Overview
- The Horizon Texas Conference filed a civil suit in Dallas County on Aug. 10 seeking a declaratory judgment to undo governing-document changes the conference says were made by Highland Park’s church council in 2022.
- Court documents and reporting say the 2022 revisions renamed the legal corporation, removed references to The United Methodist Church and the Book of Discipline, and gave local leaders sole power over council selection, pastoral appointments, and denominational affiliation.
- Highland Park’s senior minister has called the lawsuit meritless and said the congregation remains United Methodist while leaders engage with the conference and update members.
- Legal analysts warn the case could face an ecclesial abstention challenge because Texas courts sometimes decline to resolve internal church governance matters that touch on doctrine or polity.
- The dispute matters beyond this congregation because Highland Park is one of the denomination’s largest churches, it sits on the SMU campus, and the court’s decision could affect property deeds, institutional ties, and how the UMC enforces its connectional governance.