HOUSTON — Editor's note: The video at the top of this article aired on Friday, August 16.
Following a number of resignations and sexual abuse allegations at Gateway Church in Southlake, its Houston offshot has announced it will be changing its name.
The church, formerly known as Gateway Houston, released a video to Facebook on Sunday announcing it has changed its name to Newlands Church.
According to the video, this name change has been coming for the past year-and-a-half.
"Over the past year-and-a-half, God has been speaking to us about creating a distinct, localized identity," the video states. "We believe the lord has given us a new name."
This name change comes following a string of controversies at the original North Texas megachurch. It started in June when a woman accused Gateway Church pastor and founder Robert Morris of molesting her on Christmas in 1982, when she was 12 years old. She says she'd told her story for years and tried to sue Morris in 2005, but it did not generate much attention.
In a statement, Gateway Church elders initially said Morris had been "forthright about a moral failure he had over 35 years ago when he was in his twenties and prior to him starting at Gateway Church. He has shared publicly from the pulpit the proper Biblical steps he took in this lengthy restoration process."
Morris released his own statement, saying, "When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong."
He then resigned two days later, on June 18.
In July, multiple lawsuits were uncovered, including one the church settled in which at least five church staff members were accused of concealing the sexual assault of a minor by an unnamed Gateway member, according to court records.
Morris' son, James Morris also resigned from the church. And, on July 31, the church announced it was parting ways with its senior elder, Steve Dulin, without citing a specific reason.
Just last week, Gateway Church canceled its annual Gateway Conference that was set to happen in September and a lawsuit was filed that accused a teen member of a Gateway Church youth group of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in allegations that date back to 2017.
For a full timeline of the controversies connected to Gateway Church, click here.