Highland Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC), one of the United Methodist Church’s largest congregations, is preparing for a membership vote later this month that could end its longstanding affiliation with the denomination.
The Dallas-area megachurch’s Church Council voted Tuesday unanimously to approve a resolution calling for a congregation-wide vote on whether to sever ties with the United Methodist Church (UMC).
Council members said the proposed separation would allow HPUMC to continue its ministry and uphold its Wesleyan Methodist beliefs while maintaining control over its own governance.
The decision comes as the congregation faces a lawsuit filed by the UMC’s Horizon Texas Annual Conference challenging revisions to the church’s governing documents.
In court papers submitted Sept. 21, HPUMC defended the amendments to its articles of incorporation and bylaws, asserting that its Church Council had unanimously authorized the changes in November 2022 while acting as the corporation’s governing board.
Church officials sought to distinguish the upcoming denominational vote from the pending lawsuit in an Oct. 15 letter to members. They explained that the vote would address the congregation’s relationship with the UMC, while the legal dispute over the corporate amendments would be settled separately under Texas civil law.
The council further emphasized that a departure from the denomination would not alter the church’s Methodist identity or its commitment to Wesleyan theological teachings, regardless of how members vote.
Urging congregants to support the proposal, church leaders characterized a “Yes” vote as “the only way to preserve our longstanding right to self-governance while protecting our Church's historic ministry and mission.”
Voting will take place Oct. 25 and 26 at the church’s Highland Park campus. Eligibility is limited to professing members whose names appear on the congregation’s attendance rolls as of Oct. 25.
Horizon Texas Conference Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., meanwhile, addressed the dispute in a pastoral letter Tuesday, reaffirming his commitment to the congregation and encouraging members to approach the disagreement with caution and mutual respect.
“Stay with what's known and resist rumor. Be careful online,” Saenz wrote. “Make room for people who see this differently, because they belong here too.”
