Meet Ex-Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris Wife And Children

- Debbie Morris has been married to Robert Morris since 1980 and was present at his guilty plea.
- The couple has three adult children who were also in court to support their father.
- Their son, James Morris, resigned from Gateway Church after the abuse allegations became public.
- The entire family is named in an ongoing civil lawsuit related to the abuse.
- Robert Morris began abusing Cindy Clemishire in 1982, while he was married to Debbie and had a young son.
The recent guilty plea of Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church, has thrust his family into the spotlight. In October 2025, Morris pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.
This marked a dramatic fall for the former televangelist, who led one of America’s largest megachurches. Throughout the legal proceedings, his wife, Debbie Morris, and their adult children have been a consistent presence, standing by him in court as he faced the consequences of decades-old crimes.
Robert Morris married his wife, Debbie, in 1980, and they have been together for over four decades. Their relationship began before the founding of Gateway Church and persisted through the period when Morris committed the abuse, which he later publicly mischaracterized as a “moral failure” with a “young lady”.
Debbie was present in the Oklahoma courtroom in October 2025 when her husband pleaded guilty and was taken into custody. As Morris was led away in handcuffs, he turned to his wife and family, telling them, “Love y’all”. The Morris family is also entangled in a civil lawsuit, where Cindy Clemishire has named both Robert and Debbie Morris as defendants.
The Morris Children and Their Connection to Gateway ChurchTrump spiritual adviser and Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.
He will serve only 6 months in jail.
ONLY 6 MONTHS FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL. pic.twitter.com/IsT6TYoJ5z
— Not Your Average Liberal (@NotAvgLiberal) October 3, 2025
Robert and Debbie Morris have three adult children together. Their son, James Morris, had been positioned to take over the role of senior pastor from his father in 2025. However, in the wake of the scandal and his father’s resignation in June 2024, James resigned from all his church positions in July 2024.
During Robert Morris’s guilty plea hearing, his adult children and several of their spouses were in attendance at the courthouse, showing family support during the difficult proceedings. The family stood by Morris as he accepted a plea deal that included jail time and registration as a sex offender.
Family Support During the Recent Guilty Plea HearingThe Morris family demonstrated a unified front at the October 2025 court hearing in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Morris entered the courthouse flanked by his wife, his adult children, and their spouses. Before the hearing began, he was seen hugging family members and kissing his wife.
This show of family solidarity stood in stark contrast to the victim’s testimony about the lifelong impacts of Morris’s actions. After the judge announced the sentence, Morris was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody to begin his six-month jail term.
Aftermath of the Scandal on the Morris Family LifeThe fallout from the scandal and subsequent criminal case has profoundly impacted the Morris family. The civil lawsuit seeking damages alleges that the church and its leaders knew about Morris’s actions and concealed them. Furthermore, Robert Morris has sued Gateway Church, claiming he is owed millions from his retirement package, a dispute the church has denied.
These legal battles, coupled with the public nature of the case and Morris’s status as a convicted sex offender, signify a complete transformation of the family’s life and public standing.
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Last Updated on October 14, 2025 by 247 News Around The World
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