Gateway Church Members File Financial Fraud Lawsuit Against Robert Morris, 3 Other Pastors

Robert Morris Gateway Church
Screengrab via YouTube / Robert Morris Ministries

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On Friday (Oct. 4), a group of Gateway Church members filed a class action lawsuit against Robert Morris, Thomas M. Lane, Kevin L. Grove, and Steve Dulin.

Of the four Gateway Church pastors being sued, only Grove remains at the church. He is currently the church’s executive global pastor.

In June, Morris (63), who founded Gateway, resigned as senior pastor after allegations came to light that he abused a 12-year-old in the 1980s. Morris was in his early 20s at the time of the alleged abuse.

RELATED: Robert Morris Resigns as Gateway Church’s Senior Pastor Following Sexual Abuse Allegations

On July 31, Gateway Church announced that it had parted ways with Steve Dulin, who had served as the church’s executive pastor of kingdom business leaders. Dulin was a founding elder at the church.

Gateway Church Members File Lawsuit Claiming Financial Fraud

The lawsuit was filed by both current and former members of Gateway and claims that the church “falsely promised members that 15% of congregational tithe would be spent on foreign missionary work when, in fact, it was not.”

“This lawsuit is about transparency, brought by members whose concern is not money in their pockets but rather biblical stewardship,” the complaint states. “Then-Senior Pastor Robert Morris and Gateway leaders represented that 15% of all tithe dollars would be distributed to global missions and Jewish ministry partners, encouraging church members to generously give toward these ends.”

In an email to ChurchLeaders, a representative of the plaintiffs said the lawsuit would “represent at least $15 million annually from what is believed to be the church’s $100 million annual revenue.”

RELATED: Money Back Guarantee Tithing? Guest Preacher Robert Morris Challenges Willow Creek to Give With Full-Refund if Unsatisfied

The plaintiffs allege that the church failed to properly allocate these funds, and “church leaders have never allowed a professional, independent audit of the foreign ministry fund’s assets, despite numerous discrepancies that have been reported in the church’s accounting procedures.”

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Jesse T. Jackson
Jesse is the Senior Content Editor for ChurchLeaders and Site Manager for ChristianNewsNow. An undeserving husband to a beautiful wife, and a father to 4 beautiful children. He serves as the chairman of the deacons, a growth group leader, and is a member of University Baptist Church in Beavercreek, Ohio. Follow him on twitter here (https://twitter.com/jessetjackson). Accredited member of the Evangelical Press Association.

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