Highland Park UMC is a congregation of The United Methodist Church and part of the Horizon Texas Conference. Bishop Saenz and the Conference have a responsibility to the members of the church and the worldwide United Methodist body of Christ to provide spiritual and temporal oversight, to uphold United Methodist governance and to protect the congregation’s United Methodist identity and sacred trust.The Conference ensures changes involving a church’s governance follow the processes established in the UMC Book of Discipline and cannot be made unilaterally by a local church council. Highland Park UMC’s articles and bylaws were changed without approval through a properly called charge conference, as required by United Methodist governance.

Updated Sept. 4

The Conference has no record that the episcopal office was informed of the 2022 changes to Highland Park UMC’s governing documents when those changes were made, and no record that the episcopal office worked with Highland Park UMC to implement those changes. The changes were not submitted to or approved through the required United Methodist process.

More importantly, when or how the Conference became aware of the changes does not determine whether those changes comply with United Methodist polity and the Book of Discipline. The changes are out of order.

Once the significance of the changes became clear, Bishop Saenz began working privately with Highland Park UMC’s leadership to address them. As the episcopal leader of the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, Bishop Saenz could not disregard his responsibility to uphold the order of the Church and protect the congregation’s United Methodist identity and future.

Added Sept. 4

Highland Park UMC has pointed to action taken by a 1998 Charge Conference that delegated authority to the Church Council to enact and amend bylaws. That delegation did not remove the church’s obligation to comply with the Book of Discipline or give the Church Council authority to make changes inconsistent with United Methodist governance.

Paragraph 2529.1.c of the Book of Discipline specifically addresses a local church’s organizing documents and requires changes to those documents to receive written approval from the pastor and district superintendent. A local church does not need a separate Conference policy restating a requirement already established by the Book of Discipline.

The Conference’s concern is not that a Church Council can never make administrative changes to bylaws. It is that authority delegated to a Church Council cannot be used to remove denominational safeguards, alter the congregation’s United Methodist standing or bypass requirements established by the Book of Discipline.

After months of efforts to resolve the governance concerns directly, the Horizon Texas Conference filed a Petition for Declaratory Judgment in Dallas County District Court on Monday, Aug. 10.

The Conference is asking the court to address the civil-law questions involving Highland Park’s governing documents and its longstanding property deed, including which governing documents control the church as a Texas corporation and the legal effect of the deed governing the church property.

The Conference is not asking the court to interpret the Book of Discipline or decide matters of United Methodist governance, law or practice. Those matters belong within the Church.

A charge conference is made up of local church leaders and Conference leaders, and is the body authorized to make certain significant decisions on behalf of a United Methodist congregation. Changes involving the church’s governance must follow the processes established in the UMC Book of Discipline and cannot be made unilaterally by a local church council.

This process exists so that, in The United Methodist Church, no single pastor or small group of leaders has the authority to make major decisions about a congregation’s future on their own.

Certain decisions are required to go through a meeting of the charge conference – and, for the most significant changes, an even broader church conference open to the full congregation. This ensures that when someone joins a United Methodist church, gives their time, their resources and their trust, they do so with a clear understanding of what that church is and what it stands for. As a member, they have a voice in decisions that affect their church’s identity, direction and standing within the denomination.

The charge conference process is also how the wider church holds itself accountable. Every United Methodist congregation, no matter its size or influence, follows the same process, so that decisions of this magnitude are made openly and with transparency.

Highland Park UMC’s articles and bylaws were changed without approval through a properly called charge conference, as required by United Methodist governance.

The changes made by Highland Park UMC’s leadership do not comply with United Methodist Church law and give Highland Park UMC’s local corporate leadership authority that conflicts with the role of the charge conference, the oversight responsibilities of the bishop and Conference and the connectional governance of The United Methodist Church.

The changes also specifically provide that “no matter affecting or involving the church shall require a vote of the professing members or baptized persons,” thereby disenfranchising the membership. This is a direct violation of provisions of the UMC Book of Discipline that value the input of all professing members—both clergy and laypersons—in the management and ministry of the church.

A United Methodist congregation has considerable freedom to shape its local ministry, but its leaders cannot restructure the local church to operate outside the shared order of the denomination while continuing to function as a United Methodist church.

