Voting for Connection

As we look at the upcoming vote for Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, I had really hoped that we had seen the back of disaffiliation.  Serving as a district superintendent during that time in the Oklahoma Conference was the most difficult period of ministry in my career.  By itself, I felt that the option to disaffiliate was damaging to what it means to be in covenant.  To be in relationship is to work out our problems rather than to cut one another off.  I felt so strongly about this that I authored the legislation for the General Conference to remove paragraph 2553 from the Book of Discipline which is our shared polity (church law) that all United Methodists agree to uphold.

As I watch the conflict unfold between the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church and Highland Park United Methodist Church, it saddens me.  I’ve read the timelines and FAQ sheets from afar.  I’ve not spoken to anyone in the know.

But as a former district superintendent, I do know a little about how these conflictual conversations between church and conference might play out.  I'm in a unique position in that I've had the experience of being named in a lawsuit by a local church and have been brought up in complaint by another local church to our bishop.  Both churches were trying to leave the denomination.  Fortuantely for me, I prevailed in the lawsuit and the complaint was dropped.  Both churches are United Methodist to this day.  I also recognize that the conference, bishop or district superintendent are limited in what they can discuss with the public, often sitting on information that they wish the public knew or would deduce.

In 1998, Highland Park UMC voted on by-laws at its charge conference as stated in the impending resolution.  Evidently, these by-laws gave the authority to their local church administrative council to change their own by-laws as a body.  Because they referenced our church law - the Book of Discipline -  any new by-laws proposed would have to be in agreement with our denomination's polity.  

Then Highland Park UMC took its authority to make the currently disputed changes to its own by-laws at the end of 2022, stating that they notified the conference of said changes in January of 2023.  I’ve not heard any details on what that notification entailed.  Interestingly enough, January of 2023 was also when Bishop Saenz was appointed to serve in episcopal leadership of the conference and thus, Highland Park UMC.  To say that he had a lot on his plate during this time would be an understatement.

Paul Rasmussen served as the senior minister of Highland Park UMC from 2013 until he stepped down due to illness on February 1, 2026.  He had served on staff since 2000 which shows the trend of elevating associate ministers who know the culture.  This was done with Matt Tuggle who was the successor to Paul Rassmussen in February of 2026.  I don’t believe that Rev. Tuggle has served in any appointment in Texas outside of Highland Park UMC.  Rev. Rasmussen transitioned earlier this year to a pastor emeritus status, remaining at the church, which is often not allowed by the Bishop within United Methodism.  A hiatus is usually encouraged so as to let the new leadership become established.

The timing of the senior pastor transition at Highland Park UMC is very important. 

The Conference claims to have first been made aware of the changes in October of 2025.  Conference leadership which I assume would include the Bishop and the District Superintendent met with the leadership of Highland Park UMC in October, December of 2025 and March of 2026.

Rev. Rasmussen informed Highland Park UMC of his plan to retire due to his illness in a video message that was sent to the congregation on Thursday, November 20, 2025.  I’m assuming that he notified his district superintendent prior to this date.  This means that the conference was aware of the need to appoint a new senior pastor prior to the final two meetings between the conference and the church.  

I’ve read comments denigrating Bishop Saenz as if he were a tyrant and an autocrat with no room for movement outside of his plan to reconcile the situation.

But would a tyrant and an autocrat appoint the pastor requested by the church in the middle of the discussions surrounding the disputed by-laws?  Or was this done in good faith?

I would think an autocrat would have upset the apple cart and brought in a completely different pastor that had not served his entire ministry with Rev. Rassmussen as his senior pastor.  A tyrant would have brought in a minister with no allegiances to the pastor under whose leadership the changes were implemented.

Since Rev. Tuggle has assumed leadership as the senior pastor, a complaint has been filed by his district superintendent on July 21, 2026 under United Methodist polity.  Rev. Tuggle is accused of disobedience to The United Methodist Church and undermining the ministry of the bishop according to Highland Park UMC’s FAQ on their website.

