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Worship service at Kingsport Livestock Auction reaches out to cowboys

 

Pastor Dan Peterson started Circle J Cowboy Church. Services are held at the Kingsport Livestock Auction Barn and draw people who enjoy the cowboy lifestyle. Ned Jilton II photo.

Beneath the stamped metal sign of the Kingsport Livestock Auction, Pastor Dan Peterson launched into a spirited version of Chris Ledoux’s “God Must Be a Cowboy,” bolstered more by a chorus of unseen cattle than his congregation.

The crowd at the Circle J Cowboy Church fits the stoic image of the cattleman: quiet — at least their singing voices — and stern, removing their Stetsons only when they bow their head in prayer. The adherents of this unique take on Christianity look more to John Wayne than John Hagee for inspiration, filling the Thursday night worship service with cowboy songs, poems, even a belt buckle raffle.

Circle J is new to the area, holding its ninth service this week. It’s Peterson’s first time as a pastor, having felt the call on a mission trip a few years ago.

“I felt that God wanted me to do something beyond the ordinary,” he said. “I started searching for Western ministries, and reading about cowboy churches captured my imagination.”

The idea bubbled like a pot of campfire coffee in the back of his mind for years. A chance relocation to the Tri-Cities for work finally gave Peterson the opportunity he’d been waiting for.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said. “I had the want to, but I didn’t necessarily know how to.”

With help from his church and the Baptist Convention’s missions office, Peterson put a group together three months ago and started planning.

“We talked about getting publicity, putting up signs, this, that and the other,” Peterson said. “Finally I thought, we just need to pick a date and start.”

That date was June 19, and Peterson has been drawing crowds averaging around 30 each Thursday since. Some are looking for a less traditional church, while others are just curious to see a church service at a livestock auction.

Jeff Smith, a self-styled “cowboy missionary” and founder of the Cowboy Church Network of North America, was one of the inspirations for Peterson’s church. Smith regularly answers critics of this unorthodox approach to worship, who call the Western themes distracting from the religious message. But cowboy churches are far from a gimmick, says Smith — they’re just another way to evangelize.

“Jesus went to people where they were, and he talked to them in their own language, on their own turf, and on their terms,” he said. “When he talked to the woman at the well, he talked to her about water. When he talked to the fishermen by the seaside, he talked to them about fishing.”

And to the cowboys, Smith and Peterson talk about cattle. As Peterson began his sermon on Thursday, he referenced the television miniseries “Lonesome Dove” to show how God, like cowboys, are true to their word.

“There’s a lot of things that you’d find — honesty, hard work and loyalty — a lot of real cowboy virtues, that I think you’d find readily in scripture,” Peterson said. “I was looking for attributes of God that I wanted to bring out. I want to introduce God to people that may not know him.”

The message rings true to Bill Martin, who wears a white cowboy hat and blue jeans. Martin is comfortable at the auction, saying he spends most days there working with livestock. He enjoys Circle J because of its rural themes.

“This church is all right,” Martin said. “It represents the olden days.”

Smith says that people like Martin, ones without home churches, are common in the seats at cowboy churches. He recalls one night after a church service in a rodeo ring, where a church member came up to him in tears. The man told Smith that he didn’t fit in at traditional churches, but felt comfortable at the cowboy services. He confided in Smith that he had given himself to God that night.

“That’s why I do it,” Smith said. “I can tell story after story about guys and girls who come to cowboy church who would never go to a traditional church. It’s what keeps me going.”

Peterson also stressed that he wasn’t in competition with other churches. He belongs to a Baptist congregation in Kingsport, which was among the original basis of support for his cowboy ministry.

“What we’re actually trying to do is reach out to people that nobody else is reaching,” he said. “The goal is to reach people who have fallen through the cracks. I’m just trying to share Christ with some people that don’t know him.”

But some of the people at Peterson’s service seem to already have a relationship with God. Mateo Briano followed along with Peterson’s sermon in his own Bible. The cover featured a holographic sticker bearing the message, “Amor de Cristo.” For Briano, who has a home church he attends on Sundays, the rugged aesthetic of cowboy church fits his lifestyle.

“I am a cowboy in my heart and a cowboy in my work. It’s what I do for a living,” Briano said. “The worship here is different, like how we sing here with country music. But the Lord understands all languages and all kinds of worship. The main thing is that you give your prayers with your heart.”

Cowboy pastors believe that God will also understand their unusual meeting times. While most Christians worship on Sundays, Smith found early on in his work with cowboys that the fourth commandment was one of the things keeping them from traditional churches.

“They told me that they work all week long, and want to ride their horses or go to competitions on the weekends,” Smith said. “You’re not going to get a lost man to trade his saddle for a pew on Sunday morning.”

Smith’s solution was to hold his original cowboy church’s services on Monday nights. Peterson followed suit, with Circle J meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

“I don’t think one day is more important than another, but I do think it is important to set aside time each week to worship,” Peterson said. “The Thursday night services open up a lot of opportunities to folks that have no other chance to go.”

Smith’s Cowboy Network has founded about 50 cowboy churches across the United States and Canada, and Circle J may soon multiply in the area.

“We’d like to see a new cowboy church in every surrounding county,” said Deborah, Peterson’s wife. “This is just the first.”

The come-as-you-are dress code, coupled with the weekday worship service, is enough to draw in a crowd of less-than-frequent church goers. But Smith says the thing that keeps people coming back is a good cowboy pastor.

“He needs to be a guy of integrity, and have a strong sense of calling from God to reach out to people,” Smith said. “More than just wanting to be a cowboy preacher, we need somebody that has a desire to reach the cowboy culture.”

As Peterson played out the first few notes of his weekly closing song, “Happy Trails,” a few brave voices began to sing along to the familiar tune.

Pulling a song from this muted congregation, Peterson seems to have the mettle of a true cowboy pastor.

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It is my objective to bring to light what thus saith the Word of God about this church. I am deeply troubled about this article.
First, what draws people to this church. Is it cowboy stuff or is it Jesus Christ? John 6:26 " Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles,but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." The world always wants what is new and different. We are begotten by the Word. What is the word? John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
A belt buckle raffle??? What would Jesus say about this? Matthew 21:12-13 Does the ways of the world really need to be in the church? This is a common theme now days. People are bored, uncomfortable, with a traditional church. So the church starts bringing in worldly ways. Big screen TV, doughtnuts and coffee. Basketball goals. Pretty soon you can't tell the church from a shop in the mall. Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today , and forever." Jesus hasn't changed, so why should the church.
Yes Jesus went to the woman at the well on her turf.Yes He talked to her about water. He also exposed her lifestyle. John 4:18 "For thou hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." Jesus didn't say it was ok or whatever makes you comfortable.
It is not my opinion I give here. It is not some thesis paper I quote. It is the Word of God. From a King James Bible. It is my prayer that there is more Jesus in our churches and less world. John 14:6 " I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." May God Bless You

Steven Martin | 8/11/2008 - 6:22 PM - (Suggest Removal )

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