Gateway Church edits advice to abuse victims: ‘Go to the police first,’ not church

November 6, 2024

A longtime elder at the Gateway megachurch in Texas has revised his earlier advice to victims of sexual abuse by current or former members of the the church’s leadership, telling them to go to police first instead of to church leadership.

The Christian Post reports that Gateway Church elder Tra Willbanks initially told members of the Southlake, Texas church to report suspected sexual abuse to their elders instead of the police.

Willbanks’ remarks were spotlighted on social media by survivor advocate Amy Smith who pointed out the discrepancy between the elder’s statements.

In June, Willbanks had reported on a 4 month long internal investigation into allegations that church founder Robert Morris had sexually assaulted Cindy Clemishire for more than four years in the 1980s, starting when she was just 12.

That report led to the removal of multiple elders who knew of Clemishire’s claims that she had been sexually abused by Morris prior to her story becoming public.

Willbanks, in a four hour presentation, said, “If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse by a current or former leader of this church and you have not felt comfortable sharing your story, we ask that you would do so. You can contact us directly at connect@gatewayelders.com.”

Willbanks later released a statement advising victims to go to the police first and to tell the church only if they thought it was necessary.

Morris resigned from Gateway Church in June, just days after Clemishire’s allegations of sexual abuse became public.

According to the Christian Post, Morris had initially confessed to “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” more than 35 years ago and said he had repented and been restored to the ministry.

Photo: top, Credit: YouTube/Gateway Church