Pastor Robert Morris of Southlake is said to have sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s

SOUTHLAKE – A North Texas pastor is accused of sexual assault.

Robert Morris is the founder and pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, one of the largest churches in the United States.

A woman claims Robert Morris sexually abused her in the 1980s when she was a child and he was a young man. A religious watchdog blog published the woman’s allegations on Friday, then they were published by the Christian Post on Saturday.

As of Monday morning, Robert Morris is still at the head of the church.

A woman named Cindy Clemishire claims he abused her from 1982 to 1987, when she was 12 years old.

Robert Morris issued a statement to The Christian Post, saying, “When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual conduct with a young lady at a home where I lived. It was kissing and petting and not sexual intercourse, but it was wrong. This conduct occurred several times over the next few years.”

According to a statement released by church elders on social media, the allegations came to light 35 years ago.

He then stepped down from the ministry for two years to seek psychiatric treatment. In a sermon in 2014, he admitted to having been “sexually immoral” as a teenager.

In March 1989, two years after the abuse was uncovered, he returned to office with the blessing of the girl’s father and church elders, he says.

He also mentioned that he and his wife met the survivor and her family in October 1989.

A biography on the Gateway Church website indicates that Pastor Robert Morris has already announced plans to hand over leadership of the church to his son, James Morris, in the spring of 2025. However, it says Robert Morris will continue to preach some sermons.

There are currently no signs that he has resigned from his position in the church.

CBS News Texas has asked the church for comment.