SMU, United Methodist Church Settle Dispute
Southern Methodist University and the United Methodist Church have settled a long-running fight over the school’s denominational ties. Now the two parties have ended litigation that began after SMU’s board moved in 2019 to assert its own control over the university.
In a joint statement, the two sides say they had reached an agreement that “provides a clear framework for their relationship moving forward” and affirms their shared commitment to the university’s mission. Under the settlement, SMU agreed to amend its articles of incorporation to preserve its relationship with the UMC’s South Central Jurisdiction.
“The board of trustees, the university and I are pleased we have reconciled with the SCJC, and we very much look forward to a collaborative and enhanced relationship into the future,” SMU President Jay Z. Hartzell said. “At SMU, we have an unwavering commitment to excellence and the cultivation of principled leadership — a commitment strengthened by our renewed relationship with the SCJC.”
The Rev. Derrek Belase, chair of the SCJC Mission Council, said he is “grateful for the spirit of collaboration shown throughout this process, and especially for the thoughtful engagement of” Hartzell as well as Provost Rachel Davis Mersey. “These conversations have not only helped us address important matters but have allowed us to begin imagining what the future of this relationship can look like,” he said.
The SMU Board of Trustees in 2019 voted to affirm that they, not the UMC, were “the ultimate authority for the university.” In response, the SCJC filed a lawsuit accusing SMU of “unauthorized acts” and stating that the regional body was supposed to be the “electing, controlling and parental body of SMU.” Although a Texas district judge ruled in favor of SMU in 2021, a three-judge panel of Texas’ Fifth Court of Appeals reversed the ruling in July 2023, noting that the UMC has a detailed history with the university.
The legal fight later reached the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled in 2025 that the conference had authority to sue SMU to enforce its rights under the university’s governing documents and Texas law.
SMU, founded in 1911, is one of 13 UMC seminaries that receive aid from the mainline denomination’s Ministerial Education Fund. According to its own figures, as of 2025, the university has an endowment of $2.3 billion, more than 1,700 staff and administrators, and approximately 12,000 students. It is also home to the President George W. Bush Library and Museum. The school’s Perkins Seminary identifies itself as one of 13 United Methodist seminaries in the United States, underscoring why the dispute drew attention well beyond Dallas.
–Metro Voice
