The Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church says it filed suit against Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas County this week.
The lawsuit by the conference, a regional governing body which covers North Texas, alleges the 100-plus-year-old Park Cities church’s leadership made changes to its governing documents in 2022 and 2023 that weren’t approved through the processes required by the United Methodist Church and without notifying the Conference.
As of the afternoon of Aug. 11, the lawsuit didn’t appear online in Dallas County court records, but the conference shared a copy of it with Park Cities People.
The lawsuit alleges HPUMC filed a restated certificate of formation in 2022 which “changed the corporation’s name to Highland Park Methodist Church and removed all references to The United Methodist Church, the Conference, and the Discipline from its governing documents.” The lawsuit further alleges that HPUMC adopted amended bylaws that year, which “remove all references to The United Methodist Church, the Conference, and the Discipline; ii) remove the rights of HP Church members to participate in any matter ‘affecting or involving the Church’; and iii) remove the members’ right to participate in determining the denomination of HP Church, including selection of the Church Council.’
In December of 2022, the lawsuit also alleges ‘HP Corporation filed an Assumed Name Certificate listing Highland Park United Methodist Church as its assumed name.”
The church’s website and signage still refer to it as Highland Park United Methodist Church.
The Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church outlined its concerns on its website, where it alleges the changes include:
- The Church Council can never be required to bring any matter “affecting or involving the church” before the members of the church, thus removing the members from involvement in the governance of their own church
- The Church Council is no longer appointed by the Charge Conference, but by the Church Council itself
- The Pastoral Relations Committee of the Church Council solely appoints, employs, and supervises the pastors with no oversight from the bishop, the Conference, or the United Methodist Church
- The Church Council determines the mission, ministry, and pastoral messaging, rather than the Bishop or The United Methodist Church
- The Church Council determines the denomination of the church, its faith and its connections with other institutions, again with no involvement from the members of the church
- Change of name from Highland Park United Methodist Church to Highland Park Methodist Church, doing business as “Highland Park United Methodist Church.”
- Removal of Wesleyan tradition from the church’s mission
In a video shared on the Horizon Texas Conference’s website, Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. said the conference leaders since last fall “have sought to resolve these issues directly with Highland Park’s leadership, but that request has not been accepted.”
Rev. Matt Tuggle, senior minister of Highland Park United Methodist Church, said in a statement that “we have been faithful United Methodists and have always supported United Methodist leadership.”
“For the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to file a meritless lawsuit against our church is both bewildering and disappointing,” the statement read. “While we continue to engage with the Conference on its allegations, we will remain focused on being who we are as a church — which means ministering to our congregation just as we have over the past 110 years.”
Tuggle replaced Rev. Paul Rasmussen, who transitioned to an emeritus role in February after serving as senior minister for more than a decade, earlier this year.
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