SOUTHLAKE (TX)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
June 17, 2024
By Julie Roys and Sheila Stogsdill
Embattled Texas megachurch Pastor Robert Morris has resigned as an overseer at Church of the Highlands (COTH), the largest church in Alabama, following allegations he sexually molested a girl 40 years ago.
Morris remains a pastor at his Texas megachurch, Gateway Church. Repeated inquiries by The Roys Report (TRR) to Gateway have received no response.
In a statement released to former Baptist leader Wade Burleson, which was shared with TRR, COTH’s trustees, who are non-staff elders, stated that they were unaware of “this part of (Morris’) past.”
They added, “After being made aware of the disturbing media reports, Highlands trustees and overseers immediately initiated a due diligence process that included reaching out to Gateway’s elders. Before the scheduled follow-up meeting to determine changes in our governance structure, Pastor Morris resigned as an overseer of Church of the Highlands.”
The resignation comes on the heels of a bombshell confession that Morris allegedly sexually molested Cindy Clemishire, now a 54—year-old grandmother of three from Oklahoma.
The molestation reportedly began in 1982, when Clemishire was 12, and continued for four years.
In a statement released last week to Gateway staff, Morris confessed to a decades-old “moral failure,” calling it “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a “young lady.”
Morris added that he stepped down from his ministry position in March 1987 and then returned to the ministry two years later after a restoration process.
COTH is the flagship church of the Association of Related Churches (ARC) pastored by Chris Hodges, a member of ARC’s Lead Team. Though Gateway has never officially been an ARC church, Morris has long served as an overseer of COTH. Morris and Hodges have also spoken at each other’s churches and at conferences and events sponsored by their respective organizations.
In 2015, Morris and Hodges appeared together on a panel at a Gateway Conference on “Restoring Fallen Leaders.” In that discussion, Morris said pastors should respond to fallen leaders with a “spirit of gentleness, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted.”
Hodges advised that fallen pastors need a “clear path” to restoration. Morris agreed, adding that fallen pastors also need assurance of “a goal” if they complete the process. “I’ve seen fallen leaders restored many, many, many times. It really can be done.”
As TRR has reported previously, Hodges’ church spent $4.5 million on a lodge to “restore” pastors, and Hodges has said restoring pastors is what he wants to be “known for.” Over the past few years, numerous ARC pastors have been embroiled in sexual scandals.
Shocking allegations of abuse
Morris’ alleged abuse happened in Oklahoma and Texas between 1982 and 1986 and was reported to Shady Grove Church in 1987, where Morris was the pastor.
Shady Grove, a church in Grand Prairie later became Gateway’s Grand Prairie campus.
In an interview with TRR, Clemishire accused Morris of touching her inappropriately and said the abuse escalated over four years to rape by instrumentation.
Morris, 62, has not been criminally charged in either state. The statute of limitations for Oklahoma has expired, but Texas recently passed a law stating there is no statute of limitations for sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child, and indecency with a child.
Morris admitted in a statement “in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying.” Morris described the behavior as “petting and not intercourse” and said it happened “on several occasions over the next few years.”
He added, “Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area.”
Morris added that he “confessed and repented of” his actions and stepped down from his ministry’s position for two years in March 1987. He said he also received counseling and returned to the ministry in two years later with the blessing of the “young lady’s” father.
However, Clemishire said her father did not “bless Morris returning to the ministry.”
“We are instructed to forgive – but that does not mean my father gave his blessing. He wanted to kill him,” Clemishire said.
Julie Roys is a veteran investigative reporter and founder of The Roys Report. Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance journalist and contributor to The Roys Report.