Gateway Church briefly addressed the indictment against its former senior pastor and founder Robert Morris during worship services over the weekend.
On Wednesday (March 12), an Oklahoma grand jury indicted Morris on five charges stemming from his alleged sexual abuse of 12-year-old Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s. Morris was 21 at the time of the alleged abuse.
Morris served as Gateway Church’s senior pastor for 24 years before resigning on June 18, 2024, after Clemishire’s allegations came to light. Morris had previously described his relationship with Clemishire as “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” when he was in his 20s.
Nic Lesmeister, the church’s executive pastor of central and outreach ministries, told the congregation that “Gateway is no longer involved in this legal matter.”
“I wanted to just briefly update you related to the news that many of you seen by now—the media coverage of Robert Morris—and just let you know that we know that stirred up a lot of emotion for all of us,” Lesmeister said. “It stirred up a lot of emotion for us, and we want to be available to pray with you, to pray for you, to support you, to counsel you in any way that we can.”
“As we continue to move forward and heal and step into the great things that God’s doing in our church, just know that our team is available to you to pray with you,” Lesmeister said.
“Last November, our elders made it clear that we had drawn a bright line as a church and we were moving forward,” he added. “And because we’re moving forward, Gateway is no longer involved in this legal matter. We won’t be continuing to update you on the proceedings of the case, but we’re continuing to pray for everybody that’s involved and affected in this matter.”
RELATED: Robert Morris Expected To Turn Himself in After Oklahoma Authorities Issue Warrant
Lesmeister expressed gratitude to everyone who has been part of Gateway Church through the “highs and the lows.” He said, “We’re so grateful, and we know that God’s going to continue to do great things, as we’re all experiencing him doing in our church right now.”
