Dallas pastor resigns after allegations of 1980s sex abuse

Senior Pastor Robert Morris has resigned from Gateway Church after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her during the 1980s, the church’s elders said in a statement Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The board of elders said it accepted Morris’ resignation and hired a law firm to independently review the events.

What were the accusations? The woman, Cindy Clemishire, publicly accused Morris in interviews published by The Wartburg Watch blog on Friday and The Dallas Morning News on Saturday. They met when he was a traveling preacher in 1981, and he began preaching at her family’s church in Oklahoma, according to the interviews. She said he touched her inappropriately on multiple occasions from 1982 to 1987, with the abuse starting when she was 12 years old.

What is Gateway Church known for? Robert Morris founded the church in 2000. It describes itself as Bible-based, evangelistic, and empowered by the Spirit. The Dallas-based church meets in numerous locations, and according to the church website, more than 100,000 people attend each weekend.