Scott Gerber, a former member and volunteer at the Frisco, Texas, location of Gateway Church, is scheduled to go on trial in Indiana next month for allegedly molesting children. Although the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the 65-year-old was a Gateway employee and served on the children’s altar prayer and prophetic teams, a spokesperson for the megachurch said that’s inaccurate.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse, which some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Lawrence Swicegood, executive director of Gateway Media, told ChurchLeaders that Gerber “was a member and volunteer but not in the students or children’s area.” He added that Gerber “is not and has never been a Gateway employee despite a media outlet publishing incorrect information without first verifying employment status.”
A warrant for Gerber’s arrest was obtained in April 2023 in Howard County, Indiana. His jury trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 4.
Gateway has been embroiled in scandal since June, when senior pastor Robert Morris resigned amid sexual abuse allegations. Since then, several key figures have left the church, which has also been named in abuse-related lawsuits.
RELATED: Gateway Church Named in New Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault at Youth Group
Former Gateway Volunteer Faces Molestation Charges in Another State
The arrest warrant revealed detailed accounts from victims who allege that Scott Gerber sat them on his lap and then touched them underneath their clothes. Two children told sheriff’s deputies about Gerber molesting them in 2020, claiming he didn’t stop when they asked him to. Both of those children said Gerber told them to keep the touching a secret.
Another minor recalled being touched inappropriately by Gerber in February 2023. That child told family members what happened, leading to a confrontation with Gerber. According to the arrest warrant, officials have screenshots of text messages exchanged between Gerber and a family member. Gerber wrote, in one, “I deserve for you and your family to never consider me again.” In another, he wrote, “No excuses shame and fear gripped me.”
Court records indicate that Gerber was charged with two counts of molesting a child under age 15.
When ChurchLeaders asked Swicegood about any allegations in Texas, he replied:
To our knowledge, there were no and are no allegations against [Gerber] in Texas. As soon as we learned he was under investigation in another state, we asked him not to return [to Gateway] until the allegations were investigated and his name was cleared. He never returned as a volunteer nor to attend a church [service].
In June, abuse advocate Amy Smith posted, “Apparently Gateway Church didn’t inform members of his arrest.” When ChurchLeaders asked Swicegood about that, he replied, “Because at the time we asked [Gerber] not to attend any longer until the investigation from another state was completed, we did not feel the need to inform members of the allegation that had not been confirmed at the time.”
Other Gateway Volunteers: We Were Shunned for Speaking Out
Smith has participated in protests outside Gateway Church to support survivors of sexual abuse. On her watchkeep.org blog, she described meeting a mother and daughter who formerly attended Gateway’s Frisco campus. Anita Nishee and Nicole Nishee told Smith they reported news of allegations against Gerber to Gateway leaders in February 2023.
