Texas megachurch faces exodus of worshippers after a sex abuse scandal set off a summer of turmoil
Texas megachurch faces exodus of worshippers after a sex abuse scandal set off a summer of turmoil
Summer was off to a tumultuous start when allegations of child sexual abuse surfaced on a blog dedicated to Christian survivor stories. This time, the man involved had gone on to lead one of America’s largest megachurches.
Robert Morris, who founded and led Gateway Church for nearly 25 years in the affluent Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, Texas, resigned after the scandal came to light in June. His exit sent thousands of evangelicals into a season of struggle that has lasted months.
Last week, a pastor who oversaw all of Gateway’s campuses departed amid an undisclosed “moral issue,” becoming the latest in a series of changes for the church: The cancellation of its annual conference. The departure of Morris’ successor. The renaming of its Houston campus and an exodus of worshippers.
At each weekend service, worshippers continue to face reminders of the scandal, with interim or guest pastors kicking off their sermons saying “I’m sorry,” talking about grief or finding hope in difficult times. They’ve noticed people who have sat and prayed around them for years are once again not showing up for service.
The church has seen a decrease of 17% to 19% in weekend services attendance, a church spokesperson told CNN.
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being paid millions to act like a good person it can't be that hard
being paid millions act like a good person
Choose one.
act like
He was consistently sexually assaulting the 12-17yr old victim before the millions rolled in.
He has 100% been acting like a good person when he made millions by pretending that his repeated pedophilia was just an "moral failing" that had been "restored." He even lied about getting her father's blessing to resume being a pastor.
The man has been lying to himself and everyone around him for nearly four decades.
oof