The once prominent Southlake spiritual leader has spent nearly six months in jail for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s.
The once prominent spiritual leader has spent nearly six months in jail for sexually abusing a child in the 1980s. The 64-year-old Gateway Church founder had been serving a six-month term he was sentenced to in 2025 for five felony counts of child abuse in the 1980s.
The once prominent spiritual leader has spent nearly six months in jail for sexually abusing a child in the 1980s.. The 64-year-old Gateway Church founder had been serving a six-month term he was sentenced to in 2025 for five felony counts of child abuse in the 1980s.in the country as not only the face of Gateway, one of the nation’s largest churches, but as a noted author, radio and television personality and as a member of President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board during the 2016 presidential election. But in June of 2024, Cindy Clemishire went public with allegations that Morris had sexually abused her multiple times decades ago when she was 12 years old and Morris was a newly married preacher in his 20s. Later it was revealed that the abuse lasted for four years. A swift downfall proceeded for Morris and for his church. After initially denying Clemishire’s accusations, dismissing the actions as an inappropriate relationship with “a young lady,” Morris resigned from his position. At the time, a number of Gateway leaders denied any prior knowledge of the abuse, however, documents revealed later suggested otherwise.Frisco Lead Pastor Admits to ‘Sexual Sin and Moral Failure’ In March of 2025, Morris was indicted in Osage County on counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child and in October, he was sentenced to serve six months of a suspended 10-year sentence in an Oklahoma jail. At the time, Clemishire stated that “justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars.”Although Morris is arguably the highest profile pastor to fall from grace over the past two years, North Texas has seen an alarming number of church leaders representing all sizes of congregations get arrested or resign due to sexual misconduct. In September,in Frisco stepped down after church elders discovered “multiple breaches of collective trust and his pastoral responsibilities” related to sexual misconduct. In February, Arlington pastor Troy Hernandez was charged with sexual misconduct with a child. Morris’ six-month sentence was scheduled to end on April 2, but Osage County Jail officials confirmed to WFAA on Tuesday that Morris was indeed already released.. He’s held the position since November 2022. Since joining the team, Kelly has covered topics such as state and local politics, crime and public safety, education and immigration. A native Texan, Kelly has contributed to other publications including If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of essential stories and to investigate issues that matter.
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