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Cowboy churches rope in new Christians
WAXAHACHIE, Texas — Moments after flying headfirst onto the arena floor dirt, the man gets up and brushes off his protective vest as rodeo clowns rush in to distract the still-bucking bull. The crowd cheers as the announcer reveals he’s fine, just before the chute opens with another cowboy atop a menacing bull. But this isn’t a typical rodeo. It’s an outreach ministry of the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, which has grown from about 300 to 2,200 members since it began nearly nine years ago. The church about 30 miles south of Dallas now bills itself as the world’s largest cowboy church. The movement is about 40 years old but has grown rapidly in recent years, especially among Baptists. The Midland, N.C.-based Cowboy Church Network of North America, supported by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Missions Board, has started dozens of churches in 12 states and Canada since 2003. The Baptist General Convention of Texas has launched about 140 cowboy churches since 2000 — the first in Ellis County. The congregations now perform about 10 percent of all baptisms among the group’s 5,700 churches statewide, officials said. “It appeals to you because it’s ‘come as you are,’” said Chris Maddox, who attends the Cowboy Church of Ellis County. “You don’t feel judged based on how you’re dressed, how you talk, how you look. We’re not asking somebody to be something they’re not.” Churchgoers wear cowboy hats and jeans, sing hymns accompanied by a country band and get baptized in horse troughs. Churches vary. Some have Western-theme sanctuaries; others meet in barns or on rodeo grounds, some on weeknights. A few months ago the Cowboy Church of Mobile, Ala., started meeting at a nightclub called The Whiskey on one Sunday each month — when the bar is normally closed for business. On summer Sundays in Jackson Hole, Wyo., horse whisperer Grant Golliher leads cowboy church services at the Diamond Cross Ranch. As he works with an abused or unbroken horse in the arena, he talks to the crowd about biblical parallels, and about an hour later he is able to ride the animal. “We use an out-of-the-box method to get people to come, because people have so many walls up with church,” said Golliher. He’s not ordained but calls himself a “horse trainer with a message.” Organizers say the churches attract everyone from rodeo participants and farmers to country music lovers and people who embrace the western lifestyle. Some don’t fall into any of those categories, but say they just haven’t felt comfortable in traditional churches. “I met a man in a feed store who said he hadn’t been to church in 40 years, and now he’s going to a cowboy church,” said the Rev. Jeff Smith, a North Carolina pastor who founded the cowboy church network five years ago. Larger cowboy churches have arenas and offer rodeo events, mainly to attract new members. They have brief devotions and sometimes baptize new believers in an outdoor trough. “What a family life center is to a traditional church, an arena is to a cowboy church,” said the Rev. Charles Higgs, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Western Heritage Ministries. Matt Ward, 15, who plans to become a professional bull rider, was among dozens who rode bulls earlier this month at a weekly event at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County’s arena. He attends another church near his hometown of Saginaw about 50 miles away, but came to the rodeo event because a friend recommended it. “At other places, all they want to do is drink beer,” Ward said, referring to non-church arenas. “But there are a lot of nice people here, and it’s a lot safer.” Some Baptist leaders say their cowboy churches have grown so quickly because they offer an alternative for those who associate churches with long sermons and pressure to donate or accept Jesus as their savior. Many cowboy churches never mention tithing and don’t have offering plates; they tuck envelopes into the service programs or put boots out for those who want to give. Also, some pastors don’t have “altar calls” but encourage folks who want to follow Christ to see a minister privately. “People think we’ve hung boots and hats on traditional Baptist churches, but we found a plan that was radically different,” said the Rev. Ron Nolen, executive director of the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches and its Texas counterpart. The Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches, which supports the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the Cowboy Church Network of North America each have “schools” in which they teach people how to start cowboy churches. The new congregations are being formed at a time when attendance and baptism rates have stagnated in a large number of traditional churches, including many in the Southern Baptist Convention. At a recent Sunday morning service at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, the Rev. Jess McCabe, a visiting pastor, held up different sizes of deer antlers to illustrate his sermon about how people grow as Christians. “That’s one thing about cowboy church — we all got room to grow,” McCabe told the congregation with a smile.
