There are tensions between churches and universities, and one of them is playing out between the United Methodist Church and several Methodist universities.
Here's the story from Inside Higher ED:
SMU Wants to Separate From the Church but Keep the ‘Methodist’
The Texas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in an ongoing legal saga between the United Methodist Church and Southern Methodist University over who governs the university. By Sara Weissman
"A contentious, six-year legal battle between the United Methodist Church and Southern Methodist University is coming before the Texas Supreme Court today.
"The controversy centers around who maintains control over the university—its Board of Trustees or the church—after the university tried to distance itself in 2019. The move came at a time when the church strengthened restrictive policies toward LGBTQ+ ordinations and marriages, exacerbating ideological fault lines within the denomination. SMU president R. Gerald Turner said at the time that the church decision would have no bearing on the university as “a separate corporate entity governed by the SMU Board of Trustees” and the university would continue to follow its nondiscrimination statement, which includes “sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.”
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"The conflict started when university leaders changed its articles of incorporation in November 2019 “to make it clear that SMU is solely maintained and controlled by its board as the ultimate authority for the university,” Turner said at the time. The Board of Trustees also removed language that the university was “to be forever owned, maintained and controlled by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church.”
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"“Put simply, the Trustees of SMU had and have no authority to amend the Articles of Incorporation without the prior approval and authorization of SCJC,” the 2019 lawsuit reads. The church has accused the university of breach of contract and fiduciary duties.
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"Affiliated institutions are required to go through a process every 10 years where they affirm they’re following church policies and procedures, although they have the option to let their affiliation lapse. But the United Methodist Church and its advocates are adamant that SMU went about asserting its independence in the wrong way."
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