Statements to the Congregation
July 27, 2024
Update to the Gateway Congregation from the Elders
Thank you for your patience as we have deliberated, sought the Lord in prayer, and met with wise counsel regarding next steps for the church. During weekend services on July 27–28, 2024, we provided important updates to the congregation on the future, specifically where Gateway is right now, where the church is going in the next six months, and a vision for long-term plans.
We chose to communicate these important updates to the Gateway Church staff first during a staff meeting on Thursday, July 25, and desired to share the updates with the congregation in person rather than written or video communication.
Before addressing any other updates, we want to publicly apologize to Cindy on behalf of the entire church for the pain she has endured. We apologize for the initial communication which was incorrect. Additionally, two weeks ago, Gateway released a comment referring to the abuse as “an inappropriate relationship.” This was not correct, either. We want to clarify that we believe the incident was in fact sexual abuse of a child, and any description falling short of that does not reflect our or Gateway Church’s position. We are in no way trying to cover up or minimize the situation, and we want to thank Cindy for coming forward and bringing her experience to light.
The independent investigation is ongoing, and all parties involved are fully cooperating. While that work continues, there is an important question that the church can and should address now: where do we go from here? The Elders have diligently sought the Lord in prayer and believe that obedience to Him is our highest priority. Our focus has been to prioritize what we are hearing from the Lord, even at the expense of speedy communication. Through this process, there has been a consistent thread, and the Elders are in unity for the path forward.
The Elders met with James and Bridgette, and the decision was jointly made that they would both step down from their current positions at Gateway and from leading Gateway in the future. This was a decision that was reached together. As you can imagine, the last several weeks have been extremely weighty for them and their family as they have navigated an unthinkable situation. As everyone moves forward to pursue healing, Gateway Church continues to express their deep love and appreciation for James and Bridgette.
As we look to the future of Gateway Church, we are extremely blessed to have two incredible leaders and pastors who have graciously agreed to step in and serve our staff and congregation as interim co pastors for the next six months.
Pastor Max Lucado from Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, has agreed to step into an interim teaching pastor role where he’ll be sharing and teaching at Gateway Church regularly about twice a month. He is one of the world’s most respected pastors and Christian authors, and we are honored that he would come to Gateway to help us during this season. He is a humble servant of Jesus, and we believe God has called him to Gateway for this season.
Serving alongside Pastor Max will be Pastor Joakim Lundqvist from Word of Life Church in Upsala, Sweden. In addition to taking on preaching responsibilities, he is going to also serve in a pastoral capacity alongside the staff of Gateway. He plans to be in the office three days a week serving beside our staff. As we met with Pastor Joakim, it became increasingly clear God has called him to Gateway in this season. He has a deep love for this church and our staff, and he can’t wait to be with us. He was one of the first pastors who reached out to us at the beginning to help in any way he could.
As for a long-term plan, we will be launching a search for our next senior pastor immediately. This will be a formal search to find our next senior pastor whom God has called to lead Gateway forward. We expect this search to take some time. We intend to be very deliberate in hearing the Lord as we want His plan for Gateway to prevail, and we will give you updates as things progress. We believe God is preparing this person right now. We don’t know who it is, but we are grateful we serve a God who knows. God has been faithful to bring the right people to Gateway Church for this season, and we believe He will continue to be faithful.
The Bible talks many times about seasons, and each of these leaders is stepping into new season in their lives. As we step into a new season together, please don’t let your hurts from the last few weeks drive you away from the Church. God is not done with Gateway Church. The Elders are committed to being obedient to God and serving the church in humility. We are waiting expectantly on the Lord. As we step into this new season, the Elders want to encourage the congregation and staff to step into a season of prayer, fasting, and worship. Campus pastors will provide more details as they become available.
June 28, 2024
Update to the Gateway Congregation from the Elders
Thank you for your grace, prayers, and support for all members of our Gateway Church family in recent days. The Gateway Board of Elders is committed to leading with integrity and humility as we navigate this difficult season together.
As we previously informed you, Gateway Church has appointed the outside law firm Haynes and Boone to conduct an independent and comprehensive inquiry related to the recent events. As Haynes and Boone begins their work, they have recommended that any Gateway Church Elder with a potential conflict of interest take a temporary leave of absence from the Board of Elders. This includes any Elder with a relational conflict and those Elders who were on the Board from 2005–2007. Haynes and Boone made this recommendation consistent with best practices for inquiries of this nature. A leave of absence in no way whatsoever assumes or implies that any Elder had any knowledge of the true facts related to this situation.
Three of our current Elders are impacted by the law firm’s recommendation. These three Elders did not serve on the Gateway Church staff in 2005, only on the Board of Elders during the time period of 2005–2007, but they are wholly committed to doing what is best for Gateway Church. These Elders desire to go above and beyond to help ensure that everything possible is done to conduct the inquiry impartially and consistent with best practices. For this reason, these Elders have volunteered to take temporary leaves of absence from the Board. These three Elders—Kevin Grove, Steve Dulin, and Gayland Lawshe—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.
