Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, will keep Max Lucado and Joakim Lundqvist as interim teaching pastors while searching for a permanent executive pastor following founder Robert Morris's departure amid child sex abuse allegations.
In a statement provided to WFAA on Tuesday, Gateway Church officials noted, “Gateway Church is actively searching for a new pastor. Joakim Lundqvist and Max Lucado will continue to serve in their roles as teaching pastors while Gateway searches for the right candidate to lead us as executive pastor.”
Lundqvist, who previously served as senior pastor of Word of Life Church in Sweden, is currently based at Bethany Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lucado, a bestselling Christian author, also serves as a teaching pastor at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, alongside his work with Gateway Church. The duration of the search for a permanent executive pastor remains uncertain.
Initially, Lundqvist committed to serving at Gateway until December 2024, but he shared with congregants earlier this month that he had been asked to extend his tenure until June.
“You know, initially, I committed to staying behind here and being with you all for this year and to the end of the year (2024), which is pretty much now, but I was asked to extend,” Lundqvist stated on January 6. He expressed his affection for the church, saying, “When the elders asked, it was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made because we love this house and we sense the presence of God upon this church.”
The church brought in Lundqvist and Lucado as interim teaching pastors after Robert Morris' son, James Morris, who succeeded his father as leader of the megachurch, stepped down just over a month later, as elders worked to address the child sex abuse scandal.
According to The Christian Post, Morris admitted to having engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” more than 35 years ago, stating he repented and was restored to ministry. The scandal prompted Pastor Robert Morris Ministries to cancel all future radio and television broadcasts, and the church commissioned an independent investigation that led to the removal of several elders. Meanwhile, James Morris has since begun his own ministry.
