<\/p>\n
The Rev. Paul Rasmussen gives his last sermon as senior pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church on Sunday, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
HPUMC Dallas<\/p>\n
The legal dispute<\/a> between Highland Park United Methodist Church<\/a> leadership and its regional United Methodist conference escalated Wednesday as the parties traded accusations in public filings and statements.<\/p>\n The Horizon Texas Annual Conference, the regional governing body of the United Methodist Church in North Texas, has accused Highland Park UMC of quietly trying to cut ties with the denomination years ago and has accused the local church of refusing to cooperate when asked to reverse course. \u00a0<\/p>\n The conference said it filed new court documents in Dallas County Tuesday, including copies of the local church\u2019s bylaws that are at issue in the case. On Wednesday, the former longtime senior minister of Highland Park UMC wrote a public letter<\/a> defending the church and criticizing the bishop of the conference. The letter was posted on the church\u2019s website and sent to the congregation.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cBefore this lawsuit and the pernicious acts towards our Church by the bishop, I had never discussed the totality of these United Methodist projects publicly,\u201d minister-in-residence the Rev. Paul Rasmussen wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s interesting that the first violence in the Bible is between two brothers,\u201d Rasmussen wrote, referencing the Biblical story of Cain and Abel.\u00a0<\/p>\n A conference spokesperson declined to comment on Rasmussen\u2019s criticism of the bishop, saying the conference is focused on \u201cthe restoration of governing documents.\u201d Rasmussen and a spokesperson for Highland Park UMC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new court filings.<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> Grief, betrayal: Highland Park UMC senior minister addresses lawsuit from Sunday pulpit\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Bishop Ruben Saenz, who leads the Texas Horizon Conference, has said he has a moral duty to the members of the Highland Park congregation today and in future generations. He has said he could not look away after he found out about the alleged changes the church made.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “The life, identity and future of this church are larger than any one leadership team or any one point in time,” Saenz said last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n The dispute centers around changes the church made to its governing documents about four years ago that removed reference to the United Methodist Church, the conference and the Book of Discipline.\u00a0<\/p>\n The conference has said these changes were made without the knowledge of the congregation or conference, which it said is out of line with the denomination\u2019s procedures.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rasmussen<\/a>, who served as lead pastor since 2013, stepped down from his position earlier this year after he was previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dispute over steps taken before the lawsuit<\/p>\n In the week since the lawsuit was filed, the church\u2019s leadership has disputed the timeline of events and emphasized that it was blindsided by the conference\u2019s legal action<\/a>. The conference\u2019s response in court filings Tuesday seeks to counter that claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In messages to the congregation, including from the pulpit<\/a>, Highland Park UMC senior minister Matt Tuggle has taken issue with the claim that the church has not worked with the conference to resolve the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuggle said the church leaders met with the bishop twice in recent weeks and offered proposals on “how to move forward together.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe now know that when we met with the Bishop on Monday, he had already filed the lawsuit,\u201d Tuggle said Sunday, referring to Aug. 10. \u00a0<\/p>\n The conference said in a statement Wednesday<\/a> that it has not received a proposal for resolution that is consistent with United Methodist rules and procedures.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAny proposed resolution must follow the requirements of The United Methodist Church for the Conference to consider it,\u201d the statement said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In an amended petition provided to The Dallas Morning News, the Horizon Conference said it made \u201crepeated good-faith efforts to resolve the dispute amicably,\u201d including through efforts in October, December and March.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDespite these efforts, the parties were unable to reach an agreed resolution, leaving the Conference with no reasonable alternative but to seek judicial relief,\u201d the amended lawsuit said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Highland Park UMC, a prominent and large church that neighbors Southern Methodist University, has also said that it worked with the Horizon Conference to change its corporate name in 2022. The conference has maintained that the local church did not submit notice to the conference as required by UMC processes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n