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.
I used to work at a place where several partners were members of this church. The open disdain directed toward me for not being a churchgoer and the ostracization the occurred were a significant factor of my decision to leave.
After I left, one of the partners harassed me for several years via phone calls, text messages, and hand written letters mailed to my home trying to get me to turn my heathen ways around.
One of those letters said something asking the lines that while I had chosen eternal damnation for myself, I owed an opportunity of salvation to my daughter, so I needed to bring her to this church.
I don’t remember how many years this continued, but it finally stopped.
The hell is the matter with these people?