By Philip Phi
Posted Sep 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
In a recent development that has stirred emotions across the congregation, Highland Park United Methodist Church finds itself at the center of a legal dispute with the Horizon Texas Conference, the regional governing body for The United Methodist Church. This lawsuit, filed on August 10 in Dallas County’s state civil court, challenges changes made by the church’s council to its articles of incorporation and bylaws in 2022. The conference contends these alterations attempt to sever the church’s connectional relationship with the broader United Methodist Church, aiming to realign the church’s governing documents with the Book of Discipline, which outlines denominational rules applicable to all congregations.
The Rev. Matt Tuggle, the senior minister of Highland Park, addressed the congregation about the lawsuit during Sunday services, expressing profound grief over the situation. “The only word I have for what I felt is grief,” Tuggle shared, highlighting the unexpected nature of the lawsuit for him and many in the church. He reassured the congregation of the church’s ongoing commitment to The United Methodist Church, despite the legal challenges.
The Rev. Paul Rasmussen, Tuggle’s predecessor and now pastor-in-residence, also weighed in, describing the lawsuit as a significant betrayal of a loyal ministry partnership. His statement underscores the deep-rooted connections and history shared with The United Methodist Church over his 26 years as a pastor.
The Horizon Texas Conference, led by Bishop Rubén Saenz Jr., who also serves as president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, has provided a video message and an FAQ section to address the case. The church itself has mirrored this effort by releasing its own FAQ and messages from both Rasmussen and Tuggle.
This legal dispute follows months of closed-door discussions between the conference and church leaders that failed to resolve the issues at hand. As the case progresses, both parties remain focused on addressing the governance issues while maintaining the integrity and unity of the church community. In the spirit of Micah 6:8, the pursuit of justice, mercy, and humility remains central to navigating these challenges, as both the church and the conference seek a resolution that honors their shared values and commitments.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
