Morris, Gateway leaders may have spent donations intended for missions elsewhere: lawsuit

In its efforts to persuade members of the Southlake-based megachurch to donate money to Gateway, Gateway Church and its leaders committed misrepresentations and fraud and may not have received the congregation's tithe portion promised by the leaders, namely four church members, used for international missionary work claimed in a lawsuit they filed Oct. 4.

Among the defendants is Robert Morris, the church's former senior pastor and founder, who resigned in June amid allegations of sexual abuse. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

According to the lawsuit, Morris and Gateway leaders appear to have not used 15% of donations for mission activities.

“Attempts to achieve transparency and prove that the money actually went to global missions and Jewish partners were rebuffed by the Gateway elders,” wrote Micah Dortch and Lu Pham, attorneys representing the plaintiffs. “This lawsuit is a last resort and will be pursued with a heavy heart.”

The plaintiffs are Katherine and Garry Leach and Mark and Terri Browder, although the lawsuit seeks court approval on behalf of a group of tens of thousands of people who are current or former members of the church.

In addition to Gateway Church and Morris, the other defendants include Tom Lane, a former senior senior pastor, and former associate senior pastors Kevin Grove and Steve Dulin.

Lawrence Swicegood, a Gateway spokesman, responded to a reporter's request for a response to the allegations outlined in the lawsuit with a statement in which he wrote: “We do not comment on pending litigation.”

“These are serious allegations. Some of these concerns have recently been brought to our attention and we are actively investigating them,” Swicegood wrote. “Funds donated to our church are sacred and it is important that we adhere to the highest biblical standards of ethics and integrity.”

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“This lawsuit is about transparency, brought by members who are not concerned about money in their pockets, but rather about biblical responsibility,” attorneys Dortch and Pham wrote. “Then senior pastor Robert Morris and Gateway leaders advocated that 15% of all tithing dollars would be distributed to global missions and Jewish charities and encouraged church members to give generously to these causes.”

Cindy Clemishire, now in her 50s, told religious watchdog blog The Wartburg Watch that Morris abused her for four years in Oklahoma and Texas, starting when she was 12 and Morris was 21.