Robert Morris, who founded and led Gateway Church for nearly 25 years in the affluent Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, Texas, resigned after the scandal came to light in June. His exit sent thousands of evangelicals into a season of struggle that has lasted months.

Last week, a pastor who oversaw all of Gateway’s campuses departed amid an undisclosed “moral issue,” becoming the latest in a series of changes for the church: The cancellation of its annual conference. The departure of Morris’ successor. The renaming of its Houston campus and an exodus of worshippers.

At each weekend service, worshippers continue to face reminders of the scandal, with interim or guest pastors kicking off their sermons saying “I’m sorry,” talking about grief or finding hope in difficult times. They’ve noticed people who have sat and prayed around them for years are once again not showing up for service.

The church has seen a decrease of 17% to 19% in weekend services attendance, a church spokesperson told CNN.

  • @InverseParallax
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    44 months ago

    Church: “Curses! And I would have gotten away with it to, if it weren’t for you meddling reporters and the fact that the victim wasn’t a girl!”

    • mozz
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      34 months ago

      ?

      I think you may be thinking of a different scandal; this one’s victim was a girl named Cindy.

      • @InverseParallax
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        54 months ago

        My bad, I’m used to “alive boy or dead girl” being the standard.