DALLAS — The title of the sermon at Gateway Church in Southlake this weekend was "What to do when the unthinkable happens," an apt description of the challenge the 100,000 worshipper-strong megachurch currently faces.
Robert Morris, the church's founder and senior pastor, resigned last week following an accusation he sexually abused a girl for years -- starting when she was 12 in the mid-1980s.
"What has happened is extremely disturbing," church elder Tra Willbanks told the crowd at this Saturday's service. "I'm experiencing a wide range of emotions like you."
Willbanks apologized from the pulpit to Cindy Clemishire, the woman who came forward with accusations Morris abused her starting when she was 12.
"Here at Gateway Church, our tagline is 'We’re all about people.' And you can’t be all about people if you aren’t committed to protecting people," he said.
But the fallout for one of the biggest churches in Texas continues.
"Honestly the community is grieving," said former Southlake mayor John Huffman.
He said thousands in the community are devastated -- and in need of transparency and hope. "Leadership needs to be clear about who knew what and when," he said.
On Inside Texas Politics Sunday, State Representative Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) said anyone within the church who knew about the allegations should be punished for not reporting them to authorities.
"I want to raise the penalty" for mandatory reporting, he said. "They've got to start prosecuting and indicting people who do this."
He said he also supports a proposal to extend the statute of limitation for child sex abuse.
"Unfortunately [Morris] can't go to jail," Toth said. "His board members should be sued, he should be sued for fraud. They're frauds."
Church elders said in a statement they hired a law firm to investigate the response to the allegations.
"Regrettably, prior to Friday, June 14, the current Elders did not have all the facts," the statement said. "We are truly heartbroken by what has come to light over the past few days, and we again express our deep sympathy to the victim and her family."