Texas Megachurch Removes 4 Elders from Leadership Following Abuse Investigation: 'Will Not Be Tolerated'

Mar. 15, 2025

Getaway Church in Texas.Photo:GoogleMaps

GoogleMaps

A Texas megachurch has removed four church elders from its leadership after the organization hired a law firm to conduct an private investigation into thesexual abuse claims against its founder.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, Gateway Church elder Tra Willbanks announced the elders' removalsduring a service in Southlake, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Morris has admitted he had “inappropriate sexual behavior" with a “young lady” in the 1980s after a woman named Cindy Clemishire previously alleged to WFAA he abused her from 1982 to 1987. Morris did not admit to abusing Clemishire, but did resign from the church.

Pastor Robert Morris in 2020.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Willbanks said that three out of the four elders removed from the church either knew about Morris' incident with the alleged victim or “failed to inquire further.”

“We now know that there were elders and employees at Gateway who knew before June 14, 2024, that Cindy was 12 at the time of the abuse. Both groups are fundamentally wrong and simply cannot and will not be tolerated at Gateway Church,” Willbanks told the congregation, per the outlets.

“To our knowledge, there are no other victims of Robert Morris other than Cindy Clemishire,” he added.

Willbanks also reportedly said that the church is cooperating with an ongoing criminal investigation.

Although Willbanks didn’t specifically name the elders who were removed from the church, both outlets reported that the names of Elders Kevin Grove, Thomas Miller, Jeremy Carrasco and Gayland Lawshe had been removed from Gateway’s website.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

A previous June statement from the church clarified that three elders who were on Gateway’s board of elders from 2005 to 2007 — Grove, Dulin and Lawshe — took voluntary, temporary leaves of absence from the board following the law firm’s investigation.

“These three Elders … are men of integrity who have served Gateway Church with distinction, and each of these three Elders has clearly stated that they had no knowledge of the true facts of this situation,” the statement read in part.

Clemishire’s attorney Boz Tchividjian previously toldNPRthat in addition to the current investigation, Clemishire had tried settle a civil claim against Morris in 2007 related to the alleged abuse, but she eventually walked away because he wanted her to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Morris founded Gateway Church in 2000, according to thechurch’s website. The church now has several locations across the country.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com