While I was not privy to any of their conversations, I do know that as a district superintendent, before recommending an appointment to a difficult situation like this, I would have had assurances from that senior pastor-to-be that they would lead the church back to accountability for our polity.

One of the things to which an Elder (Rev. Tuggle's clergy order) in The United Methodist Church is ordained is to oversee the Order of the church.  

Both Rev. Rasmussen and Rev. Tuggle affirmatively answered vows to God through the Bishop and the Conference as I did at our respective ordinations.

 "Have you studied our form of church discipline and polity?"   I have.

"Do you approve our church government and polity?"  I do so approve.

"Will you support and maintain them?"  I will, with God's help.

Being ordained to Order refers to the fact that the senior pastor of a church is effectively the interpreter of our polity – The Book of Discipline – for that local church.  If there is a dispute with the congregation in interpretation, the district superintendent has oversight as interpreter.  If there is a dispute with the D.S.’s interpretation, the bishop may settle the conflict around our polity.  If there is a disagreement over the bishop’s ruling, the Judicial Council (much like the Supreme Court of the United States) may overrule or uphold the bishop’s decision.  We have accountability built into the very fabric of our polity which is a strength of our denomination.

Because the dispute in the by-laws is largely around the name change (removing “United” from the name of the church) and the removal of reference to our Book of Discipline, it makes sense that when Rev. Tuggle sided with the church leadership over the Conference, that a complaint would be filed.  This would be especially true if he made statements of allegiance to the Conference (where his membership is held) in conversations prior to his appointment.

A complaint sounds like a punishment, but in the immediate period the two parties seek a just resolution to the issue at hand.  If a just resolution is not obtained, then the Committee on Investigation may begin to determine if the complaint warrants a church trial.  Appeals of the outcome of the church trial are also available to the defendant if found guilty.

The bishop also has the right to suspend the person under complaint from ministerial duties “when deemed appropriate, to protect the well-being of the … annual conference” from paragraph 363.7 of The Book of Discipline.  This must be done in conjunction with the Executive Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry of the annual conference.  The suspended clergy still receives their salary and benefits.  I note that a "dictator" would have suspended Rev. Tuggle, but that didn’t happen.

From an outsider’s view, it appears that the church leadership was goading the Conference into a lawsuit.  The optics of the Conference suing the church look terrible to the congregation.  The actual vote to separate is not in accordance with current church law.  Within United Methodist polity, because we eliminated disaffiliation as an option, this vote does not actually sever the congregation from our denomination.  But if the local church leadership prevails in the vote, it may provide convenient data for the church’s defense in a lawsuit.

I also noted that the church in their FAQ is stating that a simple majority will rule the day on this vote.  I’m not sure I would advise a church to change the color of the carpet if they only had 51%!  Under the paragraph of disaffiliation it took a two-thirds majority to leave.  I felt that even two-thirds was too small a percentage to keep a church from harm and I observed many churches that were disrupted after taking a vote whether they prevailed or not.  

I also read from the FAQ a lot of reasons why Highland Park UMC’s members should vote yes to leave.  I didn’t see any reasons listed there for why the church should stay.  While I understand the leadership's rationale on not providing this, it doesn't allow for an informed membership.

I believe that there are many reasons for remaining in the fold that should be compelling to a follower of Jesus Christ.

The integrity of the vows that we took may be the primary reason.  In our membership vows, we become Christian first and then we become United Methodist through the vow, “As members of Christ's universal Church, will you be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?”

United Methodist churches do this in part through our shared connectional giving known as apportionments.  My current appointment as senior minister is to a local church that pays more apportionments than any other in the conference.  This was their faithful practice long before I arrived.  We are proud to pay them because they strengthen ministries and touch lives around the globe.  

If we were to leave the denomination, our nonpayment toward these ministries would have world-wide consequences.  It may be that the hungry person goes unfilled or the imprisoned goes unvisited.  Churches that have left United Methodism claim that they will continue to direct their funds to missions that they designate.  But without accountability, do they continue in these efforts at the same rate?  Do they slowly slip into becoming more self-serving?

