Robert Morris' net worth revealed: how rich is the Gateway Church pastor?
Robert Morris acquired a net worth of over $100 million as the senior founding pastor at Texas-based Gateway Church, one of the largest non-denominational churches in the US. He was a towering figure in modern Christianity until mid-2024 when reports of misconduct surfaced.
Source: Twitter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Robert Morris' profile summary
- Pastor Robert Morris' net worth faces a possible fall
- Robert Morris became wealthy after establishing Gateway Church
- Robert Morris is a best-selling author
- Robert Morris was Donald Trump's spiritual advisor
- Robert Morris has an extensive real estate property portfolio
- The scandal that rocked Robert Morris' Gateway Church
Key takeaways
- Robert Morris became rich from his thriving ministry at Gateway Church, book sales, and speaking engagements.
- The former televangelist pastor owns extensive real estate properties around Texas.
- Robert Morris resigned from his position as Gateway Church's senior pastor after assault allegations from the 1980s came to light in 2024.
Robert Morris' profile summary
| Full name | Robert Morris |
| Date of birth | July 29, 1961 |
| Age | 63 years old as of March 2025 |
| Place of birth | Marshall, Texas |
| Current residence | Texas, United States |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Debbie Morris |
| Children | Three |
| Education | East Texas Baptist CollegeCriswell Centre for Biblical Studies |
| Profession | Former televangelist pastor (until 2024)Gateway Church founder |
Pastor Robert Morris' net worth faces a possible fall
Robert Morris' net worth in 2025 is estimated to be around $117 million, according to Editorialge. He is among the richest pastors in the world, although his wealth does not compare to Bishop Edir Macedo's $1.8 billion net worth.
The 2024 scandal against Morris is likely to affect his net worth. Gateway Media's executive producer, Lawrence Swicegood, told The Christian Post in July 2024 that Robert did receive a severance package.
Source: Original
Robert Morris was receiving a six-figure salary
Gateway Church's IRS 990 filing reveals that Robert Morris was paid $200,000 in 2023. He received a similar amount in 2022 and was paid $100,000 in 2021, $200,000 in 2020, and $300,000 in 2019.
The Texas-based institution reportedly makes over $150 million in annual revenue, according to a statement from whistleblower Allen Shoulder. Allen was an accountant and executive pastor in charge of global missions funds at the church from 2011 until his resignation in 2014.
Source: Facebook
Robert Morris became wealthy after establishing Gateway Church
In the late 1970s, Morris was a youth evangelist at the Hi-Way 80 Rescue Mission in Longview, Texas. He later joined the James Robison Evangelistic Association in 1981 as a travelling evangelist.
Robert Morris and his wife, Debbie, founded Gateway Church in 2000. Since then, the institution has grown significantly into one of the world's largest churches, with over 100,000 weekly attendees across its nine campuses in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Gateway Church's first service was held on April 23, 2000, at the Hilton Hotel in Grapevine. In June 2003, the church moved to Southlake Blvd, and in 2010, they opened their current facility on a 64-acre property that cost around $86 million to build.
Source: Facebook
Robert Morris is a best-selling author
The Gateway Church founder has written numerous books which have contributed to his wealth through book sales. His material focuses on faith, spirituality, and self-help literature. Some of his notable literary works include:
- The End...What Happens Next? (2024)
- Dream to Destiny (2023)
- How Do I Know? (2018)
- Frequency: Tune In. Hear God (2016)
- The Blessed Marriage (2009)
Robert Morris was Donald Trump's spiritual advisor
Morris was appointed to join President Trump's Executive Council of Evangelical Leaders in 2016. He hosted Trump at his megachurch's Dallas Campus in June 2020. Robert was excluded from the council in 2024 following allegations of misconduct.
Source: Getty Images
Robert Morris has an extensive real estate property portfolio
The disgraced megachurch pastor has purchased and sold several properties around Texas. He owns an $8 million, 370-acre ranch in Jacksboro, according to The Roys Report.
In 2017, Morris bought land in Colleyville, Texas, and built a customized four-bedroom, six-bathroom home estimated to be worth $7.85 million. He sold the mansion in 2022.
He purchased a 6,000-square-foot, $4 million mansion in Westlake in 2022 and put it back on the market in 2024. Robert Morris' house in Possum Kingdom Lake is worth around $1.7 million. He bought the waterfront property in March 2021.
Source: Twitter
The scandal that rocked Robert Morris' Gateway Church
In June 2024, a woman called Cindy Clemishire came forward with allegations that Robert Morris assaulted her between 1982 and 1987 in Texas and Oklahoma. Morris was working as a travelling evangelist.
Morris and his wife Debbie were friends with Cindy's parents. Clemishire told CBS News that she had spoken about the matter for years before it became public knowledge in 2024. Morris and his lawyer had reportedly advised her against coming out.
He said, 'You can never tell anyone because it will ruin everything.'
An investigation conducted by the Haynes & Boone law firm concluded that the assault did occur, and some Gateway Church leaders knew about it. This is not the first time that leaders at the church have been accused.
In 2023, a former administrative assistant accused a pastor at the church of harassing her. Earlier in 2018, a family sued the institution, claiming their child was assaulted by a youth leader, according to Newsweek.
Source: Twitter
Robert Morris resigned and may not be criminally prosecuted
Morris stepped down in June 2024 after admitting to inappropriate behaviour. Victims' attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel told CBS News that the pastor may not face criminal prosecution due to Texas and Oklahoma's statute of limitations and the lack of a revival window.
In Texas, the statute of limitations now, as it stands in 2024, is that you have 30 years to file a civil claim if it happened when you were under the age of 18. That law only went into effect in 2019—This was in the 1980s, so back then, a two-year statute of limitations would arguably have applied.
The church has since experienced a mass exodus of worshippers. Attendance at the Southlake campus has reportedly fallen by 40% according to the Dallas Morning News.
Source: Twitter
Robert Morris' net worth expanded with his growing influence in the Christian community since the 1980s. With his legacy hanging in the balance, he still has a long way to repair his tainted image.
READ ALSO: Top 10 richest pastors in South Africa and their expensive possessions
Briefly.co.za published a list of South Africa's wealthiest pastors. Pastor Alph Lukau of Alleluia Ministries International (AMI) in Johannesburg has made a fortune of around $1 billion, making him the country's richest man of the cloth.
Churches make money from tithes, offerings, donations, and book sales. Preachers with large congregations and a strong media presence generate substantial income.
Source: Briefly News
