Earlier this year, Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was shaken to its core after controversy surrounding its founder, Pastor Robert Morris, came to light. However, the son of Robert Morris, James Morris, is picking up the pieces and attempting to plant a new church after stepping down from leadership at Gateway last month.
James and his wife Bridgette recently launched a new website explaining their goal to create a fresh ministry in the wake of the controversy at Gateway. The family noted that they are waiting on God to instruct them further on how to kickstart the initiative.
“We are excited to announce the beginning of an extraordinary journey that started as a dream in our hearts to be pastors of a vibrant church passionate about the presence of God and filled with people who love God and love people. We believe God gave us this dream and many prophetic words, beginning when we were young, for such a time as this,” James and Bridgette Morris said. “We are taking time to rest, pray, and hear from the Lord after this last season. We are filled with anticipation, expectation, and hope as we hear from God about when, where, and how to plant a church,” according to Morris’ new website.
The website further quoted a piece of wisdom from the book of Proverbs about trusting in the guidance of God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6″ the website added.
The Christian Tribune has reported extensively on the fallout from the controversy around Pastor Robert Morris who was accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a young girl in the 1980s. “When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years,” Morris said, confessing his actions.
He continued, “In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counseling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area,” Morris added.The Texas pastor said that he sought forgiveness for his actions. “I asked their forgiveness, and they graciously forgave me,” he said.
Elders at Gateway Church previously said, “Pastor Robert has been open and forthright about a moral failure he had over 35 years ago when he was in his twenties and prior to him starting Gateway Church. He has shared publicly from the pulpit the proper biblical steps he took in his lengthy restoration process.” The impact of Morris’ moral failure resurfacing continues to have negative impacts on his ministry.
Featured image credit: Jared Stump, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gateway_Church_NRH.jpg