try to agree on arbitrator in pay dispute: judge
Gateway Church and former lead pastor Robert Morris must try again to settle an arbitration dispute over Morris’ retirement pay, a Tarrant County district judge ruled Thursday.
The parties have another 30 days to attempt to find an arbitrator who meets both of their specifications.
Morris wants to use a “Christian arbitrator” from the religious group International Christian Concern, according to court documents filed in May. The group bills itself on its website as a ministry that exists to “bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians.”
The church is reluctant to agree to private arbitration because it believes the outcome should be public, given “newsworthy stuff” in the case, Gateway Church attorney Ronald Breaux argued at the hearing, KERA News reported.
The Southlake-based megachurch and its attorneys want to use someone from the American Arbitration Association or a district judge to settle the matter. Attorneys for Gateway argued in May that the church should not be compelled to arbitrate before the ICC because the group that previously owned it had ceased to exist, according to court documents.
An attorney for Morris said at the hearing Thursday that the parties have a “snowball’s chance in heck” of reaching an agreement with each other, according to KERA News.
Part of what contributes to the slim odds is the fact that Morris is seeking to move the process forward using Christian arbitration, while Gateway wants to use a standard legal approach, Morris’ attorney Bill Mateja told the Star-Telegram.
Christian arbitration is distinct from other forms of arbitration because it relies on the Bible as the authoritative guideline and focuses on reconciliation as an end goal, Mateja said, adding that Christian arbitrators are sometimes called “conciliators.”
At Thursday’s hearing, 352nd District Court Judge Josh Burgess asked the parties to attempt to find and agree on a Christian arbitrator to settle the matter. Morris was open to proceeding that way, his attorney said.
Mateja also believes Gateway will not agree to any kind of Christian arbitration, whether the arbitrators come from the ICC or elsewhere, he told the Star-Telegram via phone Thursday evening. This, the attorney claimed, is in violation of the terms of Morris’ benefits.
The arbitration dispute is one of a number of legal matters that arose amid the fallout from allegations that Morris sexually abused a child in Oklahoma in the 1980s. Morris resigned from the church shortly after accuser Cindy Clemishire, now grown, came forward with her story last summer.
Morris argues that the church is using those allegations to get out of paying him and his wife a multimillion-dollar retirement package, the Star-Telegram previously reported. Lawyers for the church argue that Morris’ agreements with Gateway preclude him from those benefits if he resigned or was fired because of immoral behavior.
Clemishire and her father are also suing Morris in civil court, claiming Morris and the North Texas megachurch profited from concealing the alleged abuse. In that suit, the Clemishires are seeking in excess of $1 million in damages.
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In addition to the dispute over his retirement pay and the civil suit filed by Clemishire, Morris also faces five felony charges of lewd or indecent acts to a child in the state of Oklahoma.
Attorneys representing Gateway Church in the retirement pay dispute could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
A Gateway Church spokesperson declined to comment.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 5:36 PM.
