A Texas megachurch voted overwhelmingly to leave the United Methodist Church. Now, just days later, a bishop has still appointed a new pastor.
The battle over Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas is heating up after more than 90% of voting members chose to break away from the denomination, setting the stage for a showdown over church leadership, authority and property.
According to UM News, Bishop Rubén Saenz Jr. announced on Oct. 29 that the congregation would appoint Rev. Andy Lewis as its new senior pastor. Saenz also removed the Rev. Matt Tuggle and senior pastor emeritus Paul Rasmussen from their denominational appointments.
This comes right after Highland Park has already declared its intention to leave the denomination.
During an Oct. 25-26 vote, 90.35% of the 4,775 participating members supported separation. The congregation, which has about 15,000 members, is preparing to move forward independently as Highland Park Methodist Church.
However, Saenz maintains that the vote does not legally sever the church’s ties to the United Methodist Church.
And now, two competing visions for this historic congregation’s future are taking shape.
As D Magazine reported, Lewis will initially lead worship at University Park United Methodist Church rather than at Highland Park’s own facilities. The services are intended for members who want to remain connected to the denomination.
To order Jonathan Cahn’s new book, The Altar of Pergamon, visit Amazon.com.
Meanwhile, Highland Park’s existing leadership is moving forward with plans to complete its separation by Dec. 1.
But the disagreement goes far beyond who stands behind the pulpit on Sunday morning.
The Horizon Texas Conference previously filed a lawsuit challenging changes Highland Park made to its governing documents in 2022.
The denomination also maintains that local church property is held in trust for the wider United Methodist Church. Although thousands of congregations previously separated under a temporary disaffiliation policy, that provision expired at the end of 2023.
What began as a disagreement over church governance has now become a much larger confrontation over who gets to determine the future of a congregation.
For a church caught between two competing claims of leadership, this is about far more than a name change. It’s a battle over who has the final say when a congregation decides it’s time to go in a different direction.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
