DALLAS — James Morris, the son of disgraced Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, has announced the name of his new church.
In an Instagram post, James and his wife Bridgette said that they decided on the name Passage Church after weeks of prayer.
The couple explained how they came up with the name by saying it resembles a "journey from one place to another" and noting that "Passage" is also another word used in reference to scripture.
"Passage Church is active and on the move; filled with people pursuing God in every season," the post read. "Every person’s life is filled with transitions and journeys; we will be a place that helps people no matter what stage of their journey they are on, pointing them towards Jesus and a relationship with God.
Under his father’s leadership, James previously served as the associate senior pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake. He was expected to assume the lead pastor role in 2025. His wife Bridgette Morris, meanwhile, served as Gateway Church’s executive pastor of the church's ministry experience and communication.
However, a massive Gateway fallout began when Cindy Clemishire, 54, reported that Robert Morris began sexually abusing her in 1982 when she was just 12 years old. She says the abuse continued for nearly five years.
After the allegations were made public, Robert Morris admitted to his congregation that he was "involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady," although he did not make reference to the girl's age.
The older Morris then resigned in mid-June, and the church hired an independent law firm to investigate. In the wake of his resignation, James and three church elders took temporary leaves of absence from the megachurch in late June. A month later, James and Bridgette both officially resigned from their posts at Gateway.
More recently, another Gateway pastor was fired over a “moral issue” just this month.
Neither the location nor opening date for the younger Morris' new church have yet been announced.
