Highland Park UMC senior minister the Rev. Matt Tuggle in an undated photo.
Highland Park UMC
A major vote in North Texas could soon determine a historic outcome for thousands of residents. And no, it’s not the midterm election.
Members of Highland Park United Methodist Church will vote this weekend on whether to leave the United Methodist Church, the denomination it has been a part of for more than 100 years, and become an independent Methodist congregation.
What started as a disagreement over obscure legal language has escalated since August to the leadership of the North Texas church recommending the congregation separate due what they say is a betrayal of trust.
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Why is the church considering separating?
The dispute started with disagreements over changes Highland Park UMC made to internal and corporate governing documents in 2022. The Horizon Texas Annual Conference, the regional governing body of the UMC, said the changes amounted to a quiet attempt to distance the church from the denomination.
The conference sued the church in August, accusing Highland Park UMC of refusing to revert to its previous governing structure and language.
In the weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Highland Park UMC said it never wanted to leave the denomination. The church’s leaders are now saying they lack trust in the United Methodist Church and want to govern Highland Park UMC’s own affairs at a local level.
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“The Church Council believes the Conference and its bishop have irrevocably broken the bond of trust that once existed between our Church and The United Methodist Church,” the church council said in a recent letter.
The conference has said a church can’t unilaterally choose to leave the United Methodist Church.
“Any attempt to do so does not diminish the Bishop and Conference’s commitment to continued covenant with Highland Park UMC and its members nor our desire for restoration and reconciliation with this vital community of faith,” the conference said last week in a statement.
Related: Highland Park UMC council says church will hold a vote on leaving United Methodist denomination
When is the vote?
The vote will take place at Highland Park UMC Sunday, Oct. 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Monday, Oct. 26, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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The church said a third party will conduct the electronic voting process. Voting members must confirm their church membership and bring identification such as a driver’s license. A state-issued ID, U.S. passport or military ID are also acceptable, the church said.
There are no virtual or proxy voting options, the church said.
Highland Park UMC said the only people who are eligible to vote are those registered as professing members in its records as of Sunday, Oct. 25. Members can check their status by texting “member” to 469-436-5590.
More information on the voting process can be found at hpumc.org/news#votinginformation.
What’s on the ballot?
Voters will vote yes or no to the following question: Shall Highland Park Methodist Church, doing business as Highland Park United Methodist Church, sever all of its ties, affiliations and connections to The United Methodist Church?
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The church said the results of the vote will be determined by a simple majority of total votes cast by eligible members.
Related: Highland Park United Methodist Church legal dispute prompts questions of authority and power
What is the lawsuit about?
In 2022, Highland Park UMC made changes to its internal bylaws and articles of incorporation that removed reference to the United Methodist Church, its governing text the Book of Discipline and the conference.
The church 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 also said the edits granted improper power to the Highland Park UMC council.
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The conference filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging these changes were out of line with United Methodist policy and were made without telling the church’s thousands of members.
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 has said it has made “good-faith efforts” to resolve the dispute before the litigation, while the church has said the lawsuit left them blindsided.
Related: Permanent injunction sought against Highland Park UMC, court filing says