Bushes Back Highland Park UMC Split
Former President George W. Bush and his wife voted with the 90 percent majority of their Dallas congregation to leave the United Methodist Church.
By Noor Phillips ·
Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, cast votes with the majority of Highland Park United Methodist Church members to break away from the United Methodist Church. The couple has been a part of the Dallas congregation since 1989.
The national denomination sued the local church after it amended its bylaws. Following that legal move, the congregation held an in-person vote last month on whether to remain in the UMC or depart. Nearly 5,000 votes were cast, and 90 percent of the Dallas church members favored leaving the national body.
Freddy Ford, the former president’s chief of staff, confirmed the couple’s participation in the vote in a statement to The New York Times. Ford said the Bushes are grateful to Reverend Matt Tuggle for guiding the congregation through the dispute.
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., head of the UMC’s Horizon Conference, rejected the local vote. He declared that Highland Park would remain part of the UMC despite the 90 percent result. Saenz announced that the denomination would remove the church’s longtime leadership and ministers to install new ones.
Highland Park leaders rejected the bishop’s authority. The megachurch told its members that services would continue as normal and that it would drop the word "United" from its name to mark the separation. In response, Bishop Saenz announced that official UMC services would be held at a nearby Methodist church to avoid conflict.
The split created two distinct worship experiences in Dallas. On Sunday, October 25, more than 100 members attended a service at the original UMC-aligned location. Meanwhile, nearly 8,000 members gathered over multiple Sunday services at the renamed Highland Park Methodist Church in its 100-year-old building.
George W. Bush converted to Methodism after marrying Laura Bush in November 1977. The pair joined Highland Park in the late 1980s. Before his political career, Bush taught Sunday School and helped with the church's capital campaign. He was slated to become the finance chairman before running for Texas governor in 1994.
