Where is Pastor Robert Morris?

Last year, Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church pleaded guilty to allegations of child sexual abuse and was handed a 10-year sentence. However, he will reportedly serve only six months in the Osage County Jail in Oklahoma, where the abuse took place.

Pastor Robert Morris 

I have turned this over and over in my mind, wondering what must have gone wrong.

Let me make a personal confession: I admired Pastor Robert Morris. I enjoyed his teachings deeply. I had the Gateway app installed on my phone and listened to his messages almost daily—right up until the day I heard that he had been implicated in a child abuse scandal that reportedly occurred in the early years of his ministry.

I was shocked.

I genuinely believed Pastor Robert Morris was a man of God. Yet, I also believe there were unresolved issues that God wanted him to confront—issues that were perhaps hidden, minimized, or buried in an attempt to protect reputation. For years, everything appeared to be going well. He was nearing retirement, had chosen his second son, James Morris, as his successor, and the ministry seemed firmly established.

Then everything unraveled.

Cindy Clemishire eventually came forward more forcefully with her story.

According to her account, the abuse began on Christmas Day in 1982, when she was 12 years old. At the time, Morris was a 21-year-old traveling evangelist who was close to her family and stayed in their home in Hominy, Oklahoma.

Clemishire stated that the abuse continued for over four years and described it as emotionally, spiritually, physically, and psychologically manipulative. She has said it involved “kissing and petting,” and later disclosed that Morris digitally penetrated her.

She also shared that she was groomed—along with her family—and placed in what she described as a “prison of silence,” being told, “You can never tell anyone, or it will ruin everything.”

Cindy at 12

The fallout was devastating.

Pastor Robert Morris was forced to resign from Gateway Church, the ministry he founded. The church was placed under new leadership, his children were reportedly asked to step away from the church, and eventually, he was sentenced to jail.

Personally, I believe God allowed this matter to come fully into the light.

Knowing the nature of God, I believe He must have given warnings—opportunities to make things right, to take responsibility, to seek true accountability. But when truth is delayed and justice is deferred, exposure often becomes inevitable.

This does not mean God delights in humiliation. Rather, Scripture shows us that God disciplines those He loves.

God is just. He cares deeply about how we treat others—especially the vulnerable. And too often, in an attempt to preserve our reputation, we compromise. We minimize wrongdoing. We lie to ourselves. We excuse what should never be excused.

I still love Pastor Robert Morris. I believe he was sincere in many areas of his walk with God. But sincerity does not cancel responsibility. He missed it profoundly in this area, and in God’s mercy—even when it looks severe—He allowed truth to prevail.

Call it tough love.

Sometimes, that is exactly what it takes to reset a drifting heart. Let's keep him and his family in our prayers.

These are my personal reflections—not a final verdict, not a claim to perfect understanding. I share them humbly and thoughtfully.

I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

Please feel free to share in the comments.

God bless you.