After separating from the Union Baptist Association (U.B.A.) in October 1884, Hickory Grove operated as an independent Baptist church. No longer a purely Baptist work, preachers from different denominations were invited to conduct worship services. Possibly by design, this was an opportunity for the Church to consider theological perspectives and doctrines other than Baptist.

Withdrawal from the Union Baptist Association (U.B.A.) in 1884 did not mean Hickory Grove had rejected Baptist church beliefs altogether. Reportedly without a conference home that year, Hickory Grove continued to publicly operate as an Independent Baptist Church, absent external U.B.A. governance and oversight:

Methodist preacher Rev. James D. Carpenter and Baptist preacher Rev. James D. Cavanaugh served as co-pastors at Hickory Grove Church in 1884. The congregation's attraction to Rev. Carpenter's preaching reflected an overall, growing fascination with the Methodist denomination, eventually resulting in the Church formally separating from the Union Baptist Association (U.B.A.). Why so few members were present for such a significant vote, even with advanced notice, is unknown:

Within six months of electing Baptist preacher Rev. James D. Cavanaugh as pastor of Hickory Grove in November 1883, the Church trustees inexplicably called a second pastor, Rev. James D. Carpenter. The two men essentially shared the pulpit as co-pastors, although they conducted services on different regular Sundays each month: