Before the building was constructed, the Pickens Circuit of the Methodist conference used the grounds for camp meetings. Over the years the church changed circuits from Pickens to Townville to Westminster and back to Townville. In sparsely populated Oconee County in the 1800s, where permanent church structures were few, camp meetings served both religious and social purposes. Like many rural churches in Southern Appalachia, after the permanent church was erected Center Church continued to play a vital religious and social role in the surrounding communities of Oakway and Crossroads. In 1934 the Methodist conference discontinued operation of Center Methodist and transferred all church membership to Townville Methodist, although records indicate that members continued to meet for services for several years afterward. In late 2009 the United Methodist Conference of South Carolina gave Center Methodist Church and its property to the Oconee Heritage Center to preserve and interpret Oconee's religious history.