Former megachurch pastor from Gateway Church, Robert Morris, was released on $50,000 bond after he surrendered yesterday morning to authorities following his indictment of five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
According to ChurchLeaders, Morris’ attorney, Mack Martin, plans to enter a “not guilty plea,” and Morris is expected to return to court on May 9 at 10 a.m.
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Before Morris turned himself in, Gateway Church addressed Morris’ indictment.
As the Christian Post noted, Nic Lesmeister, the executive pastor of global outreach at Gateway, discussed the legal issues regarding Morris.
“We know that stirred up a lot of emotion for all of us,” he said. “It stirred up a lot of emotion for us and we want to be available to pray with you, to pray for you, to support you, to counsel you in any way that we can.”
Prior to Morris’ indictment, he had pushed to have a lawsuit dismissed regarding the church’s “money-back guarantee” regarding tithes and offerings. This came after he stepped down as the Pastor of Gateway Church in June of last year after admitting to the sexual abuse allegations made against him by Cindy Clemishire.
Gateway Church originally made a statement that they were “heartbroken and appalled by what has come to light.”
Since the downward spiral of Robert Morris, many of the elders and staff at Gateway were removed from their positions for having had prior knowledge that Morris was engaging in sexual acts against a minor. While Morris repeatedly discussed that he had engaged in immoral conduct with a young woman, he failed to mention Clemishire’s age over the years of telling his story.
Continue to lift up all those involved in this case in prayer, including Gateway Church as they navigate a new season and seek new leadership.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
