Megachurch Pastor Admits To Committing Sexually Inappropriate Behavior To 12-Year-Old

A Texas megachurch pastor has admitted to having inappropriate sexual behavior with a 12-year-old.

Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, admitted to having sexually inappropriate behavior with Cindy Clemishire when she was just 12, and the abuse lasted to she was 16.

Morris admitted his horrific actions after Clemishire told the Wartburg Watch she was groomed for abuse when she was just 12.

In a statement to the Christian Post, Morris shared, “When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying.”

“It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,” added Morris.

Breaking! Megachurch Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church Accused of Child Sexual Abuse. Leaked memo to staff:  “It Was Kissing and Petting” See the story: https://t.co/FPKyIo0flq pic.twitter.com/Mdoz9rbxuh

— Protestia (@Protestia) June 15, 2024

Last week, 100k people may have attended Gateway Church, but after finding out Robert Morris is a confessed child molester, they will no longer be America’s largest megachurch.https://t.co/z5C8J17zrO

— Evangelical Dark Web (@EvangelicalDW) June 16, 2024

The New York Post had more details to add:

A Texas megachurch pastor has admitted previously having “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” after being accused of repeatedly molesting a family friend starting when she was just 12.

Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in Southlake and a one-time spiritual adviser for Donald Trump, confessed after Cindy Clemishire told the Wartburg Watch that she was allegedly groomed for abuse that continued for four years until she was 16.

“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying,” he told the Christian Post, a dismissive description that “appalled” his accuser.

“It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,” said the pastor, whose church attracts an estimated 100,000 worshippers each week.

“This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years.”

Robert Morris, who preaches at the megachurch Gateway Church, said he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, but he said he sought forgiveness and counseling. https://t.co/YU659tB7jt pic.twitter.com/GykdKhPS2j

— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) June 17, 2024

Per Christian Today:

Gateway Church did not address allegations of past abuse—or “moral failure”—by its senior pastor, Robert Morris, when it gathered to worship this weekend, just a couple days after a woman who said he molested her starting at age 12 in the 1980s shared her account online.

The Southlake, Texas–based megachurch made a last-minute change so that its executive pastor, Kemtal Glasgow, could take the stage instead of the guest speaker, Albert Tate, who was scheduled as a part of Gateway’s summer series and who was himself placed on leave last year by his church in California over inappropriate text messaging.

Glasgow, who said he was on his way to church when he got the call that he would be filling in that day, preached about patience, listening, and waiting on the Lord. His message was broadcast across Gateway’s 10 campuses, which draw around 25,000 people in-person each week. He did not mention Morris or any abuse allegations.

Morris, 62, founded Gateway in 2000, and it has grown to become one of the biggest megachurches in the US. He also has a global following, thanks to his programs broadcast on Christian TV and radio. Morris formerly served as a faith advisor to President Trump and had been an advisor for Mark Driscoll’s new church.