Our clergy on staff were sent by the conference.  They were vetted by the conference.  They were trained in seminaries that our denomination vetted.  

Large churches often appreciate the idea of being self-sustaining.  But if they do not contribute to a system that lifts other connected churches up, they become merely predatory by plucking up staff and clergy from smaller churches without helping those churches through shared giving.

These same churches may state that they can self-supervise and need no outside accountability.  However, churches that are independent without outside supervision are more vulnerable to embezzlement because they are lacking in regular external checks.  If a scandal arises in clergy leadership, there is no immediate assistance at hand.

I understand the need for large churches to have more autonomy within our governance.  But we have just become a Regional Conference in the United States within United Methodism.  This new designation will give us the ability to tailor our polity to fit our needs more clearly.  The mood seems to be that we would move toward more permission-giving regarding local church structures.  This gives greater freedom in self-governance while maintaining ties to the larger body.

Some have likely said, “The Horizon Conference needs Highland Park United Methodist Church more than Highland Park UMC needs the conference.”  This may be true from a financial standpoint.  But we are called to see things differently.  In Christ, we find that we are called to serve one another.  I believe that this was the new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples on the night he was betrayed by one of his own.  

After washing their feet, Jesus proclaimed, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

As members of The United Methodist Church, we have been formed by our denomination in ways that we may not even realize.  But through this same covenant community, we are called to serve in ways that we cannot do alone.

I'm praying for the members and leadership of Highland Park United Methodist Church.  They are my siblings in Christ.  I would urge anyone voting on this resolution to vote no so that we might remain in covenant together.  

Photos were taken at Bartlesville First United Methodist Church who first displayed these during disaffiliation as a testimony that they were remaining United Methodist.

Celebrating Earth Day

Our country has observed Earth Day in April for most of my life. I don’t remember hearing much about it growing up, and my first recollection of it being a thing was the 20th anniversary in 1990. 

However, I’ve always had an outdoor connection.

Growing up in Tulsa, my parents purchased some wooded acreage near Mannford, and we used to spend a lot of time doing various things there. I mostly spent my time traipsing around the creeks and ponds with my dog, Raider. 

Once, I was at the top of a ridge where a wet-weather creek ended in a pretty nice drop-off. Sitting at the top, I could swear that I could hear dripping even though the creek bed was dry. I made my way to the bottom of the ridge and discovered water dripping out of the side of the sandstone wall. It ran down into the creek. 

I came across this Yellow-crowned Night Heron on 
a walk in the woods earlier this month. Gratitude!

At first glance, I had visions of Jed Clampett discovering oil ala The Beverly Hillbillies. Then I realized that it was water and found the first of two springs that I discovered on that property. In the runoff beneath leading to the stream, I found a crawdad in the clear water. 

These kinds of discoveries were spiritual for me in that they connected me to the wider natural world. The more I learned about my surroundings, the larger my sense of gratitude for what God had created. Anything new or different was a wonder to be savored.

I would say that I still find that same sense of connection and gratitude when I wander in the woods. There are still new discoveries to make and beautiful scenery to behold.

I do connect with Paul's words to the Romans where he states that "God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made."

The Biblical witness indicates that God has given human beings stewardship over the creation. Out of the sense of gratitude, on this Earth Day, may we ensure that others can experience the same appreciation we have garnered.

Scripture quoted from Romans 1:20b, New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Easter Sunday

Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:1-20 (NRSVUE)

I've certainly enjoyed working through Matthew's Gospel during this Lenten Season and I appreciate you following along.  Although Lent ended yesterday, I felt it appropriate to end with the Easter chapter on Easter Sunday.

Matthew has the earth shake when Jesus dies on the cross, so it seems appropriate that the earth shakes again with the resurrection.  This is a cosmic understanding of Jesus' death and resurrection in that even the earth groans under this significant and dynamic event.

