United Methodist Church can fight to prevent split with SMU, Texas Supreme Court rules

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The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the United Methodist Church can keep fighting for control of Southern Methodist University.

In 2019, the Dallas-based school changed its governing documents, removing all references to the church that helped found it more than a century ago. School leaders declared that its board of trustees was the “ultimate authority” over the university, not the United Methodist Church.

The changes came after the church voted to ban gay weddings and clergy. R. Gerald Turner, who was serving as president of SMU at the time, told the Dallas Morning News that the school made the change “so that we can continue to educate everybody from all Methodist denominations and from other denominations, and people who don’t believe at all.”

The South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church has argued SMU wasn’t allowed to make those changes without its approval and that it still has a say in how the university is run.

The ruling, which was 8-1, with one partial dissent does not say who’s right, just that the church has the legal right to make its case in court.

The justices did, however, dismiss one part of the church's lawsuit that accused SMU of knowingly filing false paperwork with the state when it changed its governing documents. They said SMU had disclosed its reasoning and acted on the advice of its lawyers.

In a statement, church leaders said Friday's ruling supports their position that SMU wasn't allowed to split from the church without first getting approval.

"Our desire is to see this matter brought to a peaceful resolution so that our historic connection to the university can be fruitfully maintained for future generations," wrote Bishop Laura Merrill, the president of South Central Jurisdiction's College of Bishops and the Rev. Derrek Belase, chairperson of the South Central Jurisdiction's Mission Council.

They noted that SMU is home to the Perkins School of Theology, one of the denomination's official seminaries, and houses the entire collection of the World Methodist Museum in its Bridwell Library.

In a statement, SMU said it was pleased the justices agreed that the school followed the law when it submitted changes to its governing documents to the state.

The case now heads back to a lower court, where SMU says it's prepared to defend its board of trustees' right to act in the university's best interests.

"SMU remains proud of its Methodist heritage as we move forward with advancing SMU’s mission and providing enriching education for all students," Megan Jacob, the university's director of media and community relations, wrote.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Southern Methodist University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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