Dr. John Fiedler, the former pastor of the Highland Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC) in Dallas, which boasts a congregation of 15,000 members, was apprehended at a massage parlor during a police operation. Following his arrest, he resigned from his position in disgrace. The police intervention occurred on October 2, 2024. Prior to his resignation, Dr. Fiedler served as the executive minister at HPUMC, recognized as the largest Methodist church in the United States.
His arrest took place in the suburb of Carrollton, Dallas. According to a police report, “Defendant surrendered to the City of Carrollton Police Department at 7:00 AM on October 31, 2024, for a warrant related to the aforementioned incident. The defendant is currently in custody at the City of Carrollton Municipal Jail.” The report further indicated, “After the defendant surrendered on October 31, the Carrollton Police Department informed undersigned counsel that they lacked the necessary manpower to transport the defendant to the Collin County jail on that date.”
Mark Lassiter, the defense attorney for the pastor, requested the court to allow his client to be released on his own recognizance, stating, “Defendant Fiedler has no criminal history, is 72 years old, and has been diagnosed with dementia.” The police confirmed that no drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident. The attorney also consulted with a mental health professional to bolster their request.
The document noted, “Undersigned Counsel conferred with ADA Christina Skipper on October 31, 2024, and the State agrees to the issuance of a personal recognizance bond and release.” Another heavily redacted legal document revealed that the premises where the pastor was found had been sold to a woman with a history of promoting prostitution in Oklahoma related to a massage establishment.
Ultimately, Fiedler was released on a $1,000 bond, and the court issued a writ of habeas corpus, concluding the case. The pastor’s legal team is contesting this ruling. Following this scandalous incident, Dr. Fiedler retired from his role at HPUMC on December 31, 2024, after a lengthy tenure.
An archived version of the church’s website states that Dr. John Fiedler was raised in Texas, where he completed his high school education at Houston Westchester before obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College. The document further details that after feeling a calling to ordained ministry, he enrolled in Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, earning a Master of Divinity degree and subsequently being ordained within the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. It notes that after serving twice as an associate minister, he took on the role of pastor-in-charge at United Methodist churches located in Lake Worth, Mansfield, and Hurst.
In 1997, he was appointed to First United Methodist Church in Dallas, where he served as senior minister for 16 years, guiding the congregation through a renaissance in the Arts District. In 2013, he transitioned to Highland Park United Methodist Church, where he led the 11:00 a.m. sanctuary service until he was selected to direct the Mark Craig Leadership Network. The report also mentions that Dr. Fiedler and his wife, Sydney, are parents to three adult children and have three grandchildren.
