James and Bridgette Morris announce name of new church in wake of Gateway scandal

The son of Gateway Church’s former senior and lead pastor, James Morris, and James’ wife, Bridgette Morris, have announced the name of the new church they’re starting following their departure from the North Texas-based megachurch.

The pair coined their newly founded church, “Passage Church,” the Morrises announced in an email shared on X by Amy Smith , of the watchdog blog Watchkeep.

In the statement, the couple explained how they came up with the name, saying it resembles a “journey from one place to another.”

“Passage Church is on the move and filled with people pursuing God in every season,” James and Bridgette Morris wrote in the statement.

“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,” the couple goes on to say.

The naming of the church comes about two months after James Morris stepped down from his position at Gateway. Although he was originally set to take over his father, Robert Morris’, former position as the lead pastor of the Southlake campus, the church elders, James Morris, and Bridgette Morris all “collectively” agreed on the couple’s resignations as pastors, church leaders confirmed in a July 25 statement.

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Gateway’s exodus began when Robert Morris resigned after admitting to sexually abusing a girl in the ‘80s and ‘90s, starting when she was 12 years old. Cindy Clemishire, who is now in her 50s, told Watchkeep that the abuse happened in Texas and Oklahoma and went on for four years.

James and Bridgette Morris also issued a separate statement on their website announcing plans for their church.

The couple said the idea started as a dream in their youth and they are taking the time to rest and pray “after this last season,” according to the website statement.

The Morrises have not yet announced where the church will be located and when it is set to open, but said they will provide updates regarding when and where they will hold their first “interest” meeting.

They anticipate having that meeting in early October, according to the email statement.

Gateway’s Houston-based campus also underwent a dissociation from the megachurch . The Houston campus, led by Robert Morris’ son-in-law Ethan Fisher, had its name changed in August to “Newlands Church.”

In a promotional video announcing the name, Fisher said the rebranding of the church was a call into something new.