Allegations of a second child sex abuse case within a Texas megachurch are surfacing after initial allegations against a former senior pastor led to an big shakeup within the congregation. Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Christian Church near Fort Worth, allegedly started sexually abusing a girl in 1982, before Morris founded the church.
At the time, the girl was 12-years-old and Morris was in his early 20’s. The abuse allegedly continued until 1987.
An investigation reportedly revealed several people at the church knew but didn’t do anything about it. As a result of that investigation, four leaders in the church are now fired.
The church addressed it at its service Sunday, Nov. 3.
“When a church becomes centered around one pastor alone, it has lost its way and unfortunately we have come to the realization over the last few months that at some point in the past that our culture here at Gateway became one where power was centralized,” Tra Willbanks, an elder at Gateway, said. “The leader at the top was surrounded by people who wanted to protect him, some at all costs.”
Morris admitted that he engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior” and resigned from the church in June 2024.
He started Gateway in 2000.
It’s now one of the largest congregations in the country. Over 25,000 people attend services.
Morris has been a major player in the political world, as well.
He was on President-elect Donald’s Trump’s evangelical advisory board for his campaign in 2016.
In 2020, during Trump’s second presidential campaign, Morris took part in a roundtable discussion with Trump at Gateway.
