Gateway Church is pledging greater financial transparency in the wake of a class action lawsuit filed against four current and former pastors at the church over how Gateway has allocated donation money.
The lawsuit alleges that although Gateway promises to allocate 15% of all donations to local and global outreach efforts, it has failed to do so. The suit further alleges that leaders of the church have regularly promised that Gateway would return donations if donors were not satisfied with how their money had been spent, but the church has also failed to make good on that commitment.
In response to the lawsuit, church elder Tra Willbanks told the congregation over the weekend that Gateway is currently in an application process to join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), a financial accreditation organization for nonprofit organizations, and that the church is investigating the allegations made in the lawsuit.
To start his announcement, Willbanks said that when he received the news of the lawsuit, it prompted “a moment of reflection” that was “kind of discouraging.”
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“But when I think about what I believe the Lord is doing in this place, and I think about this worship that we just entered into, I’m encouraged,” Willbanks said.
“I want to tell you, personally,” Willbanks said, “that despite the news, I still give to Gateway Church. I am all in on this church. And the elders are all in on this church.”
Willbanks went on to express that the decisions of the leaders moving forward are not about “protecting an institution” but about “being obedient.”
Willbanks expressed that “some” church members have “raised concerns about Gateway’s financials and stewardship” and acknowledged that the new lawsuit “raises more questions and concerns.”
As such, Willbanks said it was necessary to “share relevant facts.” Willbanks said that a third-party audit has been conducted on Gateway’s finances from 2005 to present and that no “wrongdoing” has been “revealed.”
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As to the allegations made in the suit by a former employee that Gateway willfully ignored concerns about financial transparency, Willbanks said, “To this point, we have not been able to corroborate any of those specific allegations, but this work is still ongoing.”
