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Gateway Church cancels conference after child sex abuse scandal

Gateway Church has scrapped its annual conference in response to allegations of child sexual abuse against founding pastor Robert Morris and the crippling fallout.
The Southlake megachurch announced on its website Wednesday that it made the decision to cancel the September conference after “much prayer and consideration” as it navigates the ongoing scandal.
“We are deeply sorry for the pain this situation caused the survivor, other survivors of abuse, and the Church at large,” the statement said. “As we seek to navigate this season in a healthy way and in a manner that promotes healing for everyone affected, we believe it best to not hold Gateway Conference this year.”
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The cancellation comes two months after Morris resigned over allegations that he sexually abused an Oklahoma woman, now in her 50s, when she was between the ages of 12 and 16. Morris had previously admitted to a “moral failure” and “inappropriate sexual behavior” early in his marriage and ministry.
Gateway has said in previous statements that the church did not have “all the facts” about the alleged abuse and that elders believed Morris engaged in a consensual affair. Church elders said they did not know how young the woman, Cindy Clemishire, was at the time of the alleged abuse.
The scandal has thrown the church, one of the largest in the country, into chaos in recent weeks. Morris’ son, James Morris, previously anointed to lead the church, resigned, and at least one founding elder parted ways with the church. Other elders have temporarily stepped down, at the recommendation of a law firm hired to investigate the allegations.
Robert Morris is a prominent televangelist and has been politically active. In 2016, Morris was named as a member of an advisory board — called the Evangelical Executive Advisory Board — for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The 25-member board was created to advise Trump on “issues important to Evangelicals and other people of faith in America,” according to a Trump campaign news release at the time.
He founded Gateway in 2000, and the church expanded to nine campuses across the Dallas-Fort Worth area and services online. The church has about 100,000 attendees each weekend, according to its website.
The church’s annual conference typically draws thousands of church pastors, leaders and staff members to “bless, empower and equip the local church,” according to the church’s Facebook page. Members attend seminars and participate in table talks and workshops.
Gateway said in its statement that it will issue refunds to those who have already registered. The cost of admission was not clear.
“We are sincerely sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment this causes,” the church said.

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