Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the United Methodist Church are set to deliver oral arguments in the Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15.

A multi-year fight over whether Southern Methodist University can separate itself from the United Methodist Church is heading to Texas’ highest court this month.

The Texas Supreme Court set oral arguments in the case of SMU and the United Methodist Church's South Central Jurisdictional Conference for this month.

The church sued the university in 2019 after SMU's board of trustees voted to split from the church without approval from the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church. The conference's claim that the university breached its contract was dismissed by a trial court, but an appeals court sided with the conference.

For many years, the bell ringing in the Chinchilla United Methodist Church steeple signaled the start of worship services.