Texas megachurch faces exodus of worshippers after a sex abuse scandal set off a summer of turmoil | CNN
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Summer was off to a tumultuous start when allegations of child sexual abuse surfaced on a blog dedicated to Christian survivor stories. This time, the man involved had gone on to lead one of America’s largest megachurches.

Robert Morris, who founded and led Gateway Church for nearly 25 years in the affluent Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, Texas, resigned after the scandal came to light in June. His exit sent thousands of evangelicals into a season of struggle that has lasted months

The church has seen a decrease of 17% to 19% in weekend services attendance, a church spokesperson told CNN.

The turnover at the church could have far-reaching effects. Gateway Church draws an estimated 100,000 people to its weekend services and has more than 560 employees at nine locations in Texas, and two others in Missouri and Wyoming, according to the church.

  • Corvidae@lemmy.worldEnglish
    41·
    4 months ago

    It is considered one of America’s largest megachurches, which are congregations with an average weekly worship attendance of 2,000 people or more. There are nearly 1,800 megachurches in the United States, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

    1800 x 2000 = 3,600,000, roughly 1% of the U.S. population.