The son of Gateway Church founder Robert Morris and three members of the church’s elder board have been placed on temporary administrative leave pending an independent investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse against Morris. in statement Following the order issued by the Presbytery, Gateway Church retained the law firm of Haynes & Boone to conduct an impartial investigation, which recommended that elders with potential conflicts of interest, particularly relating to events from 2005 to 2007, temporarily step down.
Three current elders who served on the board at the time — Kevin Grove, Steve Dulin and Gayland Roche — have been placed on administrative leave following the investigation. Christian Post All three elders reportedly said they had no knowledge of the incident.
Meanwhile, Rev. Morris’ son, Rev. James Morris, also agreed to the furlough, not because he was an elder, but because of his family relationship with Rev. Morris.
Despite the resignations, the presbytery said the affected elders will maintain their roles as staff members of Gateway Church and contribute to the church’s mission and community service.
Last month, her grandmother, Cindy Klemisher, 54, Wartburg Watch Morris sexually abused her over a period of about four and a half years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12 years old. At the time, Morris was in his 20s and serving as an evangelist.
After the allegations came to light, Morris resigned from his pastorate in 1987 but returned two years later.
Klemischer confronted Morris about the incident again in 2005, but Morris accused her of trying to blackmail him. She also demanded $2 million in damages, which Morris never paid, despite him having previously asked her for the amount.
Morris resigned from Gateway Church on June 18 following Cremisher’s allegations.
Ethan Fisher, senior pastor at Gateway Church and Morris’ son-in-law, share He said his family had endured a “nightmarish” week after Mr Cremischer made the allegations public last Sunday.
Following Morris’ resignation, Fisher said he was also relieved of his positions as an apostolic elder and oversight elder at Gateway Church in Houston.
“Elaine and I are, of course, dealing with this as a family. Elaine is my daughter and I have done the best I can for her. As a son-in-law, I am dealing with this pain in real time, as are many of you,” Rev. Fisher told his congregants.
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