Gateway founder Robert Morris surrenders to Oklahoma authorities on child sex abuse charges
Former Gateway Church lead pastor Robert Morris surrendered Monday to Oklahoma authorities on child sexual abuse charges on which he was indicted last week.
Morris, who resigned last year from the North Texas megachurch that he founded, planned to turn himself in to authorities in Osage County, his attorney, Mack Martin, told the Associated Press. Martin declined to comment on the charges but told the AP that he would enter a not guilty plea on Morris’ behalf.
The 63-year-old former pastor was booked into the Osage County Jail shortly before 8 a.m. on Monday, March 17, and released on bond, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Morris was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. if convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison on each charge.
A judge in Osage County set Morris’ bond at $50,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport, according to court records. His first court appearance has been scheduled for May 9.
Morris’ resignation from the Southlake-based church in June 2024 came days after Cindy Clemishire publicly accused him of sexually abusing her as a child in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12 years old.
The indictment by a multi-county grand jury on five counts of was released by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday, March 12, and lists several dates between December 1982 and January 1985 on which Morris allegedly abused Clemishire. The indictment refers to the victim by her initials.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said. “This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done.”
When he was in private practice, Drummond represented Clemishire, who is a family friend, in a failed attempt to negotiate a settlement with Morris in 2005, NBC News reported.
In a statement to media outlets on March 12, Clemishire said, “After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable. My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail.”
At the time the abuse allegedly began in December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist who visited Clemishire and her family in Hominy, Oklahoma, authorities said in a news release. The indictment alleges that Morris’ sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued for the next four years.
A statute of limitations does not apply in the case because Morris did not reside in or inhabit Oklahoma for any period of time, the Attorney General’s Office said.
“We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions,” Gateway Church officials told the Star-Telegram in a statement. “We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all of those impacted by this terrible situation.”
In a statement to The Christian Post after Clemishire made the allegations public last year, Morris said, “When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years.”
In 2000, Morris founded Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and it grew to become one of the largest churches in the United States.
Four of the church’s elders were removed by the board in November 2024 after an independent investigation revealed that the elders had knowledge of Morris’ behavior prior to Clemishire speaking out.
Since then, the church has hired four new interim elders as it continues searching for a new lead pastor.
“You might get tired of me saying this, but this is something we want to get right, not fast,” church elder Tra Willbanks said at the time.
The Oklahoma charges come nearly a month after Morris asked a federal judge to dismiss a fraud lawsuit filed against him, Gateway Church and others over the church’s tithing practices, according to court documents.
The lawsuit, filed by members of the church in October 2024, stems from allegations that Gateway was not transparent with its finances and misrepresented how donations were spent despite generating $100 million in revenue in the past, according to The Christian Post.
The suit also alleges that the church does not honor a “money back guarantee” policy it was said to have on tithes.
Lawyers for Morris argue that the lawsuit infringes on religious freedoms and that Morris never made any kind of enforceable agreement that would require him to return money to donors, according to court documents.
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas dismissed one defendant — former elder and pastor Kevin Grove — from the lawsuit, but has yet ruled on dismissal motions from Morris or the church, according to court documents.
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 10:16 AM.
