Pictured is Tyler Nelson, new pastor of Ripley and Watts Flats United Methodist Churches. Sent photo

Tyler Nelson recently took on the role of pastor for both Ripley United Methodist Church and Watts Flats United Methodist Church; He said this was relatively new for both him and the churches.

Nelson grew up around the Methodist system, with his father being a Methodist minister, so he knows how the Methodist Church works. Nelson studied theology and apologetics at Dallas Theological Seminary and recently completed his Doctor of Ministry degree. A few years ago he moved with his wife and children to Willsboro, New York, where they lived free of charge in the parsonage of the Willsboro Methodist Church so he could help the church produce music. Although Nelson was not the pastor at that church, he was working as an assistant pastor at several other places during this time until the District Superintendent asked him if he would consider becoming a pastor at some other churches that were looking for pastors. Those locations didn’t work out, Nelson said, but about half a year later they heard about an opening at Westfield Methodist Church.

“My wife grew up in Westfield,” Nelson said. “His mother lives there and we live there now. The District Superintendent said he had someone in mind for the Westfield church but would look at anything else and found there were openings in both Ripley and Watts Flats.”

Being the pastor of both churches is called “joint impeachment,” Nelson said, and is something new for both churches. He added that it was something he thought and prayed about a lot before saying he would do it.

Although the two churches are about a half-hour drive away, traveling between the churches works out well for Nelson, he said. For many Methodist pastors, moving back and forth between locations is a necessity, he said, and it’s just something they do. He gave the example of a board meeting at a church on Tuesday, adding that he had gone to Jamestown the day before to visit someone who had a stroke in the hospital.

Nelson’s other past work included serving at CAMP-of-the-WOODS in Speculator, New York, near the Adirondacks. He started there about a decade ago and spent nearly eight years as the Deputy Director of the Lift Program, teaching college theology courses, guiding outdoor adventures, and performing other administrative duties.

Nelson said his passion for his current position is to help people think critically about their beliefs and overall worldview.

“I believe our worldview is critical to how we understand ourselves and the world,” Nelson said. “Worldview is very important. For example, an atheist has a unique worldview, but thinking critically about it can help them understand why they believe what they believe, and the same goes for Christianity and other religions. “If we believe that, that’s probably true, too, and I think it’s valuable for Christianity to understand why we believe what we believe.”

Additionally, Nelson said he doesn’t like the idea of ​​blind faith or culturally inherited belief or something newly done because that’s how it’s always been done. His passion is to help people understand their beliefs more critically.

As for the future, Nelson said he’s still in the process of discerning because he doesn’t have an official license yet, but it’s something he’s working on. The discernment process is when Nelson decided that being a pastor was something he wanted to continue doing full-time, as he has now only been in the position for a month. His hopes for the future include realizing whether being a pastor is his calling, but also that the churches he serves will catch his fire and his passion for thinking critically about what he believes. He said he hopes churches will grow, but he won’t make that his ultimate goal.

“I don’t want to make it my goal to grow these churches because it focuses too much on the numbers for me,” Nelson said. “I don’t run a business. I want to help people learn together, grow together, and serve together. I am focused on teaching and helping people grow.

Both the Ripley and Watts Flats churches are friendly, non-judgmental places where anyone can come and ask questions, Nelson said. He welcomed everyone who came, especially those who had questions or doubts, because he was willing to connect with them and talk about their questions.

Watts Flats United Methodist Church is located at 850 Blockville-Watts Flats Road in Ashville, with services beginning at 9 a.m. Ripley United Methodist Church services begin at 11 a.m. at 84 West Main Street in Ripley.