On October 2, 2025, Robert Morris, founder of Gateway Church in Texas and influential evangelical figure in the United States, was found guilty of repeated sexual abuse at a hearing at the Tribunal of the County of Osage, Oklahoma. The alleged facts took place from December 1982 to 1987 and concerned Cindy Clemishire, then aged 12 at the time of the beginning of the abuse.
The Morris affair started in March 2025 with the official indictment, after an investigation by the Grand Jury, followed by the mobilization of the evangelical community and the increasing media coverage in the national and international press.
Robert Morris pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent acts and was sentenced to ten years in prison, including six months firmly to serve in the County of Osage, the rest at the edge, accompanied by a registration in the register of sex delinquents and a financial restitution of $ 270,000 to the victim.
He must also respect probation measures under the supervision of Texas, his state of residence. Gateway Church, despite its national scope, did not officially comment on the verdict, which upset the local community and strengthened the calls for institutional responsibility within large American churches.
The chronology of the case highlights the victim’s journey: abuse in a host family in Oklahoma in 1982, public revelation in 2024, then resignation from Morris du Pastorate on June 18, 2024. After a series of legal proceedings, including a civil network for damage to the tune of several million dollars initiated by the victim, the guilt of Morris was fully recognized in the court and public opinion.
