To witness the behavior of the conference against the beloved church where I was privileged to serve as the senior pastor for 18 years is disheartening to say the least. Throughout the modern life of our church, this is not the first time Highland Park United Methodist Church has been subjected to ecclesiastical overreach, but it certainly stands out as the most egregious and extreme example I’ve ever seen.

As the senior pastor in 1998, I was part of the process that updated and adopted our governance. At that time, we transitioned the church voting authority and leadership from a large administrative board to a body of lay leaders that represented the congregation. We went from an all-church voting structure to the church council we have today.

It was that process in 1998 that allowed church lay leadership to make regular updates to our corporate documents as needed. And I can assure you that in the rare and few circumstances where updates were needed, they were always done with the best interests of our church and congregation in mind.

But let me be clear, until now—until this lawsuit by the conference—leaving the United Methodist Church was never a consideration.

Rev. Matt Tuggle, and Rev. Paul Rasmussen before him, have continued to honor the commitment to represent the best interests of our church family without fail. Rev. Tuggle continues to fulfill his duty and promise now to lead with trust, transparency, and integrity. He has my full and unwavering support, and I have the greatest faith in his leadership.

I am proud of the position lay leadership has taken as they navigate this unprecedented and trying time in our church’s history. My prayer is that our community is successful and faithful in its resistance.

Rev. Mark Craig