It all started with one step of faith, and now it's a gathering of one big church of 36,000 people. This is one family where they sincerely believe in the Lord and strive to help every person He brings to them.
Church History
Gateway Church ranks third out of America's 100 Fastest Growing Churches according to Outreach magazine. In 1999, Pastor Robert Morris decided to start an evangelical church in Southlake, Texas. He consulted with the ministers of Trinity Fellowship Church, asking them for guidance and wisdom. In February 2000, a group of 30 people gathered at Pastor Robert's home to serve and worship the Lord.
In April of the same year, the elders of Trinity Fellowship Church blessed Pastor Morris to establish a new church, and the first service was held at the Hilton Hotel for 180 people. The church grew rapidly - in July 2001, more than 2,000 people attended services. Construction began on the building in May 2002, and a service was held on the 700-person campus in 2003.
Soon a new building was needed, as the hall could not accommodate everyone, despite the fact that several services were held over the weekend. ATDecember 2012 over 40,000 people visited the church on Christmas Day. In April 2014, services are held on five campuses, the average weekly church attendance reached 36,000.
Gateway Church today
The campus in Dallas has been updated - a children's area has been renovated, a cafe and a bookstore have been opened. A hall has been built in San Francisco that can accommodate up to 1200 people. In 2014, speaking at the annual conference, Robert Morris (photo in the article) noticed that the Fort Worto campus was “bursting at the seams” and could not accommodate everyone. Today, the new premises are ready to receive up to 6,000 people weekly. Gateway Church currently has 6 campuses where services are held.
- According to the latest data, over the past year, 5456 people accepted into the heart of Christ, 2485 were baptized. Easter services were attended by 51859 people, Christmas service - 34961.
- More than $20 million allocated for missionary and outreach activities. More than 1,600 volunteers work in this field, providing spiritual and material assistance in many countries of the world.
- The King's University's Southlake branch produces more than 300 graduates each year who are ready to work in the church and beyond. 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 majors in arts and management, social sciences and humanities, music and science.
- Worship group famousfar 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, with 26,000 albums sold.
- The weekly television program "Blessed Life" is broadcast on several channels. In the program, Robert Morris preaches sermons. The number of viewers of the program is more than 20,000 per week.
- Since 2012, the Gateway Life magazine has been published once a month, covering the life of the church. People share stories about their life in God, information about ministries and events of the church is published.
- Gateway Church has its own YouTube channel with over 3 million views. There are 55,671 regular subscribers to date. The Facebook page has been visited by 20,053,129 people, of which 250,000 are regular subscribers. Gateway Church has 511,000 fans on Instagram and 43,700 followers on Twitter.
A total of 12, 609, 303 people follow Gateway Church news and social media posts. Pastor Robert Morris' sermons have been translated into many languages on Christian websites.
Preacher of God's Word
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 the Word of God and strivehelp every person. And it is not just words. Every sermon by Robert Morris is encouragement and instruction, consolation and edification.
“The blessed life is to bless those around us. And it doesn't have to be financial support. Every little act of kindness is a blessing. It is a Christian way of life to help those around us and do good deeds in the name of Jesus. You can:
- deliver groceries to a sick neighbor;
- bring flowers to someone;
- offer babysitting;
- send a letter to support someone;
- spend a day at 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 near you, work near you or go to your church. Bless others by your deeds in the name of Jesus and seeds will be planted to reap a glorious harvest for the Kingdom of God.”
This short excerpt from the sermon "The Blessed Life" clearly shows how simple yet profound his words are. Perhaps that is why Robert Morris's sermons attract millions of listeners, that they open their eyes to things that many simply do not notice? Are they pulling out from the depths of our hearts all the kindest, brightest and most intimate? The fact that his sermons do not go unanswered clearly shows the growth of the church and millions of listeners around the world. This sermon and many more are available on the Gateway Church website.
Onefamily
Gateway Church Senior Pastor Robert Morris thanks his listeners for their ministry, giving and prayer in every speech. He says that thanks to their love and sincerity, life is changing not only in the church, but all over the world - thousands of people accepted Christ, many were freed from past grievances, healed spiritual wounds, gained freedom from addiction.
Robert Morris says people come up to him and say they've been Christians for years, but their whole lives changed when they came to Gateway Church. Some recall how, after a tragedy that happened in their lives, they came here and only thanks to the support they were able to survive the difficult times. Pastor Robert thanks all members of the church for the love and support they give to people.
Addressing his parishioners, the pastor says that even in times of drought, flour and oil 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 say thank you and I'm 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 hosts the weekly TV show Blessed Life. Best selling author in the US. He has written 14 books, including: I Never Knew God, Really Free, A Blessed Life. Wife Debbie and Robert have been together for 36 years. They have one daughter, 2son and 8 grandchildren.