We also see the soldiers at the tomb in Matthew stricken with fear.  They were large and in charge when Jesus was crucified as a revolutionary.  But we see a reversal in Matthew.  They are now the dead - or at least appear to be so.

It is a not-so-subtle commentary on the power of God overcoming the earthly power of empire.

The guards' story in verses 11-15 are an early apologetic by Matthew for his community to help downplay rumors that were going around at that time.  The bribes offered and accepted are reminders of Judas and we can see that this doesn't lead to life.

Matthew treats his listeners as mature in that he includes doubt as a part of the response of the disciples to the resurrection.  It would be quite natural to question reality in viewing the risen Lord - especially after the violence that had taken place.  It is not shameful and is a part of faith.

The larger part of faith is to act in spite of one's doubts.  

As they receive the Great Commission, they act upon their faith even though doubt was present.  They declare through the church that resurrection is stronger than violence.  Life overcomes death.

In Matthew, Jesus ends as he began: Emmanuel - God with us.  Christ is with us always.  To the end of the age.

This is how we maintain our faith in the midst of difficulty.  This is how we can embrace righteousness as a way of deeply caring for those on the outside looking in.  This is how we can take the Sermon on the Mount and the parables to heart.

May the risen Christ be with you today and always!

Prayer for the day:

The risen, living Christ calls us by our name;
   comes to the loneliness within us;
   heals that which is wounded within us;
   comforts that which grieves within us;
   releases us from that which has dominion over us;
   cleanses us of that which does not belong to us;
   renews that which feels drained within us;
   awakens that which is asleep in us;
   names that which is still formless within us;
   empowers that which is newborn within us;
   consecrates and guides that which is strong within us;
   restores us to this world which needs us;
   reaches out in endless love to others through us.
The risen, living Christ calls us by our name.

Prayer by Flora Slosson Wuellner, United Church of Christ, 20th Century

Photo by Tim Haynes via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Forty

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:57-66 (NRSVUE)

On this Holy Saturday, we ponder the burial of Jesus.  Matthew's Gospel is the only one of the four that includes the details of the religious leaders' collusion with Pilate to place soldiers guarding the tomb of Jesus.  This likely was to refute one of the claims with which the early church had to contend: that disciples of Jesus simply took his body which created an empty tomb.

While this would be the simplest explanation in that is requires nothing miraculous, it wouldn't explain the devotion unto death of each of his disciples who attest to the resurrection.

But prior to that we have the somewhat mysterious figure of Joseph of Arimathea.  Luke names this as a Jewish town but scholars are conflicted over the exact location.  Matthew names Joseph as a wealthy disciple of Jesus.  Mark and Luke name him as a member of the council while John declares that he was a disciple in secret for fear of the Jewish leadership.  

A disciple of Jesus would have been more afraid of the Romans at this point since Jesus was crucified as "King of the Jews" which would brand him as a revolutionary.  He goes to the Roman governor Pilate and asks for the body.  The earliest Gospel, Mark, states that he went boldly to Pilate.  This adverb may be understated.  While it was dangerous, Joseph's wealth may have been an influencing factor as classes weren't fluid in the first century.

All of the Gospels agree that Joseph of Arimathea was the one to bury Jesus in a rock-hewn tomb.  Only Mark (the earliest) omits the detail that it was unused.  This was important in that the dead were considered unclean and we see Jesus isn't placed with other corpses.

As a disciple, Joseph likely heard the death and resurrection predictions of Jesus before the crucifixion.  After being a witness to the former, was he hoping for the latter?  He may be no different from modern disciples who bury their loved ones and hope.  I believe it was this faith that helped Joseph to risk confronting Pilate after his Rabbi was crucified as a rebel.

As we wait for Easter, we are all but assured of a celebration on Sunday.  We know what's coming and we expect to hear the resurrection preached!  But it may help us to revisit the surprise if we linger a little longer at the tomb.  The reality of death can overwhelm us just as surely as it did the first disciples.  But the rituals such as proper burial help us to cope.  

