Dear LifeMission Family,

My sabbatical began Tuesday June 18th, but some issues have come up in a church that we have had relationship with for several years. This made it very difficult for me to fully engage in my sabbatical season. As details have come out, I have been grieving and I have also been thinking about you. I asked the elders if I could take a break from my sabbatical to share my heart and perspective here in hopes of bringing clarity and pastoral encouragement. They said yes, with the agreement that I will truly go into sabbatical mode after sending this email.

Late Saturday June 15th, I was made aware of the allegations against Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church. On Tuesday June 18th, he resigned. The statements of both Robert Morris and the elder board of Gateway Church confirm that abuse did indeed take place.

I am in shock that any of this could be true of a man who I knew to be a solid bible teacher and Godly leader. I am alarmed and saddened by this reality. The accusations against Robert involved the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old child approximately 36-40 years ago when he was young, married, and just starting out in ministry. This was many years before the start of Gateway Church. The details of the abuse are disturbing and heartbreaking. This was a crime, and is wrong on so many levels. I am obviously very disappointed in Robert, but I am also disappointed in all those who knew about this crime, as well as the pastoral leadership of both the victim and of Robert back when the abuse was first revealed. They should have swiftly contacted local authorities, and taken steps to bring justice, protection, and healing for the victim. This was child abuse, and should have been treated as such from the beginning.

As the details have been revealed over the last few days, Mary and I have been grieving and also praying for all who have been affected. No victim of abuse should be forced to endure their pain and shame alone in silence while their abuser goes on with his life. No one who abuses a child should be given a platform in church, period. They should be arrested and face the legal consequences of their actions. They can seek mercy from God, but they should also have to deal with the consequences of their actions in our legal system.

Jesus was very clear about those who lead children astray in any way, and obviously abuse would be included in this statement.

Matt 18:6 NKJV
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Robert is not alone in the failures of this tragic story. The spiritual leaders in his life should have removed him from ministry immediately with no pathway back to the pulpit. I see absolutely no rational or scriptural reason for a sexual abuser to be restored to leadership in a local church context. Scripture makes it very clear that pastors, teachers, and leaders are held to higher standard. All Elders in the church (which includes pastors) must be "above reproach".

1 Timothy 3:1-2 NLT
This is a trustworthy saying: "If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position." 2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach.

Titus 1:6-9 NLT
6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don't have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 A church leader is a manager of God's household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. 8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life.

In both of these scriptures, the apostle Paul sets forth a number of characteristics that a person must possess in order to be pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul also spoke of how he lived his life so that after preaching to others he himself would not be disqualified. So, while scripture is clear that the giftings and callings of God are irrevocable, a person can choose to either walk in a manner that is worthy of their calling, or to walk in a manner that disqualifies them from serving in the office of an elder within the Church. I personally believe that Robert Morris disqualified himself to serve as an elder in the Church when he chose to sexually abuse a child. Being in ministry is a high calling and a privilege, it is not a right or a career path. It is about honoring God, and serving His people faithfully. The moral standards for leaders are high, and there must be accountability. I do not believe Robert Morris should have ever been allowed to lead a church after sexually abusing a child, period. It grieves me to say this, because his teachings genuinely blessed my life. When things like this arise, we must separate the truth of the messages from the failures of the messengers. I've said this many times before, and unfortunately, I must say it again. "Never let a man's failures cause you to question God's faithfulness."

LifeMission Church was a part of the Gateway Network of churches for several years, but we discontinued our affiliation with them in 2023. This change had nothing to do with any of the issues that they are currently facing. We simply made this change because we felt that our season of connection to Gateway should come to an end. Although we were affiliated relationally for a season, Gateway and Robert Morris never had any governing authority over LifeMission Church. LifeMission has always been a non-denominational autonomously governed local church. Our leadership is comprised of local elders and pastors, along with the spiritual covering of a few trusted overseers who are outside of our local church context. Our relationship to Gateway was limited to a resource and relational context only, and this was a blessing to us.

During that season in 2022, we invited Pastor Tom Lane, who was an executive pastor at Gateway until 2023, to serve as one of our apostolic overseers. He has provided leadership coaching and brought a lot of encouragement to our teams. However, the victim released a statement yesterday indicating that Pastor Tom was informed of the abuse some 20 years or more after it occurred. Given the gravity of this matter, Tom and our elder board have mutually agreed that he should resign from the LifeMission Church board of elders at this time.

Mary and I have been praying for the victim of this clergy sexual abuse since we first heard about it. We cannot imagine all that she has been through. It took true courage for her to come forward. I just read her statement today, and I am so impressed by her. It's obvious that the Holy Spirit has ministered to her over the years, that she loves Jesus, and that He is strengthening her during this time. Here is a part of her statement that really ministered to me;

"Please remember that our faith is in Jesus, not in an institution or a man in the pulpit. Keep your faith!" ~ Cindy Clemishire

As we all process all of this, I have a few scriptural truths I'd encourage us to keep at the forefront of our minds and hearts. I have listed them below.

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.

Psalms 40:4 NKJV
Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Philippians 4:8 NKJV
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.

We are asking for the LMC family to join with us in prayer for all who are involved. We have many friends who are a part of Gateway Church. This has been a devastating week for them! Mary and I are grieving and praying for them. We are all a part of the body of Christ, when one-part hurts, we all hurt. Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do right now. Pray for believers to be strengthened in their faith and keep their eyes on Jesus as they lead their families through this challenging season.

Ephesians 6:18 NLT
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

 Grace and Truth,

Clint Sprague
Lead Pastor