While this process was not properly followed and is not in order, these changes would appear to move Highland Park UMC outside its standing as a United Methodist congregation altogether. A shift of that magnitude was made without bringing the broader congregation into that conversation, and it carries serious implications that many members may not have been made aware of. Regardless of intent, changes of this kind are not something local leadership has the authority to make on its own.

No. This is not a disagreement about worship style, local ministry, church culture or theological interpretation.

It is a governance matter involving whether a United Methodist congregation may change its governing documents in ways that conflict with the order and processes of The United Methodist Church.

No. This matter is about governance, covenant and accountability.‍ ‍

Property is relevant because United Methodist church property is held in sacred trust for the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church. However, the Conference’s concern is broader than property, finances or apportionments. It is about protecting a historic United Methodist congregation for current and future generations.

In this case, the property where the sanctuary is located, on Southern Methodist University’s campus, was committed more than 100 years ago for a church within the United Methodist denomination, and that is a requirement of the property even today.

No. The Conference is addressing decisions involving the church’s governing documents and is seeking to protect the congregation’s United Methodist identity and the direct connectional relationship between the members and The United Methodist Church.

The Conference is not seeking to change Highland Park UMC’s culture, its worship style, its ministry partnerships or the way this congregation lives out its faith day to day. Those are decisions that belong to Highland Park UMC, as they always have. The Conference’s concern is limited to the church’s governing documents and decisions that were made about the congregation’s governance and denominational standing without transparency and without following the process required of every United Methodist church.

Bishop Saenz and the Conference remain committed to treating everyone involved with honesty, humility, care and grace.

The Conference is asking Highland Park UMC leaders to restore the original governance structure of Highland Park UMC to bring the church’s governance back into alignment with the Book of Discipline through the proper United Methodist processes, including a properly called charge conference.

The Conference is also seeking commitment from the church leadership to provide the appropriate transparency and accountability to both the Conference and the congregation regarding decisions that affect the governance and future of the congregation.

Updated Sept. 4

Yes. The Conference remains open to conversation, correction and a faithful resolution.

The Conference has not received a proposal for resolution that is consistent with United Methodist governance and polity. Any proposed resolution must follow the requirements of The United Methodist Church for the Conference to consider it.

Highland Park UMC has said its governing-document changes were made for corporate legal reasons and were not intended to end the church’s relationship with The United Methodist Church. If that is the case, the Conference believes there should be a straightforward path toward resolution by restoring the church’s governing documents to United Methodist polity through the proper processes.

The Conference’s goal remains restoration.

Added Sept. 25

The General Council on Finance and Administration, or GCFA, is a financial and administrative agency of The United Methodist Church that carries out denomination-wide financial and administrative responsibilities, including administration of The United Methodist Church’s group tax exemption.

GCFA and the Horizon Texas Conference are both parts of the wider United Methodist connection, but they serve different roles. The Horizon Texas Conference is an annual conference, a body of lay and clergy delegates that is responsible for overseeing the mission and ministries of The United Methodist Church in its geographic area; evaluating, ordaining, and (when appropriate) disciplining clergy; and is the basic body of The United Methodist Church that serves as the crucial connecting point between local churches and the larger, worldwide denomination. The duties and responsibilities of the annual conference are defined by the Book of Discipline, as are those of the bishop, who ensures that the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline of The United Methodist Church are carried out within the annual conferences in his or her episcopal area.

Added Sept. 25

The South Central Jurisdiction is one of five geographic groupings (called “jurisdictions”) of The United Methodist Church in the United States. Each jurisdictional conference is made up of annual conferences across its region. The work of the jurisdictional conferences is set by the Book of Discipline and carried out by clergy and lay delegates elected from each of its annual conferences. These responsibilities include decisions such as electing and assigning bishops and determining the boundaries of annual conferences. The Horizon Texas Conference is one of ten annual conferences within the South Central Jurisdiction.

The Horizon Texas Conference will continue to communicate as circumstances develop. Because this matter may include confidential pastoral conversations and legal proceedings, the Conference may not be able to discuss every detail publicly.

Material developments and official information will be shared on this page.