The fear of our own mortality is still present in the world today.  But as we linger at the tomb, we may discover that it doesn't hold the power that we sometimes give it.

Prayer for the day:

God, whose eternal love for our weak and struggling race was most perfectly shown forth in the blessed life and death of Jesus Christ our Lord, enable me now so to meditate upon my Lord's tomb that, having fellowship with him in his sorrow, I may also learn the secret of his strength and peace.  Amen.

Prayer adapted from John Baillie, Church of Scotland, 20th Century

Photo by Rob Hurson via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Nine

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:1-56 (NRSVUE)

It is only in Matthew's account that we see the price of Jesus' betrayal named as thirty pieces of silver. This references the prophecy from Zechariah 11:4-14.  Within this text, the prophet is insulted by the wage they pay him (30 shekels of silver) which is the price you would pay for a slave from Exodus 21:32.  Zechariah sarcastically calls it a "lordly price", and he throws it into the treasury of the house of the Lord.  Notice that treasury could also be translated as potter's house.  

We see Judas returning his wages in a similar fashion.  The religious leaders buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners which is another tie to the Zechariah text.

Within the prophet's passage, we see God break the staffs named Favor and Unity.  

When Jesus dies, we see the curtain in the Temple - separating the world from the holiest presence of God - torn in two.  As the early church moves forward, we see that God's favor falls upon Jesus and that anyone - even a foreigner or Gentile - may put on Christ and find this favor.  One could say that the staff of favor was broken by the cross.  Any kind of Unity of Judea would have been seen as smashed within the destruction of the Temple forty years after Jesus.

The Gnostic Gospel of Judas presents Judas as a faithful disciple who betrays Jesus at his own insistence.  Gnostics were believers in a strict separation of the earthly and the spiritual.  The earthly was seen as evil while the spiritual was seen as divine.  Gnostics didn't mix the two.  And so, Judas is seen as a hero by setting up the death of Jesus which frees him from this (supposedly) evil sphere and allows him to return to the spiritual.  

Some Gnostic theologies went on to say that Jesus was never here in an earthly body in the first place and only seemed to be present.  According to them, his suffering wasn't real because he wasn't really here physically.  

These theological expressions were branded heretical by the early church, and this is partly why we proclaim in the Apostles' Creed, "he suffered under Pontius Pilate."  

We can see in Matthew's writing that Jesus does actually suffer and die.  His suffering is physical, but it is also spiritual in that he feels forsaken by God.  One could say that God experienced the lows of human experience physically and spiritually through the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  Of course, Jesus also experiences the betrayal of his disciple which would have been a relational low.  

As we experience Good Friday, we may bring our own sense of loss or suffering.  In Matthew's Gospel, we remember that early in the account, Jesus is named Emmanuel which means, "God is with us."  God's solidarity with us during our painful times is expressed in the cross.  

We also remember that Simon of Cyrene carries the cross for Jesus.  This would have been difficult for Peter because he may have felt that it should have been Simon Peter carrying it.  

How might we express our thankfulness to Jesus by carrying his cross today?  

Prayer for the day:

By your wounded hands: teach us diligence and generosity.
By your wounded feet: teach us steadfastness and perseverance.
By your wounded and insulted head: teach us patience, clarity and self-mastery.
By your wounded heart: teach us love, teach us love, teach us love, O Master and Saviour.
Amen.

Prayer by Daphne Fraser, Church of England, 20th Century

Photo by Michal Kosmulski via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

 

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thiry-Eight

Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:17-75 (NRSVUE) 

On this Holy Thursday, we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper out of the Passover meal shared by Jesus with his disciples.

When Jesus states that one of you will betray me, it would be shocking to the disciples even after they have heard his predictions of his own death.  As they inquire after who it will be, Jesus gives the cryptic response of the one who has dipped his hand in the bowl with me.  In the first century, all of those feasting together would have used their hands to dip into the common bowl for their meal.  So, it could have been any of them.

