Shortly after news of the allegations broke, Daystar Television Network pulled Morris‘ programming from its broadcasting schedule. On June 28, Gateway elders announced 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” in order to avoid a conflict of interest with the investigation.
On July 3, Gateway Church elders and Pastor Robert Morris Ministries announced that “all future radio and television broadcast ministry from Pastor Robert Morris Ministries has been cancelled.”
RELATED: Televangelist James Robison Denies He Knew Robert Morris Allegedly Committed Child Sex Abuse
Within the past week, it has come to light that two months prior to Morris resigning, Gateway Church settled a sexual abuse lawsuit that involved a minor and that Gateway Church’s Prison Ministries Campus Pastor, Stephen Wilson, is a convicted sex offender who has served time for attempting “indecency with a child.”
Max and Denalyn Lucado Encourage Gateway Congregants
Max Lucado focused his sermon on the biblical account of Joseph, who trusted God with the suffering and betrayal he experienced. “Dear church, lift up your eyes,” said the pastor, exhorting Gateway Church members to keep God at the center of their struggles. Lucado applied his sermon to any painful life circumstance someone could be going through, whether unemployment, divorce, or anything else.
Lucado shared stories of people he knows going through such pain and even shared how his wife found healing after a period of depression. That was a particularly difficult trial for her because “congregants expect the wife of the pastor to radiate joy and bite bullets.” However, Denalyn persevered through that pain with honesty and transparency, eventually finding healing.
Before her husband preached, Denalyn told congregants that she wanted to “speak God’s Word” over them, and she quoted Isaiah 40:28-30. She then led everyone in prayer, getting on her knees as she began, with her husband joining her.
“Lord Jesus, we bow before you today because you are the authority. You are sovereign, God. We humble ourselves before you so you can lift us up in due time,” Denalyn prayed. “Lord, we love this church. You love this church, and I want to ask you to pour out your mercy, your grace, your goodness, your care. You are our caregiver. You are every heart’s caregiver.”
Denalyn asked God to meet each person “where they have need. There’s sorrow, we admit. Can we just admit? We’re sad. We’re sorrowful. We grieve. We hear things, we see things that make us sad.”
