Gateway Church has removed four of its elders, who either knew about allegations of sex abuse by Robert Morris, or knew enough that they should have investigated, the church announced over the weekend. Also gone from staff is longtime Gateway Spokesman Lawrence Swicegood.
Addressing the congregation at services this weekend, Elder Tra Willbanks said the actions come as a result of a third-party investigation into the sex abuse allegations against Morris.
Willbanks also revealed that the Dallas-based megachurch is cooperating with a criminal investigation. He did not offer any details about the investigation other than stating that neither the church nor any of Gateway’s current leadership are subjects of the investigation.
Morris, the founder of Gateway, resigned in June, after an Oklahoma woman, Cindy Clemishire, accused him of sexually abusing her for years, beginning when she was 12 years old.
On Sunday, Willbanks said the investigation by the law firm Haynes & Boone found no other allegations of abuse by Morris. He added that six people, including Morris, refused to participate in the investigation.
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Willbanks also said the investigation also found that some elders and Gateway staff were not as ignorant as previously claimed.
“There is one group of individuals that knew without a doubt that Cindy Clemishire was 12 when the abuse began,” Willbanks said. “And there is a second group who knew of allegations of sexual abuse by Robert Morris, who had enough information that they should have led them to ask more questions, but they did not.
“Both groups are fundamentally wrong and simply cannot and will not be tolerated at this church. . . . As of today, no individual in either group serves as an elder, is employed by, or works at Gateway Church. They have been removed.”
Willbanks did not name the removed elders. However, the four elders recently removed from Gateway’s website include Executive Global Pastor Kevin Grove; Church Network Pastor Gayland Lawshe; Executive Pastor Thomas Miller; and Jeremy Carrasco, the only removed elder who was not also on staff at Gateway.
After receiving conflicting messages from Director of Gateway Media Lawrence Swicegood, The Roys Report (TRR) has confirmed that he is no longer on staff.
TRR reached out to Swicegood last night after noticing he was no longer listed on Gateway’s website and received an automated response from Swicegood: “I have transitioned from my role and am no longer with Gateway Church.”
However, two hours later, TRR received an email from Swicegood sent from his iPhone, saying Swicegood was on staff.
TRR asked Gateway to explain the conflicting messages and received an email Monday afternoon stating Swicegood is no longer on staff.*
The remaining Gateway elders—Willbanks, Kenneth W. Fambro, and Dane Minor—do not serve on staff at Gateway.
In his remarks Sunday, Willbanks said Gateway had decided to it will “no longer have staff members serve as elders, with the exception of our future senior pastor and potentially an executive pastor. But both of them would serve in a non-voting capacity.”
This change is consistent with Gateway’s previously stated intention of joining the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). The ECFA requires that its members have boards comprised of a majority of independent members, who are not on staff or related to other board members.
Willbanks also said Gateway had eliminated “apostolic elders” because “it did not and does not work for us.”
Past apostolic elders at Gateway included Jimmy Evans, founder of XO Marriage, and Olen Griffing, former pastor of Shady Grove Church where Morris served in the 1980s. According to Cindy Clemishire, her father contacted Griffing when he learned of Morris’ abuse decades ago and demanded that Morris step out of ministry.
“We have examined our governance processes here at Gateway, and the truth is that the events of the last few months have demonstrated that there was a massive governance failure, an accountability failure here at our church,” Willbanks said.
“. . . We must be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that our culture allowed the truth to be buried for far too long. . . . The culture here at Gateway became one where power was centralized, and the leader at the top was surrounded by people who wanted to protect him—some of them at all cost.”
Willbanks denies financial allegations
In his comments over the weekend, Willbanks also denied allegations that Gateway claimed it was giving 15% of members’ tithe to global missions, but in actuality, only gave 3% some years.
These allegations are the basis of a current lawsuit against Gateway. They also were included in an interview and statement by former Gateway Executive Pastor of Global Ministries Allen Shoulders, which was exclusively obtained by TRR.
“Some of you are wondering if these governance issues or failures carried over to the church’s finances,” Willbanks said. “ . . . I can state clearly and definitively that Gateway Church does, in fact, have audited financial statements for the past 19 years, using independent, outside auditors. And according to these audited statements, and contrary to what has been alleged by former employees and in online rumors, Gateway has averaged approximately 19% in giving to global missions.”
He added that in the last 19 years, Gateway has given approximately $200 million to missions.
However, Willbanks clarified that giving to “global missions” includes giving to local, regional, and national ministries—not just international ministries.
TRR reached out to Shoulders for comment on Willbanks’ statement.
“I can only ask questions about what I saw during the time I was employed (2011—2014),” Shoulders said. “Talking about percentages can be misleading. Nineteen-percent of what?
“I’m not part of the lawsuit against Gateway, but from what I understand the plaintiffs want proof of where and to whom the money went, not what percentage was given.”
He added that $200 million is a lot of money. “One would think it would have a visible, measurable impact. . . . Why not allow those who gave it be witnesses to the good it accomplished?”
