Crossroads Podcast: Inside Dallas’ Methodist Church Wars
It’s a big news story — at the denominational and local levels — when one of America’s biggest, richest, most powerful and most strategic United Methodist congregations votes to remove the word “United” from its name.
But imagine this: What if a dozen members of the Highland Park flock, next to Southern Methodist University, released a manifesto explaining why 90% of the voters in the Dallas pews backed that decision? And what if one prominent Highland Park member — President George W. Bush — agreed to sign? Would that affect coverage?
That’s one of the questions raised during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, which focused, in large part, on a Dallas Morning News report that ran with a wordy, but accurate, headline: “Highland Park UMC says it is splitting from denomination. What’s next? … The move reflects a broader trend in U.S. religion away from denominational organization.”
Yes, the names of some of the 15,000 members of the Highland Park congregation have something to do with its clout in city, state and national discussions. It’s also important that search engines and AI agents, when I asked for specifics, could not estimate the value of the church’s real estate, facilities and endowments.
United Methodist sources note that Highland Park’s income for 2024 was more than $22 million, while some media reports make that $29 million. What does the church pass on to state and national United Methodist budgets? The church on Mockingbird Lane has a reported attendance of more than 5,000 on a typical Sunday. That total has risen in recent years, which is significant in a shrinking denomination.
What’s next? The Dallas Morning News report made it clear that the stakes in this ecclesiastical, and legal, fight are high.
The vote does not mark the end of the high-stakes disagreement between the United Methodist Church’s Horizon Texas Annual Conference and Highland Park UMC. …
Beyond North Texas, some religion experts say the departure could spell trouble for the whole United Methodist Church, a denomination that has lost thousands of churches and members in recent years.
“This whole set of complex scenarios is potentially catastrophic for the United Methodist Church,” said William B. Lawrence, former dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and former president of the judicial council of the United Methodist Church. He is concerned the move could spur other United Methodist churches to follow suit.
Journalists covering this story will need to explain why the words “potentially catastrophic” are justified. And there is more to this drama than the fact that the United Methodist Church has declined from 11 million members, at the time of its birth in 1968, to about 3.9 million in 2024.
On one level, the powers that be in the national and state United Methodist headquarters occupy the legal high ground. While the denomination’s doctrinally progressive leaders have changed their teachings on some big-button issues, especially on marriage and sexuality, the UMC’s rules on the control of land, facilities, trust funds, etc., are clear, once again.
Once again? A Religion News Service report on the Highland Park vote stressed a crucial point that Dallas Morning News editors may have needed to make clear for their readers.
First, here is what the Dallas newspaper said about the high-stakes legal battles ahead, starting with the regional conference’s stance that the exit vote was invalid and will be fought in court.
“While individuals are free to make their own decisions about their religious affiliation, a congregational vote does not, by itself, sever a local church’s relationship with The United Methodist Church,” the conference said after the results of the vote were announced. …
In its lawsuit, the conference accused Highland Park UMC of a breach of contract. The conference is asking the court to block the changes the church made to its bylaws.
Neither the church nor the conference has made an overt claim over the other for the property of Highland Park UMC. The conference has not asked the court to rule on the property. In the United Methodist Church, church properties are held in trust with the denomination. But Highland Park UMC has said it is “confident in our legal positions” regarding the property.
However, the RNS report added this important information and context:
From 2019 to the end of 2023, the United Methodist Church allowed churches to leave the denomination with their property as part of a temporary exit clause. Some 7,800 churches left, most of them conservative ones that had theological differences with the denomination related to issues of human sexuality.
But that period ended three years ago, and there is now no formal pathway in the church’s rulebook — the Book of Discipline — for churches to leave with their property. …
That means that Texas courts will likely have to step in to issue a ruling. Although the denomination has already filed a lawsuit, it said it might take further action. Highland Park church leaders said they believe recent changes in state law governing nonprofits will favor the church.
In other words, under UMC law, the Highland Park congregation missed its legal chance to leave the denomination and take its land, buildings and assets with it.
That door is now closed. But what about that statement that Texas courts may play a strategic role in this battle?
If Texas courts backed Highland Park Methodist (that’s the new name), this would certainly be “potentially catastrophic” for state and national UMC leaders and, potentially, in other ecclesiastical bodies that claim church assets belong to denominational leaders, not local congregations. That’s a national news angle worth watching.
This is very complex legal territory. Consider this language from a summary posted by Dalton & Tomich, a group specializing in church legal battles. This is one opinion on issues that will certainly factor into the Highland Park case:
For those following the issues of enforceability of the Methodist and Reformed Church claims of trust over property, the Texas Supreme Court issued an opinion on May 22,2020 striking a blow to denominations and freeing local congregations who wish to retain their property and leave the denomination. In a landmark case involving claims made by the Episcopal Church (TEC) over local churches who sought to leave the denomination and retain their property, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed Trust Clause arguments made by the denomination and found that the local churches were the sole owner of their property. …
The Court held:
Applying neutral principles to the undisputed facts, we hold that (1) resolution of this property dispute does not require consideration of an ecclesiastical question, (2) under the governing documents, the withdrawing faction is the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, and (3) the trial court properly granted summary judgment in the withdrawing faction’s favor….
How will this affect congregations in other denominations in Texas in which church leaders — such as United Methodist bishops — are backed by church laws that give them control over buildings, properties, trusts, pensions, etc.?
Another crucial question: What happens if higher courts back the Texas Supreme Court decision? What happens to other denominations — from coast to coast — that are facing similar doctrinal and legal battles over the ties that bind their churches?
In other words, the exit door from the United Methodist Church that closed in 2023 could be flung open once again.
Does Highland Park Methodist Church have the financial and cultural clout to make a strong case in Texas courts? Can it afford to assemble a strong legal team?
Do the math. As for now, the News noted:
Highland Park UMC leaders have said the church will become an independent Methodist church, seeking to form a network with other “moderate” churches. It’s unclear what that model will look like. The church has said it is committed to its Methodist roots and traditions.
In the United Methodist Church, a bishop appoints clergy to a location. It’s unclear whether Highland Park UMC’s clergy will stay with the church or ask the bishop for another assignment within the United Methodist Church.
In breaking news, note this follow-up RNS headline: “UMC bishop removes ministers from Dallas’ Highland Park; church says they will stay.”
Meanwhile, what is an “independent” Methodist church? In terms of church history, “Connectionalism” was built into the structures inspired by pioneer John Wesley, whose evangelistic ministry led to the creation of the “methods” that evolved into the “Methodism” movement.
Then again, how are small-o “orthodox” Methodists supposed to respond when their leaders claim the power to edit and modernize some of the church’s core doctrines and traditions on matters such as sexuality and eternal salvation? Do property laws matter more than moral theology?
Can a Texas court decide questions of this magnitude? There are many questions to answer, so stay tuned.