Morris immediately directed church staff to minimize her claims in a statement. "Robert Morris directed Gateway employees to release a statement that intended to minimize the severity of Cindy's claims in one final attempt to hide the truth," Willbanks said.

Concerns about Gateway Church founding pastor Robert Morris's behavior were raised nearly forty years ago, prior to the allegations of him sexually abusing a pre-teen girl in the 1980s. "What happened to Cindy Clemishire was heartbreaking and vile,

Gateway Church elder Tra Willbanks took to the pulpit to share a summary of the findings from law firm Haynes and Boone LLP. The firm was hired by the church in June, following the resignation of Gateway’s founder and then-senior pastor Robert Morris.

Gateway Church in Texas has removed multiple elders as the result of a four-month investigation into allegations the church s founder, Robert Morris, sexually abused a minor female for years

Elders at Gateway Church described the fallout of Robert Morris’ resignation as “an unthinkable and painful time in our church.” Even as attendance

Gateway Church removed four of its elders after receiving results of an internal investigation into the sexual abuse claims against founder Robert Morris, a church leader told the congregation on Saturday.

The removals are latest fallout at one of the country’s largest evangelical Christian churches from allegations made in June against Gateway's founding pastor, Robert Morris.