Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., bishop of the Horizon Texas Annual Conference, Saturday, Mar. 4, 2023.
Lola Gomez/Staff Photographer
The dispute between Highland Park United Methodist Church and its regional governing body, the Horizon Texas Annual Conference, escalated as the conference accused the North Texas church of breach of contract in new court filings and asked for a permanent injunction.
In a copy of the filing provided to The Dallas Morning News Friday, the conference said the church had no authority to make changes to governing documents that are at the center of the legal dispute. The court action comes as the Highland Park UMC council took the extraordinary step Thursday to recommend the church leave the United Methodist denomination.
The church is scheduled to take a congregational vote on the matter Sunday, Oct. 25 and Monday, Oct. 26, a swift and dramatic development since the dispute between the entities became public in August.
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In a statement, the conference said the United Methodist Church is a connection of clergy and lay people who are bound by a shared covenant, “with responsibilities to one another beyond any single congregation.”
“Honoring this covenant begins with upholding the vows we have made as United Methodists and restoring Highland Park’s governing documents to reflect those shared commitments,” the statement said.
A spokesperson for Highland Park UMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new court filing Friday.
The dispute started with disagreements over changes Highland Park UMC made to internal and corporate governing documents. The conference sued the church in August, accusing Highland Park UMC of refusing to cooperate and revert to its previous governing structure and language. Highland Park UMC’s leaders have said they felt betrayed by the litigation and have lost all trust in the denomination.
If the church leaves the UMC, it would mark the departure of one of the denomination’s wealthiest and most prominent institutions. The church’s more than 15,000 members include former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. According to the United Methodist Church, in 2024, the church had an average attendance of over 4,000 people and reported an annual income of over $22 million.
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Related: Read the documents in the legal dispute between Highland Park UMC and United Methodist Church
What is the lawsuit about?
In 2022, Highland Park UMC made changes to its internal bylaws and its articles of incorporation with the state of Texas that removed reference to the United Methodist Church, its governing text the Book of Discipline and the conference. It also changed its official name to Highland Park Methodist Church, removing the word “United.” Its “doing business as” name remains Highland Park United Methodist Church.
The conference filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging these changes were out of line with United Methodist policy and essentially were a quiet attempt to sever ties with the denomination. The conference said the changes were made without telling the local congregation, and it alleged the changes granted improper power to the church council.
Highland Park UMC has denied these allegations about the governance structure, and has disputed the timeline of events that led up to the filing of the lawsuit. The conference said it has made “good-faith efforts” to resolve the dispute before the litigation.
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Related: Highland Park UMC council says church will hold a vote on leaving United Methodist denomination
Conference steps up stakes of lawsuit
The conference raised the stakes of the lawsuit in its amended petition filed Thursday, online court records show.
In the filing, the conference asks the court for a permanent injunction against Highland Park UMC, requesting the court invalidate the articles of incorporation and bylaws changed in 2022. It also asks for a court order restoring the original documents.
The conference argued the church had no authority to make the changes to its bylaws and articles of incorporation, and therefore the new documents are void.
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Additionally, the conference is now alleging the church breached its contract when it made the contested amendments, resulting in “irreparable loss that cannot be fully compensated by an award of actual damages.”
Related: ‘Not a decision I take lightly’: UMC bishop addresses Highland Park UMC congregation in message
What happens next?
A trial date was set recently for Oct. 12, 2027. It’s unclear when the judge might rule on the conference’s requests.
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Highland Park UMC’s vote on whether to leave the UMC comes next weekend. The church has said a third party will conduct the voting and provided the following information:
Voting dates: Sunday, Oct. 25, and Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Voting will take place in person at HPUMC’s Mockingbird campus.
Who is eligible to vote: Professing members recorded on HPUMC’s membership rolls as of Oct. 25, 2026. The church council said members can verify their membership status by texting “member” to 469-436-5590.
Voting times and process: Find details about voting times and procedures here.
More information: The council said more information is available at www.hpumc.org/news