In addition, Haynes and Boone has recommended that Pastor James Morris also take a temporary leave of absence from the Gateway Board of Elders. Pastor James Morris is Gateway’s newest Elder and was not an Elder between 2005–2007. Pastor James Morris is a man of integrity, and he has clearly stated that he had no knowledge of the true facts of this situation. However, because Pastor James Morris is related to Robert Morris, Haynes and Boone has recommended that Pastor James also take a temporary leave of absence from the Board of Elders and Pastor James has volunteered to do so to demonstrate his commitment to a truly independent and unbiased inquiry.
We are grateful to these four Elders for their leadership, their service on the Board, and for their commitment to honoring God and doing what is best for Gateway Church. During this temporary leave of absence, these four Elders will continue their important work as valued staff members at Gateway Church.
The Elders are praying for you and asking God to be with each of you in this season. We know that God is still on His throne. He continues to be our firm foundation, and we are standing firmly on that foundation now and in the days and weeks to come. We know that He loves and cares for every one of you. We are praying for you as you continue looking to God as your Source of hope and strength.
June 21, 2024
Dear Gateway Church family,
The Board of Elders wants to reach out to you personally to address the recent events in our church and to provide you with an update.
This is an unthinkable and painful time in our church. Our church congregation is hurt and shaken, and we know that you have many important questions. We want to answer as many of your questions as we can at this point, and we ask that you continue to extend us grace as we navigate through the most challenging time in Gateway’s history.
The details that have recently come to light are deeply disturbing. We continue to pray that God will bring peace, comfort, and healing to everyone who has been affected. We know you are grieving just as we are. We know that so many of you have been impacted and affected. We are here for you, we are praying for you, and we love you.
The Board of Elders has taken a series of steps that we want to update you on.
First, the Board of Elders called a special meeting and accepted the resignation of our senior pastor Robert Morris this past week. Gateway Church is committed to protecting people—first and foremost children and the most vulnerable. Abuse simply cannot be tolerated. We believe that God created every man and woman equally in His image, and that every single person should be treated with respect and honor. God has called us to be known by our love for one another.
Second, the Board of Elders has retained the law firm Haynes and Boone, LLP to conduct a thorough and independent inquiry so that the facts can be understood. Even though this abuse occurred many years before Gateway was established, the Elders are committed to finding the truth and holding people accountable. Regrettably, prior to Friday, June 14, the current Elders did not have all the facts. The Board of Elders is deeply committed to walking in integrity and finding the truth. Having this inquiry done by an independent and unbiased outside law firm is best practice. This review has begun, and the Board of Elders pledges its full cooperation.
We are truly heartbroken by what has come to light over the past few days, and we again express our deep sympathy to the victim and her family. We understand many are hurting, and we are so very sorry. It is our heartfelt prayer that, in time, healing for all those affected can occur. We also know that the past few days have been extremely difficult for many of you and that there is deep hurt and pain being experienced. We know processing and healing are going to take time. Through it all, please know that we deeply love the Gateway congregation, and our desire is to grieve with you and walk through this season with you.
We are grateful for how God has used Gateway to minister to so many people over the decades. Countless people have seen marriages restored, hearts healed, and discipleship occur. We are humbled by what God has done through our church members and staff. While we are deeply saddened by this situation, we are committed to help bring healing and restoration to everyone affected. We have a long legacy of providing ministry and hope for so many. It is our prayer and belief that this legacy will continue in even greater ways in the days to come. Our heart remains the same: to see people saved, healed, set free, discipled, equipped, empowered, and serving. We remain steadfast with this mission and vision, set our eyes on Jesus, and walk forward in faithfulness
The Elders have asked Joakim Lundqvist to preach this weekend at Gateway. Pastor Joakim is a respected global leader, and he will be preaching to our church family and offering us an important message for this unthinkable time. In the next few weeks, we will have other guest leaders minister to our congregation. We are grateful to the global faith community which has shown us so much support during this painful time.
Please be praying for those affected, including Cindy Clemishire, her family, the Morris family, Gateway members, staff, and others. Pray that God will heal the brokenhearted, as He promises to do in Psalm 147:3. Be comforted by God’s promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Keep loving God and His people. Remember that God brings beauty from ashes. He loves Gateway Church and He will get us through. He is the God of redemption and restoration.
We know God is on His throne—even when it seems all around us is shaking. He is our firm foundation, and we are standing firmly on that foundation in the days and weeks to come. We know that He loves and cares for every one of you, and we as Elders love and care for you as well. Our hope in the Lord remains steadfast, and we encourage you to continue looking to Him as the Source of hope and strength.
May God bless and comfort our church family during this time.
Gateway Church Board of Elders