Highland Park Methodists held separate services Sunday following a congregational vote in which Highland Park Methodist Church voted in favor of separating from the United Methodist denomination amid an ongoing legal dispute over governing documents.
Highland Park Methodist Church’s church council said that, of 4,775 votes cast, 90.35% voted in favor of cutting ties with the denomination following a two-day voting process concluding Oct. 26, and the congregation would begin worshipping as Highland Park Methodist Church, rather than Highland Park United Methodist Church, on Nov. 1.
Following the vote, the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church said in statements that “a congregational vote does not, by itself, sever a local church’s relationship with the United Methodist Church.” Conference leadership has said that a temporary framework for disaffiliation was sunset in 2023.
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. of the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church announced on Oct. 29 the appointment of longtime assistant to the bishop and chief of staff for the Horizon Texas Conference Andy Lewis as senior minister for those members who want to remain part of the denomination, with that group meeting temporarily at University Park United Methodist Church, and the reappointment of HPMC senior minister Matt Tuggle and former senior minister Paul Rasmussen “to other duties.”
HPMC’s church council said in a statement that the bishop’s Oct. 29 announcement “changes nothing,” and Tuggle led worship services at 3300 Mockingbird Lane on Nov. 1.
Tuggle briefly addressed the schism during services.
“I am so grateful for all of you who voted last week,” Tuggle said. “I know that a lot of us are really excited about the future of our church. I’m also mindful of this: There are those who wish that the church had made a different decision. There are 447 people who voted to stay within the denomination, and there’s no way for us to know who those are, but if that’s you, I want you to know that I’m really glad you’re here this morning, either in person or online. We sincerely hope that this will continue to be your church.”
Lewis also addressed congregants for the first time from University Park United Methodist Church.
“I want you to know that, as your pastor, I am committed to listening to you, to walking with you through this valley,” Lewis said. “I also want to recognize that it took real courage and conviction for you to be here today. Being here today went against the grain, and I commend you for that. This is in many ways a new beginning for Highland Park United Methodist Church.”
HPMC’s Church Council called for the congregational vote on whether or not the church should separate from the denomination in October following an August lawsuit filed by the conference over the church’s governing documents. The Council recommended a vote to leave the denomination.
The lawsuit filed by the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, a regional governing body which covers North Texas, stems from changes the 100-plus-year-old church’s leadership made to its governing documents in 2022 and 2023.
Among the issues is the church’s change of its corporate name filed with the Office of the Secretary of State from “Highland Park United Methodist Church” to “Highland Park Methodist Church” in 2022.
The lawsuit further alleges that HPMC also adopted amended bylaws that year, which “i) 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.”
HPMC has said in a statement on its website that the church changed its corporate documents in accordance with guidance in 2020 from Texas courts “on managing church affairs under neutral principles of Texas law,” and that the church worked with the conference on the corporate name change. HPMC has also said that the church’s Charge Conference voted unanimously to delegate governance to the Church Council in 1998.
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