Notice that Jesus is aware of this lapse of faithfulness prior to the sharing in the Last Supper.  All of the disciples will fall away and yet, Jesus does not deny them this meal together.  This instructs us today as to the open table in Holy Communion because it is about the grace of God rather than the readiness of the recipient.   

And lest we think that Holy Communion gives us some magical protection against sin, think again!

Sometimes our bodies
overcome our intentions

Peter, James and John keep falling asleep while Jesus is praying at the very moment that Judas is leading a religious mob to arrest him.  The disciples all abandon Jesus.  And then Peter does deny him even though he was warned that this would happen. 

Of course, all of these disciples had dipped their hand into the bowl with Jesus.

I do believe that Holy Communion can help people overcome temptation.  But I think it is helpful to know that nothing is fool proof, and this is a reminder that we all ultimately rely on God's grace.

Another example of this grace is when they seek to arrest Jesus.  He makes the statement when his disciples use violence to defend him that he could call down angels to his aid.  Matthew is the only Gospel that includes this detail and we see that Jesus is still in charge and submits willingly (if not without reservation from his prayer in the garden).  

His obedience unto death is the final sign-act of God's grace for the world.  And for those with a Trinitarian viewpoint, this states that there is nothing that God wouldn't do for you.

May this thought be enough for today.

Prayer for the day:

O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness. 
Amen.

Prayer by William Shakespeare, England, 17th Century

Photo by Richard Masoner via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons License.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Seven

Today's Reading: Matthew 26:1-16 (NRSVUE)

Jesus has finished his time of teaching (in the last chapter) as he notes that the crucifixion is coming.

We then see the plotting - this time by the chief priests and the elders rather than the scribes and Pharisees.  These priests and elders would likely have been Sadducees.

Jesus seems to be disruptive of the religious status quo wherever he goes.  When he is in the surrounding towns and rural areas, the scribes and Pharisees would have been the religious leaders.  Now that he's entered Jerusalem, it is the chief priests of the Temple who find Jesus to be troublesome to the point of removal.

They would prefer to eliminate Jesus without causing a disturbance.  We will see that in Matthew's Gospel, an earthquake will occur at his death so they will create a violent response whether they know it or not.

The scene is moving toward crucifixion just as Jesus has predicted.

We seek to express grief
in different ways

It seems that an unnamed woman (John identifies her as Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus) is aware of his impending death more than his closest disciples.  She anoints him for burial, pouring it on his head rather than his feet as in John's account.  This would also remind the reader of Psalm 23 where God anoints the head with oil.  Jesus will later eat with his enemy as reflected in this psalm as well.

The disciples were at least listening when Jesus was just talking about righteousness and the sheep and the goats.  Not wanting to be goats, they complain about how this could have been used for the poor.  Unfortunately, while they are in sync with his teachings, they continue to remain oblivious to his coming crucifixion.  Jesus uses the anointing as a sign-act of his imminent death.

The betrayal of Judas - one of the twelve inner disciples - contrasts the woman's generosity with an act that is self-serving.  Judas is declining to be poor in spirit and misses entirely the kingdom of heaven.  He does not hunger and thirst for righteousness and so remains empty.

Judas may have been disrupted by Jesus' ministry just like the Pharisees or the Sadducees.

How do we respond to the disruption of Jesus in our lives?  We may seek to evade it in different ways.  But Lent (and especially Holy Week) is the time for self-reflection rather than self-service.  What is the one thing that holds us back the most?

Prayer for the day:

God, I'm glad to be alive - to breathe and walk; to laugh and cry; to see life's beauty and its grandeur.  I know, too, its beastliness, squalor; its poverty, disease and hate.  As I give thanks for all my blessings, give me, Lord, the will to share with others what I have so undeservedly been given.  Make me loving, courteous, considerate; give me a listening ear, a compassionate heart and a generous mind.  Let me live my life in your sight for others so that they, too, may find you and give thanks.  Amen.

Prayer by John Charles Vockler, Anglican Bishop, 20th Century

Photo by Thomas via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.