On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Landon Schott, senior pastor of Mercy Culture, shared that he visited disgraced former pastor Robert Morris in an Oklahoma prison. Reflecting on the visit, Schott described it as “deeply personal” because of the impact Morris has had in his life.
Schott and his wife, Heather, founded Mercy Culture church in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2019. Since then the church has grown to nine campuses. Schott also serves as the president of Mercy Culture Prep and Mercy Culture Spiritual Leadership School and is the author of “Jezebel: The Witch is Back.”
Morris, founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to five felony counts of child sex abuse. While ministering as a traveling evangelist in his early 20s during the 1980s, Morris sexually abused a family friend’s 12-year-old daughter on several occasions from 1982 to 1987.
RELATED: Robert Morris Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse, Will Spend 6 Months Behind Bars
Morris’ abuse was made public Friday, June 14, 2024, after The Wartburg Watch released the testimony of Cindy Clemishire, the now-adult woman Morris sexually abused when she was a minor.
The former Gateway pastor will serve only six months of his sentence.
Landon Schott: ‘Even in This Situation, the Gospel Is Being Preached’
Schott posted on X, “Religious people won’t like this post!”
Alongside a selfie taken in front of a sign for the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, Schott shared an Instagram post about his visit with Morris.
“Today was deeply personal for me. I visited Pastor Robert Morris in prison,” Schott said. “Before we ever started Mercy Culture Church, the Lord spoke to me very clearly. He told me to go get Pastor Robert Morris’ blessing. I obeyed. That assignment turned into a year internship at Gateway Church. The elders laid hands on me and prayed over Mercy Culture before it was ever public.”
Years later, Schott said he asked the Lord why he sent him to Gateway and the Lord answered, “To save your future.”
RELATED: Gateway Church Learned of Robert Morris’ Crime in 2005, Says Abuse Survivor Cindy Clemishire
Schott went on to explain, “There were principles, structures, and guardrails I needed to see up close. Things I believe will help keep Mercy Culture healthy, faithful, and steady for generations.”
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Schott said that while he was on a prayer run the day Morris was sent to jail, the Lord asked him if he knew what day it was.
“I checked the calendar,” Schott said, “It was Rosh Hashanah. The Hebrew new year. The beginning of the Days of Awe leading into Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.”
The Lord Tells Landon Schott That Robert Morris Has Been ‘Forgiven’
“The Lord spoke to me, ‘I have forgiven him,’” Schott continued. “Then I found out he would be released the week of Easter and Passover. The week we celebrate the Lamb. The blood. The cross. The resurrection.”
