Highland Park megachurch votes to leave United Methodist Church

Highland Park United Methodist Church, one of the largest congregations in the United States, has voted overwhelmingly to separate from the United Methodist Church denomination. In a vote involving 4,775 participants, 90.35% supported the decision to leave. The congregation has begun identifying as Highland Park Methodist Church and aims to finalize the separation process by December 1, 2026.

The move follows a legal dispute between the church and the Horizon Texas Annual Conference. In August, the regional governing body filed a lawsuit in Dallas County, alleging that the congregation attempted to sever ties unilaterally through 2022 changes to its governing documents. The conference contends that these changes improperly expanded the church council's authority and removed essential connections to the denomination.

While the church maintains that its actions are valid under Texas law and that it has continued to pay annual contributions, the conference argues that a congregational vote alone is insufficient to dissolve the relationship. A central point of contention remains the ownership of church property, which the conference asserts is held in trust for the entire denomination.