HIGHLAND PARK — The Rev. Paul Rasmussen approached the pulpit Sunday morning and gazed across the packed pews of his congregation.
How many times had he stood here before, in the same spot, Sunday after Sunday, presiding over weddings, funerals? It was not exactly goodbye. His work here was not done, far from it. Yet this would be his last sermon as senior pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church.
Five years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the 58-year-old announced he would step down to transition to an emeritus role at the church. In recent months, his energy had waned, and he knew it was time.
“Everything in your life and in mine is transitory, no exceptions,” he told the congregation Sunday. “Things just change… and we know how difficult change can be.”
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Outside, the line to attend Rasmussen’s last service wrapped around the church, which sits at the foot of Southern Methodist University. The church’s more than 15,000 members include former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.
Parishioners said Rasmussen’s relatable sermons, tinged with humor and grace, made him a popular and much-loved figure in the community. A church spokeswoman said Rasmussen politely declined an interview to discuss his career and retirement.
“He is an absolutely wonderful minister,” said Ann Spillman, who lives in Highland Park and has attended this church for 40 years. “He’s funny and sincere, and his sermons are always meaningful. Today is bittersweet.”
The Rev. Paul Rasmussen gives his last sermon as senior pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church on Sunday, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. The pastor is stepping down, five years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
HPUMC Dallas
A fourth-generation United Methodist minister, Rasmussen’s career did not follow a straight shot. He worked as an assistant basketball coach for five years at Centenary College in Louisiana. During that time, the university was one of only seven NCAA schools to graduate 100% of its players, according to his online biography.
In 1997, Rasmussen left coaching to pursue a career in sports marketing. Soon, he felt pulled to the ministry like his family before him, and he enrolled at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology.
Rasmussen joined the Highland Park church in 2000. As a seminary student, he ran the church’s gym across the street on Hillcrest Avenue. After that, he was appointed to lead the church’s contemporary service, Cornerstone.
At the time, the service was struggling with no lead pastor. Attendance was low, and the church was considering pulling the plug. Rasmussen took over and turned it into one of the church’s most popular programs.
Rasmussen was promoted to senior pastor of the church in 2013. As a pastor, he exemplifies servant leadership, said Toby Page, a longtime member who lives in Frisco.
The Rev. Paul Rasmussen speaks with parishioners after his last sermon as senior pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church on Sunday, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. The pastor is stepping down, five years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
HPUMC Dallas
Service and outreach are central tenets of the congregation.
The church has built more than 125 homes for Habitat for Humanity; created the “Belong Ministry,” one of the largest of its kind to support people with disabilities and their families; and is building a third home at the Methodist Children’s Home of Costa Rica, expanding the center’s ability to care for children in need.
“We know Pastor Paul won’t be sitting on his hands at home,” said Page, who married his wife, Kimberly, at this church some 25 years ago. “He will remain impactful here because that’s who he is.”
Speaking to the congregation Sunday, Rasmussen shared a story of watching two brothers build a tremendous sand castle one year while vacationing in Florida.
The next morning, the boys returned to the beach and saw the tide leveled their masterpiece. One boy stormed off in anger. The other grabbed his shovel and started digging.
“That’s the choice we have,” he said. “You either pack up and cry or you pick up the shovel and start digging.”
Beginnings and endings are inextricably linked, he said, and change is constant and inevitable. From the Bible, he recited scripture: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
At the end of the service, after the hymns and prayers, the congregation stood to applaud, and the pastor stepped back.