A handful of United Methodist Church members have formed a new church in Milledgeville, and the pastor for that group was in the pulpit at the local UMC that disaffiliated last year.
Rev. Tyler Flowers, 39, began serving as pastor at Hopewell UMC in Baldwin County in May 2023, and the church voted to leave the worldwide UMC organization in August. That process was ratified in November and Flowers left the church at the end of December.
“I was there, they chose to disaffiliate, and I remained with the United Methodist Church, so that’s why we are starting the Bridge United Methodist Church,” he recently explained.
“The District came to me and said, ‘We’ve got a number of people who want to remain United Methodist. They have reached out to us. Would you like to stay and start a United Methodist Church?’ I would say we had that conversation around October after most of the churches had already voted,” Flowers recalled.
Many UMC churches in Georgia and across the country disaffiliated from – left – the UMC last fall due to differing beliefs about allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in the church or gay clergy pastoring a congregation.
Flowers indicated some members of Hopewell UMC first got together while he was still there.
“We had a meet-and-greet in December,” he said. “We just had a meal together with everyone interested. In January we began meeting weekly as a group. The first Sunday in February we started meeting for worship at First Presbyterian Church of Milledgeville.
“We started out solid with about 20 people,” Flowers continued. “We have about 20-25 that we worship with, and we have about 30 that are a part of the group that we do home visits, some who have expressed interest that we keep in touch with.”
The pastor said there are no specific plans to find a location to call “home,” with church adherents preferring to be “mission-focused.”
Flowers pointed out members of Bridge UMC have gotten involved with the Georgia War Veterans Home, visiting with residents, and even assisting in serving meals prepared twice a month by a woman whose husband was a resident there before passing away.
“I feel called to remain United Methodist,” Flowers declared. “I believe in its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I also believe in the connectional nature of the UMC and its reflection of us all being different parts of the one body of Christ.”
Flowers acknowledged that Bridge UMC is not currently an official UMC congregation.
“We have to go through a chartering process,” he said. “Right now, we’re more of an unofficial, but we do have the support of the United Methodist Church. I think when more growth happens, we’ll see them get officially chartered.”
UMC District Superintendent Rev. Greg Porterfield confirmed in general terms that there is a process to being recognized as a UMC church but would not set a timeline for that to happen.
“There would be the expectation that over a period of time, it would be able to support on its own a called individual into the future,” Porterfield said. “We are committed to being a place of ministry there,” he added. “We already have an expression there through the Wesley Fellowship at the college. I think our commitment is to the ministry because we believe first in faithfulness and second in statistics.”
Porterfield also confirmed that the UMC will help Bridge UMC.
“The Methodist church makes a commitment to its expression of faithfulness in every area of our service,” he said. ”So, yes, we would be helping. That’s what a connectional system is. We help others help others, because of the mission of the work. We’re defined by the mission of the work, not by the air,” he added.
United Methodist Church announcements regarding any relocation or transfers of pastors as determined by the District are made in April. Although Flowers has been in Milledgeville only a short time, his name will be on that list.
“I’m leaving in June, and they will have someone else to come in to help lead these people,” the pastor said, pointing out his wife works in Marietta and commutes two-and-a-half hours a day, each way, two or three times a week.
“We will find out officially when they announce where everybody is going. They have told us they’re putting us closer to where she is working,” Flowers said.
Despite having served at two churches for a total of about 13 months when he left, Flowers insisted he has no regrets.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “I have nothing but love for the people at Hopewell, and I have loved getting to serve this congregation.”