DALLAS — The United Methodist Church has initiated legal action against Highland Park United Methodist Church, one of its largest and wealthiest congregations, over control of the church’s governance and affiliation. The lawsuit, filed last month in Dallas civil court by the Horizon Texas Annual Conference, a regional governing body overseeing United Methodist congregations in North Texas and the Texas panhandle, accuses Highland Park of severing key legal ties to the broader denomination while continuing to present itself as a United Methodist congregation.
Highland Park United Methodist Church, located in Dallas and boasting a membership that includes former President George W. Bush, is notable for its financial strength and large attendance, with more than 19,000 people participating in Easter services this year alone. Founded in 1916 on the campus of Southern Methodist University, it has traditionally been part of the United Methodist Church, which has experienced significant division in recent years, primarily over LGBTQ issues. Since 2019, approximately 7,600 churches—largely conservative—have left the denomination, including around 40 percent of Texas churches.
Despite this wave of departures, Highland Park chose to remain with the United Methodist Church but in 2022 quietly amended its bylaws. The revisions granted the church authority over decisions typically controlled by the denomination, such as clergy appointments, and removed references to the United Methodist Church and its Book of Discipline, the denomination’s governing document. These moves, the regional conference contends, violate the denomination’s “trust clause,” which stipulates that the denomination retains ownership of church property should a congregation attempt to leave.
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., the conference leader, stated that efforts to resolve the dispute directly with Highland Park’s leadership had gone unheeded, prompting the lawsuit. In response, Highland Park’s leadership condemned the legal action as “unnecessary, unwarranted and unjust,” rejecting the conference’s claims and asserting that the bylaw changes were made to protect the church amid ongoing uncertainty within the denomination.
A church spokeswoman explained that the changes were adopted based on legal counsel to preserve the enforceability of corporate documents under Texas law. She referenced a 2020 Texas Supreme Court ruling that allowed a breakaway Episcopal diocese in Fort Worth to retain its property after separating from its national denomination, implying a similar precedent may apply.
The church’s senior minister, Matt Tuggle, disclosed that he is undergoing disciplinary review by the conference, partly due to actions perceived as undermining the bishop’s authority. Tuggle has characterized the lawsuit as both surprising and unwarranted and described the bylaw amendments as necessary safeguards against potential denominational overreach.
Observers familiar with Highland Park note the tension between its longstanding financial support of the denomination and its push for greater autonomy, reflecting a broader trend in American religious life where local congregations seek more control over internal affairs. George Mason, a member of Southern Methodist University’s theology school board alongside Bishop Saenz and Tuggle, noted that a church of Highland Park’s size and resources can function almost independently within or outside a denomination.
Southern Methodist University, which maintains close ties to Highland Park, itself attempted to leave the United Methodist Church in 2025 but resolved the dispute this year, remaining affiliated.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Tuggle assured members in a recent closed meeting that Highland Park would continue as a “great Wesleyan Methodist church,” signaling a commitment to its theological roots even as its denominational status remains in question.