Gateway Church will begin laying off staff members after a 35 to 40 percent reduction in tithes, according to a video sent to staff members Wednesday.

In the video, which was published on social networksElder Kenneth Fambro said, due to the sharp decline in tithes or donations made to the church, Gateway will look to downsize.

“As leaders, we want to be as clear and transparent as possible as we walk everyone through this process,” Fambro said.

Laid-off employees will receive severance pay based on the number of years they worked for the church, Fambro said. For each year of service, the employee will receive one month of salary, with a maximum of four months of salary possible.

The severance package is the same as the voluntary severance package the church previously offered to staff members.

“We really want to take care of our staff throughout this process,” Fambro said. “We want to support you and really help you in this transition and in this process. »

Fambro also apologized for how the Church has handled staff reductions in the past, and said the remaining leaders plan to approach leadership differently in the future.

“We want what God wants,” Fambro said. “We want you to be exactly where God wants you to be. And whether it’s in your career or attending church, we want what’s best for you.

A representative for Gateway declined to comment on the layoffs when contacted by The Dallas Morning News.

The layoffs occur approximately five months later a woman publicly accused Robert Morris, founder of Gateway and former senior pastor of sexually assaulted her in the 1980s from the age of 12. Morris resigned as senior pastor days after the allegation became public, when church elders said they requested to meet with him about the allegation.

Almost two weeks ago, Gateway removed all but three of his elders and other staff following an investigation by a law firm into the allegations against Morris. Elder Tra Willbanks told congregants during a Nov. 2 service that many Gateway elders and employees either knew about the allegations against Morris before they became public or had sufficient information so they should have inquired further, but did not.

Willbanks said Gateway’s culture allowed power to be consolidated around Morris, resulting in people who would protect him at all costs.

Gateway’s participation also fell by more than 20% since June, a church spokesperson said News in October. That included a 40 percent drop at Gateway’s main campus in Southlake and a 4 to 7 percent reduction in attendance at the church’s eight other campuses in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.

Gateway has also been named as a defendant in several lawsuits, including one that alleges the Church failed to use a percentage of tithing money intended for the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.