I think this is the largest Methodist Church around. They do not do same sex marriages.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/faith/article/hpumc-council-vote-22479671.php

Highland Park UMC council says church will hold a vote on leaving United Methodist denomination
The church council recommended Thursday night that the church depart the United Methodist Church, a swift escalation that follows a legal dispute that became public in August.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/life/faith/highland-park-umc-leaders-vote-leave-united-methodist-church/287-82a3abb1-fc72-41a5-93c7-fc936c8575ca

Yep

Biggest UMC church out there in the USA

This is a very big deal in the religion world right now.

Highland Park has 15,782 professing members. That's easily the largest membership in the UMC.

Adam Hamilton's church has 12,259 for comparison.

It's in person attendance is the second largest in the UMC at 2,876. https://t.co/um8IX7U13h

— Ryan Burge 📊 (@ryanburge) October 16, 2026

Highland Park United Methodist, possibly the denomination’s largest church, is theologically mixed. Conservative Methodism’s most prominent theologian Billy Abraham, who died in 2021, taught Sunday school there. https://t.co/V4qZQitupO

— @markdtooley (@markdtooley) October 17, 2026

I believe that the largest UMC in the country is Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS.

fubar said:

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I believe that the largest UMC in the country is Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS.

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That's what I found. HPUMC is the second largest

As I understand it, this dispute is over land ownership.

Frank Galvin said:

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As I understand it, this dispute is over land ownership.

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Here's what AI says (my MC left their affiliation with HPUMC about a year or so ago)

Key Reasons for the Push to Leave

• The August 2026 Lawsuit: The Horizon Texas Conference filed a lawsuit against HPUMC alleging that church leaders secretly altered corporate bylaws in 2022 to remove references to the UMC and change the legal entity name to "Highland Park Methodist Church" without proper conference approval. [1, 2, 3]
• Broken Trust with Leadership: HPUMC's Church Council stated that the conference and its bishop "irrevocably broken the bond of trust" by filing what the church considers an "unnecessary, unwarranted, and unjust lawsuit". [1, 2]
• Bylaw and Legal Protection Defense: HPUMC maintains that the 2022 bylaw updates were transparently shared at the time and were only meant to align corporate papers with neutral Texas Supreme Court rulings, not to immediately secede. [1, 2]
• Control and Governance Concerns: Church leadership argues that the regional conference is attempting to impose a governance structure that undermines the autonomy and long-term stability of the congregation. [1, 2]
• Pending Congregational Vote: HPUMC has scheduled an in-person vote for the congregation to decide whether to officially sever ties and return to historical independent roots as Highland Park Methodist Church

I suspect it was more along the lines of UMC going so woke. Happened in the Lutheran church also

If it were only about "going woke," it would have happened when all the other churches left. "The corporate governance" issues are much more about the extremely valuable land and local control over finances. HPUMC wants to make its own decisions, which is understandable. But it already makes its own decisions about gay marriage, clergy appointments, etc.

Assassin said:

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I think this is the largest Methodist Church around. They do not do same sex marriages.

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"After a UMC vote in 2024 lifted bans on gay clergy and same-sex marriages, the Rev. Paul Rasmussen, former Highland Park UMC senior minister, announced he would not hold same-sex marriages at the church, but other pastors could officiate gay marriages at other venues, according to UM News. "

The congregational vote is this weekend.

... all I can think of is Walker Railey* - he of First Meth. in downtown........

- el UF

* - still alive?!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Railey

BID.

{ sipping coffee }