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Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas on Thursday, December 14, 2017.<\/p>\n
Louis DeLuca\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
The regional governing body of the United Methodist Church<\/a> is suing Highland Park United Methodist Church, accusing local church leadership in court documents of quietly trying to sever its connection with the conference and broader denomination.<\/p>\n The Horizon Texas Annual Conference<\/a>, which covers a broad swath of Texas and the\u00a0D-FW area, said that in 2022 and early 2023, Highland Park UMC’s Church Council changed the local church’s bylaws without alerting the congregation or the conference.<\/p>\n In a statement, the church’s senior minister the Rev. Matt\u00a0Tuggle said the church has always been faithful United Methodists and has always supported United Methodist leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “For the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to file a meritless lawsuit against our church is both bewildering and disappointing,” Tuggle said. “While we continue to engage with the Conference on its allegations, we will remain focused on being who we are as a church \u2013 which means ministering to our congregation just as we have over the past 110 years.”<\/p>\n In a video<\/a> posted to an information\u00a0webpage about the situation, Bishop Ruben Saenz said the conference has repeatedly sought to resolve the disagreement with Highland Park UMC since last fall. The conference accused the local church leaders of refusing to cooperate.<\/p>\n “Many faithful members may never have known these changes were made,”\u00a0Saenz said.<\/p>\n In the video,\u00a0Saenz says it is his duty to address the disagreements for all members of the Highland Park congregation and its future members.<\/p>\n “The life, identity and future of this church are larger than any one leadership team or any one point in time,” he said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: Leader of Highland Park United Methodist Church gives final sermon ahead of retirement<\/a><\/p>\n Highland Park\u00a0UMC is a prominent church in North Texas that neighbors Southern Methodist University. The church’s more than 15,000 members<\/a> include former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush<\/a>.<\/p>\n The conference said it filed the lawsuit Monday in Dallas County district court. As of Tuesday afternoon, the lawsuit did not appear online in the Dallas County court records, but a copy was provided to The Dallas Morning News by the conference.<\/p>\n The complaint asks the court to affirm the original governing documents before they were changed, as the conference believes, improperly. The document said the civil court can declare this judgment without \u201cdelving into ecclesiastical matters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe filing asks the court to address civil-law questions involving the church\u2019s governing documents and longstanding property deed,\u201d the conference\u2019s website says<\/a>. \u201cThe Conference remains committed to protecting the congregation, preserving Highland Park UMC\u2019s United Methodist identity and sacred trust and seeking a faithful resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The annual conference is under\u00a0Saenz’s leadership. Like other annual conferences, it approves budgets, oversees ministry and ordains clergy. Under the Book of Discipline, the\u00a0UMC’s governing document, local churches are “subject to the authority of annual conferences,” the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n The lawsuit alleged that the local church did not follow conference procedures when it made changes to its organizing documents.<\/p>\n In November 2022, the local church filed a restated certificate of formation with the Texas Secretary of State, the lawsuit said, and changed its name to Highland Park Methodist Church. According to the lawsuit, the church removed all references to the United Methodist Church, the conference and the Book of Discipline.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lawsuit says the church also amended its bylaws to do the same, and removed the rights of church members to “participate in determining the denomination of HP Church.” The lawsuit says no vote was taken by members of the church in 2022 over these amendments.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: North Texans react to United Methodist Church policy changes on marriage, homosexuality<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Documents obtained by The News from the office of the Secretary of State show that the church located on Mockingbird Lane in November 2022 changed its name in state filings to Highland Park Methodist Church, and amended its articles of incorporation.<\/p>\n Documents also show the church filed an “assumed name certificate” with the Secretary of State for its name to remain Highland Park United Methodist Church \u201cunder which the business or professional service is or is to be conducted.”<\/p>\n The church did not immediately respond to questions seeking clarity on its name.<\/p>\n The church’s website still bears the name Highland Park United Methodist Church<\/a>. Under the church’s “what we believe<\/a>” page online, the church says “United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians,” and cites the Book of Discipline.<\/p>\n “Nevertheless, the Restated Certificate and the Amended Bylaws represent an attempt to sever the connectional relationship between HP Corporation, HP Church, The United Methodist Church, and the Conference,” the lawsuit said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: SMU, United Methodist Church conference agree to dismiss lawsuit over breach of contract<\/a><\/p>\n Earlier this year, Highland Park UMC’s lead pastor, the Rev. Paul Rasmussen,<\/a> stepped down after he was previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.\u00a0Rasmussen had served as lead pastor since 2013 and is now listed as minister-in-residence on the church’s staff website. <\/a><\/p>\n In 2024, the General Conference of the\u00a0UMC, its overarching governing body, voted to remove bans on gay clergy and same-sex marriages<\/a>. The change prompted hundreds of mostly conservative churches to disaffiliate with the United Methodist Church, many before the vote.<\/p>\n In early 2025, the North Texas, Central Texas and Northwest Texas Conferences merged to form the Horizon Texas Annual Conference<\/a> after dozens of churches disaffiliated from the UMC, particularly in west Texas. It now stretches from the Texas Panhandle to Sherman to nearly Austin.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n