A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against Gateway Church and its former pastor, sexual predator Robert Morris, by members who accused the megachurch of misappropriating tithe money given to the church and refusing to honor a “money-back guarantee” made to them.
According to the plaintiffs, then-Senior Pastor Robert Morris and Gateway leaders stated that 15% of all tithe dollars would be distributed to global missions and Jewish ministry partners, encouraging church members to generously give toward these ends.
The plaintiffs allege that this was not the case at all, and that they were stymied whenever they tried to obtain accurate and transparent financial information from the church about how much was actually being donated.
Furthermore, in addition to promising to give 15% to global missions, Robert Morris and multiple senior elders repeatedly promised that if members were not happy with how their money was being used, it would be returned.
When congregants attempted to take advantage of this offer, they were stonewalled or ignored, and no money was given back.
In court, Gateway Church argued that the use of tithe money was a religious matter, not a civil one. Judge Amos L. Mazzant agreed and dismissed the case under the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which holds that courts have no jurisdiction to involve themselves in internal religious matters. Mazzant explained:
“Determining whether a church’s expenditures properly fall into a specific charitable purpose would require the Court to involve itself in internal church controversies by defining Gateway’s mission and outreach efforts, which are topics unfit for adjudication,”
He also said the court would have to evaluate the truth of a sermon, which is not something it is constitutionally equipped to do, ending their legal challenge.
Morris was recently released from prison after serving six months for sexually abusing a 12 year old girl.
