It all started with one step of faith, and now it is a meeting of one large church with 36,000 members. This is one family where they sincerely believe in the Lord and seek to help every person whom He brings to them.
Church history
According to Outreach magazine, Gateway Church is third out of 100 fast-growing churches in America. In 1999, Pastor Robert Morris decided to establish an evangelical church in Southlake, Texas. He consulted with Trinity Fellowship Church ministers, asking them for guidance and wisdom. In February 2000, a group of 30 gathered in the home of Pastor Robert to serve and worship the Lord.
In April of that year, Trinity Fellowship Church elders blessed Pastor Morris to create a new church, and the first ministry for 180 people was held at Hilton. The church grew rapidly - in July 2001, over 2,000 people attended services. In May 2002, construction began on the building, and in 2003 a ministry was held on a 700-person campus.
Soon a new room was needed, as the hall did not accommodate everyone, despite the fact that several services were held on weekends. In December 2012, over 40,000 people attended the church at Christmas. In April 2014, services were held on five campuses, with an average weekly church attendance of 36,000.
Gateway Church today
The campus has been updated in Dallas - the children's area has been renovated, a cafe and a bookstore are open. A hall has been built in San Francisco for up to 1,200 people. In 2014, speaking at the annual conference, Robert Morris (photo in the article) noted that the Fort Wortho campus is “bursting at the seams” and cannot accommodate everyone. Today, up to 6,000 people are ready to receive new premises every week. Gateway Church currently has 6 campuses serving services.
- According to recent reports, over the past year, 5456 people received in the heart of Christ, 2485 received baptism. 51859 people attended Easter services , 34961 attended Christmas service.
- More than $ 20 million has been allocated for missionary and educational activities. More than 1,600 volunteers are working on this field, providing spiritual and material assistance in many countries of the world.
- The Southlake branch of The King's University prepares over 300 graduates annually who are ready to work in and around the church. Dr. Robert Morris is the chairman of the Board of Trustees at the university and says he is grateful to the Lord for the wonderful opportunity to prepare strong leaders for the ministry. The institution offers specialties in the field of arts and management, social and human sciences, music and the natural sciences.
- A worship group is known far outside the church. In 2008, their songs entered the top three Christian albums. Translated into Portuguese, Japanese and Korean. In 2015, the group was recognized as No. 1 among Christian artists, 26,000 albums were sold.
- The weekly blessed life television program is broadcast on several channels. In the program, Robert Morris reads sermons. The number of viewers of the program is more than 20,000 per week.
- Since 2012, Gateway Life magazine is published once a month - it highlights the life of the church. People share stories about their life in God, publish information about the ministries and events of the church.
- Gateway Church has its own YouTube channel, which is visited by over 3 million people. There are 55,671 permanent subscribers to this day. A total of 20,053,129 people have visited the Facebook page, of which 250,000 are permanent subscribers. There are 511,000 people on the Gateway Church page on Instagram and 43,700 followers on Twitter.
In total, 12,609,303 people follow the Gateway Church news and social media posts. Christian sites have translated into many languages the sermons delivered by Pastor Robert Morris.
God's Word Preacher
Gateway Church's vision is for people to be saved. Healing, deliverance, empowerment, and service to others are what every Christian desires. “We intend to move forward and reach more people,” says Pastor Morris, “we will continue to follow God's Word and strive to help every person.” And it's not just words. Each sermon by Robert Morris is encouragement and edification, comfort and edification.
“A blessed life is to bless those around us. And this is not necessarily financial assistance. Any slightest act of kindness is a blessing. It is a Christian way of life to help people around us and do good deeds in the name of Jesus. You can:
- Deliver food to a sick neighbor
- bring flowers to someone;
- offer help as a nanny;
- send a letter in support of someone;
- spend a day in a homeless shelter;
- bake goodies and take them to the hospital;
- pray for your neighbors.
Whatever good deed you do, it is a blessing to those who live nearby, work near you, or go to your church. Bless with your deeds others in the name of Jesus and the seeds will be planted in order to reap a glorious harvest for the Kingdom of God. ”
This short passage from the sermon Blessed Life clearly shows how simple but at the same time soulful his words are. Perhaps this is why Robert Morris’s sermons attract millions of listeners that they open their eyes to things that many simply don’t notice? Are they pulling from the depths of our hearts all the best, brightest and most secret? The fact that his sermons do not go unanswered clearly shows the growth of the church and millions of listeners around the world. This and many other sermons are available on the Gateway Church website.
One family
Gateway Church Senior Pastor Robert Morris thanks each audience for their service, dedication and prayers. He says that thanks to their love and sincerity, life changes not only in the church, but throughout the world - thousands of people accepted Christ, many were freed from past insults, healed spiritual wounds, and were free from dependence.
Robert Morris says people come up to him and say that for many years they were Christians, but their whole life changed when they came to Gateway Church. Some recall how, after the tragedy that happened in their life, they came here and only thanks to their support could they survive difficult times. Pastor Robert thanks all the members of the church for the love and support they give people.
Addressing his parishioners, the pastor says that even in times of drought, flour and butter will not run out in their church. And God shows that since they all continue to be a blessing to other people, He provides them with everything they need in the driest times. “You are a blessing. I thank you and am very proud of everyone. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to be your pastor, ”says Robert Morris.
Biography
R. Morris is the founder and senior pastor of Gateway Church. Robert leads the weekly television program, Blessed Life. The best-selling author in the USA. He wrote 14 books, including: “I Never Knew God,” “Truly Free,” “Blessed Life.” Wife Debbie and Robert together 36 years. They have one daughter, 2 sons and 8 grandchildren.