Pirtle shared that he had hoped that when he expressed his love for James and Bridgette that it would result in the congregation reacting the way it did.
RELATED: Robert Morris Resigns as Gateway Church’s Senior Pastor Following Sexual Abuse Allegations
Pirtle told Gateway Church, “We’re a family…and we can walk through anything together. So thank you for being here. Thank you for being online. It’s an honor to walk this out with you.”
“There are great days ahead. I’m super excited for where we’re going as a church,” Pirtle said.
The Gateway Church elders accepted Robert Morris’ resignation from Gateway Church on June 18, four days after allegations came to light that he had abused a 12-year-old in the 1980s.
On June 28, Gateway Church’s board of elders released a statement informing the congregation that Robert Morris‘ son, James, along with elders Kevin Grove, Steve Dulin, and Gayland Lawshe, had “volunteered to take temporary leaves of absence from the Board” while the law firm Haynes and Boone, LLP conducts an independent inquiry related to Robert Morris’ past.
James, along with the other elders, claim they had no knowledge of Morris’ alleged abuse prior to the publishing of abuse survivor Cindy Clemishire’s testimony on June 15.