Shoulders also noted an issue with a previous claim by Gateway that “independent audits reveal that for the past 11 years Gateway’s Global mission budget has been on average 20%.”
“Here’s the problem with that statement,” Shoulders, a seasoned CPA, told TRR. “Audited financial statements don’t include budgets. A company could present budgets as part of a footnote or pro forma management presentation, but budgets themselves are not audited and cannot be presented as audited because budgets aren’t subject to GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles).”
*This article has been updated to include confirmation from Gateway that Swicegood is no longer on staff.
Julie Roys is a veteran investigative reporter and founder of The Roys Report. She also previously hosted a national talk show on the Moody Radio Network, called Up for Debate, and has worked as a TV reporter for a CBS affiliate. Her articles have appeared in numerous periodicals.
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19 Responses
If the remaining elders are serious about becoming totally clean, they need to contact that woman who was told by security that she could no longer attend services, publicly apologize to her, and inform her that she is welcome to attend services again.
Otherwise, their words ring hollow.
Thank you so much for remembering me… I appreciate it but I highly doubt they will apologize or lift the ban.
If they did, would you even want to return to the church where those who were complicit remain? Rhetorical…no need to answer. Such injustices and banishments from the house of the Lord for standing up for righteousness, is one way in which religious trauma syndrome is sustained. The good news is that it was an eye opener. The bad news is it often coupled with a since of feeling bewildered as to how one could allow themselves to sit under such reprobate and depraved leadership resulting in trust issues and then there is the sense of having lost your community. I do hope you have processed this well and may you be fortified with strength and wisdom.
Then, they are not serious about making any real changes, other than having three elders run things instead of one pastor.
Valentina,
Thanks for the hard work!
Exposing darkness (Eph5.10, 11) in the church (1Cor5.12,13) – rather than worried and whining about the world’s sexual proclivities or politics – is, in fact, the actual call of God in Christ.
I look forward to seeing the magats abusing the name of Jesus to be likewise exposed!
In my opinion the LORD never intended for the Body of Christ to be a mega church run like a corporation. This man seems so desperate to keep the members coming and the money flowing. He read another scripted message authored by their public relations firm, that’s all. Home fellowships need to comeback, small groups of believers no more fanfare, it’s not what the LORD intended.
I was in a church with home fellowships. My then GF and I were flat out told, the group was “reconstituting” for younger adults, and we were free to look elsewhere. Never mind that I hosted the group in my home. If a church doesn’t want you, they’ll find ways to dump you.
Lawrence Swicegood is also nolonger employed by #GatewayChurch.
James Robison was an Apostolic Elder at Gateway Church as well…
Maybe the church is starting to head in the right direction but has a way to go.
The farther one gets away from the 1st century biblical pattern of the early church and the closer one gets to running a church like a big business or a gameshow, one shouldn’t be surprised that it is ineffective, immoral, and indifferent. This is more of the same in the American church – blah, blah, blah.
Exactly. You hit the nail on the head.
No more needs to be said.
I’ll only end by referencing Jesus in Matthew 6:24 & Luke 16:13.
“Cannot” means “cannot”.
Serving Christ with “a medium part” or even “a tiny bit” of Mammon (the “god” of the material world i.e Satan) DOES NOT WORK but too many are too stubborn to see it despite all the inevitable examples, consequences, hurt and dishonor brought on the name of Christ.
It is mind-numbing to think 4 elders would be sitting on that type of information.
But that’s how it works in the Evangelical Industrial Complex.
It would be best if all the Elders would resign, just to clear the decks, and then chose elders who have a real sense of Integrity, if possible.
Right? How do you hear that your pastor raped a 12 year old, and continued for 4 years and not immediately call for his resignation upon hearing that? AND continue keeping that “secret” rather than calling him to repentance and amends.
There is no justification or possible “good work he’s doing” that could keep me quiet about that.
It’s corrupt to it’s core.
You keep secrets like that Jen, if you are part of the Evangelical Crony Network and realize that your perks and power in that organization depend on your keeping silent. Of course, once you’ve chosen that path, it becomes very difficult to undo your silence without losing face, as well as the enormous temporal benefits of acquiescing to evil.
This is yet another lesson why transparency is so important, and not just trust of someone based on image and personality. Not everyone is a Robert Morris, but not everyone with the aura of trustworthiness really should be trusted. Gateway needs to reestablish trust through transparency, not the defensive statements it has been making.
Of course, the low hanging fruit joke is the one elder they didn’t get rid of is the used-car salesman (Dane Minor) – but that’s insulting to used-car salesmen…
Why is Daystar not investigating the same thing!! They are acting like nothing has happened!! Will Justice not come to them and why????
What has happened at Gateway and other evangelical congregations explains why by an 80% majority, evangelicals, elected a sexual predator to the US presidency. I guess predatory sexual behavior just doesn’t bother believers enough. This shows the truth of Galatians 5:13-26 and 6:7