Faith

Dallas megachurch votes overwhelmingly to leave the United Methodist Church

Dallas, Texas • October 28, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: a large historic Methodist church with a tall steeple in Dallas on a Sunday morning

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

One of the largest United Methodist churches in the country has voted overwhelmingly to leave the denomination. Members of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas voted 90.35% in favor of separation in a special vote held October 25–26, the church council announced Monday.

Of the congregation's roughly 15,000 members, 4,775 cast ballots — about a third of professing members. The council said the congregation will worship beginning this Sunday as Highland Park Methodist Church, with a goal of completing the operational changes required by separation by December 1, 2026. The church's three senior ministers had all recommended breaking away.

Unlike the hundreds of congregations that have left the United Methodist Church in recent years mainly over disagreements about human sexuality, this split centers on governance. The Horizon Texas Conference, the denomination's regional body, sued the church in August over changes the church council made to its governing documents in 2022 that removed “United Methodist” from its legal name and expanded the council's authority over decisions typically made by the denomination.

The conference maintains that a congregational vote alone cannot sever a local church's relationship with the denomination or transfer property held in trust for it, and it is asking a court for a permanent injunction. The vote therefore does not settle the legal dispute over property and authority, which remains before the courts. Church leaders say their Wesleyan theology and mission are unchanged, and that the decision protects the church's autonomy and its voice in choosing clergy.

Sources: Religion News Service (Oct 27, 2026); United Methodist News (Oct 27, 2026); Christian Post (Oct 27, 2026).