Gateway Church installs new lead pastor amid abuse scandal fallout

4 days ago 8

Gateway Church ushered successful a caller pb pastor connected Saturday, marking a caller section for 1 of the nation's largest churches and a hoped-for extremity to the contention that has swirled astir the congregation since its founding pastor was forced to measurement down implicit kid enactment maltreatment allegations.

Before a packed auditorium of immoderate 4,000 radical astatine its Southlake campus, Pastor Daniel Floyd and his wife, Tammie, besides a pastor, were prayed implicit by Gateway's elders and invited guests.

"Today, with afloat joyousness and confidence, we name Pastor Daniel arsenic a caller pb pastor of Gateway Church, and we committee Pastor Tammie and their household into this caller section of leadership," pb elder Tra Wilbanks said.

Floyd promises integrity and renewal

The religion announced the determination to bring the Floyds to Gateway successful May. The 2 founded Lifepoint Church successful Fredericksburg, Virginia, astir 20 years ago.

In his archetypal sermon, titled "Our Commitment to You," Floyd promised to pb the religion with integrity.

"I get the value of this moment," Floyd said. "It's a time wherever we crook the page, and we statesman to constitute a caller story, but it's besides not the time we erase erstwhile chapters."

Morris faces transgression charges successful Oklahoma

The work comes 14 months after founding Pastor Robert Morris announced helium was stepping down. That determination followed allegations by Cindy Clemishire, a present big pistillate who accused Morris of abusing her aggregate times astatine her location successful Oklahoma, starting erstwhile she was 12.

An Oklahoma expansive assemblage indicted Morris connected 5 counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child. He pleaded not blameworthy and faces different tribunal proceeding adjacent month.

Church seeks to determination forward

But Floyd acceptable a forward-looking vision, saying, "It's a time of thing new, thing fresh."

"We didn't travel to support thing everybody; we came to multiply. We didn't uproot our household and our children to determination to bash presumption quo."

Even arsenic the caller play begins, the religion and Morris are dealing with ineligible issues connected respective fronts.

Defamation and status lawsuits pending

In June, Clemishire, on with her father, filed a defamation suit against Gateway, Morris, Morris' woman Debbie, and a radical of erstwhile and existent elders and staff. The suit argues that religion leaders enactment retired mendacious statements arsenic portion of an effort to screen up what happened. A quality merchandise sent astatine the clip stated that the household was seeking $1 million.

Three erstwhile religion elders, Thomas Miller, Gayland Lawshe, and Jeremy Carasco, asked the Dallas County tribunal to beryllium removed from the suit.

Gateway and Morris are besides battling successful Tarrant County implicit what Morris says are millions of dollars successful status payments the religion promised him. A proceeding successful that lawsuit is set for Sept. 17.

Congregation embraces caller leadership

But for those attending the work connected Saturday, determination was a consciousness of solemnisation and excitement for the days ahead.

"He's starting a caller page, a caller way guardant for Gateway," said John Lewis, who attends the church's Prosper campus. "I americium excited for his imaginativeness for the church."

Floyd, too, urged the congregation not to look to the past.

"Our champion days are not down us," helium said. "Our champion days are successful beforehand of us."

Read Entire Article