Southlake's Gateway Church has been embroiled in controversy following allegations of child sex abuse against its founder, Robert Morris. Morris stepped down from his position last week after reports that he had molested a 12-year-old child in the 1980s.
Following Cindy Clemishire's public disclosure of the alleged assault, which she said happened while she was between the ages of 12 and 16, Gateway Church has witnessed demonstrations and even more complaints of sexual abuse. The megachurch relocated to Southlake in 2003 after holding its first service at the Hilton Hotel in Grapevine in April 2000. According to Outreach magazine, after settling on its 64-acre site in 2010, it grew to become the ninth-largest church in the nation. Almost half of the auditorium was filled for the first Sunday service after Morris's resignation.
Religion scholars and campaigners who have dealt with church sex abuse crises in the past say that it depends on how much of its flock it can hang onto. Over 100,000 people attend services at Gateway's ten campuses every weekend, according to the company's website.
Warren Throckmorton, a former psychology professor at Grove City College, a Christian institution located in the town of the same name in Pennsylvania, published a lot about the 2014 collapse of Mars Hills Church in Seattle, which was caused by many accusations of verbal abuse and coercive conduct directed at church personnel and elders by pastor Mark Driscoll. "Gateway has a very real chance of succeeding because the public no longer has faith in Morris," he said. How much more should Gateway change its ways if Mark Driscolls' actions are enough to bring down Mars Hill Church? However, it is a larger company and organization than Mars Hill.
In the event that Gateway failed, it would not be the first in North Texas to fall apart due to a sexual scandal. Following allegations of sexual misconduct against pastor Ollin Collins in 1998, Watauga's Harvest Church had a decline in membership of more than thirty percent. After a change in leadership, membership somewhat increased, but the church is no longer in operation. Some who have been following the Gateway issue are less likely to think that Clemishire's accusations have alienated enough members of Morris' congregation to spell the end for the church.
Dee Parsons, a Wartburg Watch writer, believes that the church will eventually weather the storm, but she expects it to lose between 10% and 20% of its membership. She believes that there will still be enough "true believers" to sustain the church beyond Morris' passing.
Following Cindy Clemishire's public disclosure of the alleged assault, which she said happened while she was between the ages of 12 and 16, Gateway Church has witnessed demonstrations and even more complaints of sexual abuse. The megachurch relocated to Southlake in 2003 after holding its first service at the Hilton Hotel in Grapevine in April 2000. According to Outreach magazine, after settling on its 64-acre site in 2010, it grew to become the ninth-largest church in the nation. Almost half of the auditorium was filled for the first Sunday service after Morris's resignation.
Religion scholars and campaigners who have dealt with church sex abuse crises in the past say that it depends on how much of its flock it can hang onto. Over 100,000 people attend services at Gateway's ten campuses every weekend, according to the company's website.
Warren Throckmorton, a former psychology professor at Grove City College, a Christian institution located in the town of the same name in Pennsylvania, published a lot about the 2014 collapse of Mars Hills Church in Seattle, which was caused by many accusations of verbal abuse and coercive conduct directed at church personnel and elders by pastor Mark Driscoll. "Gateway has a very real chance of succeeding because the public no longer has faith in Morris," he said. How much more should Gateway change its ways if Mark Driscolls' actions are enough to bring down Mars Hill Church? However, it is a larger company and organization than Mars Hill.
In the event that Gateway failed, it would not be the first in North Texas to fall apart due to a sexual scandal. Following allegations of sexual misconduct against pastor Ollin Collins in 1998, Watauga's Harvest Church had a decline in membership of more than thirty percent. After a change in leadership, membership somewhat increased, but the church is no longer in operation. Some who have been following the Gateway issue are less likely to think that Clemishire's accusations have alienated enough members of Morris' congregation to spell the end for the church.
Dee Parsons, a Wartburg Watch writer, believes that the church will eventually weather the storm, but she expects it to lose between 10% and 20% of its membership. She believes that there will still be enough "true believers" to sustain the church beyond Morris' passing.
