Two well-known evangelical leaders will serve as interim pastors of Gateway Church after its founder and senior pastor, Robert Morris, resigned following revelations of child sexual abuse.

Max Lucado, a charismatic evangelical author and San Antonio pastor, and Joakim Lundqvist, a leader of an megachurch in Sweden, will share the responsibilities, the church told its congregations Sunday.

Gateway, headquartered in Southlake, Texas, with 10 satellite churches across three states, has been embroiled in scandal after Morris was publicly accused of sexually abusing a girl in the 1980s, from when she was 12 until he was caught by her father when she was 16. Morris was in his 20s.

Morris admitted to the abuse last month, saying he asked forgiveness, went to religious counseling called “freedom ministry” and established accountability measures. He left ministry in the church where he was working in the 1980s for two years before returning, he said, with the blessing of the girl’s father and leaders of that church.

‘Move toward what God is doing’

Gateway elder Tra Willbanks told the congregation Sunday that the church was slow to release information on the abuse because leaders were praying about it and the church had contracted a law firm to conduct an independent investigation.

Sunday morning, the first floor of the auditorium in the church’s Southlake location was about a third full for the 9 a.m. service and about half filled for 11 a.m. Signs at stairways outside the auditorium announced the balcony was closed and white curtains had been drawn over those seats.

Willbanks delivered the first update to the church in person at the Southlake campus, the message livestreamed to the megachurch’s other locations. During the 11 a.m. service, Willbanks’ message was replayed in a video before Lucado took the stage.

He apologized for the characterization of Cindy Clemishire, the woman who was abused by Morris as a child, as a “young lady.” He said the church is praying for her and that Robert Morris’ actions were unacceptable.

He announced that Robert Morris’ son, James Morris, and wife Bridget Morris would be leaving the church to establish a new one somewhere else. He did not share specifics about when or where the new church would be. In a scripted statement, the two of them said they loved the church and would be praying for its members.

Willbanks told church members they should “press in” to Gateway instead of leaving the church over the crisis.

“Please do not let your hurt from the last several weeks drive you from Gateway,” he urged. “Move toward what God is doing in this place. Press in during this season.”

‘A dark wind out of nowhere’

Willbanks said another faith leader, who wasn’t named, shared a prophecy with Gateway that he said he received while visiting Dallas last year after a tornado.

He told Gateway leadership that God told him in a “prophetic word” that there were “two winds coming to Gateway, first is a dark wind out of nowhere. It will uproot precious people, split friendships, but you are not to be afraid because the Lord is sending a second wind,” Willbanks said.

He said the prophecy said Gateway would lose members but that in the “second wind” it would grow larger. He said the wind would heal and restore.

“Dry bones will come alive,” Willbanks recounted. “Things that seemed to be gone will even return.”

Willbanks reminded congregants of another prophecy last year that said 10,000 youth would convert to Christianity at Gateway. He said he believes that prophecy and the one shared Sunday.

Lucado’s sermon Sunday

Delivering his first sermon as co-interim pastor, Lucado compared the exposure of child sexual abuse by Morris and the troubles the church was having to the story of Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee during a storm, during which Jesus walked on water.

He told congregants the disciples were terrified when the storm hit while Jesus was asleep. They awoke him and asked him to save them but were surprised that he didn’t seem concerned.

Lucado told the congregation that Jesus told them not to be afraid and to have faith, comparing the storm to the news that Morris had abused a child. He said the fear and hurt members were feeling were similar to the fear the disciples felt. The storm, he said, would be calmed by Jesus the same way he did in that Bible story.

Lucado heads up a large congregation in San Antonio at Oak Hills Church. He will deliver sermons about twice a month while continuing to lead his own flock. He said he is taking on the interim pastor role with the blessings of his church.

In addition to leading Oak Hills, Lucado is a celebrity in evangelical circles who has written books that have sold more than 145 million copies combined, according to his website.

Lucado grew up in Andrews, a small town in West Texas, and attended Abilene Christian University. He led a church in Florida before going to Oak Hills.

Lundqvist pastors an evangelical congregation in Uppsala, Sweden, called Word of Life Church, which has more than 3,200 members. He also leads a network of more than 600 churches worldwide.

In addition to preaching at Gateway, he will serve in the church office Monday through Wednesday for pastoral duties like meeting with members.

Willbanks recounted that when Gateway wanted to ask Lundqvist to be an interim pastor, he flew in from Sweden, stayed five hours to meet with church leaders, accepted the position and returned home that same day.

Lundqvist told members in a recorded video that he was excited to take on the role. He will continue his position with the church he leads in Sweden.

Willbanks said the church has already taken steps to find a new senior pastor and expects a decision to be made within six months.

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