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It's also funny how Christians seem to know little, if any, about the story they believe.
It is funny how people work. Athiests feel that they are judged and condemned by Christians who preach their rightous lifestyle. At the same time, Christians feel that they are judged and condemned by athiests who preach their rightous lifestyle. Christians have the obligation to spread the word of God but no one is forced to listen. Git along, lil' doggy!
Been lookin' through the bible, trying to find the book of Jesus. Can't seem to find it no matter how big the bible or how elaborate. Where d'ya suppose that would be? Maybe in "the mist" as one commented? See? The people who are so gung-ho about this christianity thing don't know what the heck they're talkin' about for the most part. They just parrot all the things they've heard from their "pastors" and their parents and think they're holy and righteous and certainly better than thou. As for all the brouhaha about who's right and who's wrong: how many denominations of the protestant church you reckon there are by now? All of them take one or two verses of the bible and base entire new religious denominations on those portions of the book. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose, and seeking the book of Jesus (he's in the mist, remember?) is foolish of me.
My last comment did appear to to quote your "christlike" statement, which was not my intent. Whatever your personal beliefs, you at least keep an open mind, and refrain from the stereotypical idiocy that spews from this region's "faithful". If the majority were of your persuasion, there would be much less to discuss on this topic.
I've been somewhat misunderstood on here, I suppose it's because I argue this religion stuff so much. I'm not trying to shove religion down anyones throat, it's been shoved down mine for years. My only point is that, for people who call themselves Christians, wouldn't it be better for them to stop judging and criticizing the rest of us that don't share their views exactly and start observing a simple, child-like faith in God?? I would think that if people who have "strong faith" would practice the love of God MORE and the hellfire, brimstone, and damnation LESS, they might find themselves to be happier people and more effective in spreading the "message". It's the people who feel the need to judge and name call that were the reasons I stepped away from the church and started doing my own research and reading on faiths and religion, and how science fits into the picture. But these people, these so-called Christians preach and smite us with the word of God, and in the same breath call us names and judge us. Last I checked, the word of God advised us not to judge each other, among many, many other things. I'm not judging you, Eric. I'm actually quite the liberal and not a religious hound at all. Rachel
Explain this: Higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies. It is FACT that nations/regions with a higher atheist and agnostic percentage of the population are more peaceful and accepting peoples. Right, yea, more "christlike."
Wow. It just never ends. The criticism and judging, they are a never-ending, vicious cycle. Do you really believe that God is looking down and saying "how dare you worship me on a day of the week other than Sunday"? Honestly. Yes, I know what the Bible says about worship and tithing both, I was raised in church my entire life and have had religious rhetoric smacked upside my head for many years. But I honestly believe that having faith and TRYING to do what is right and CHRISTLIKE and refraining from throwing stones at others is the way to go. I don't think God is gonna' say "Nope. You aren't welcome in heaven now. you worshiped me in a service on Tuesday instead of Sunday. How dare you attend church on Thursday. That's the devils day. Friday??? What were you thinking??? Sunday was the only day of the week you were allowed to gather together and worship and honor me! Be gone!" Good grief, people.
Why conform to God when you can make God conform to you? A previous article on the Cowboy Church mentioned services are often held on days besides Sunday because members are just "too busy" to worship then. Tithing isn't done during church because it might make some "uncomfortable", etc...
We should be careful that we not try to pass off entertainment and "feel-goodism" as true worship.
Members of Cowboy Church certainly have a right to worship as they do, but that doesn't mean it's being true to core Christian requirements for reverent, God-centered worship.
Mr. Brown, I was not being judgemental at all. I was just condensing the quote from the article "Many cowboy churches never mention tithing and don’t have offering plates; they tuck envelopes into the service programs or put boots out for those who want to give." I was speaking from my own experience regarding "how much money expected to give" and some people find it very hard to "give" when they are financially strapped but there are churches that expect your plege or tithe to be given no matter what your situation is and remarks are made regarding your standing in the church or whether you can hold a church ofice if you do not pledge or tithe a certain amount. I have experienced this myself so can't say I'm being judgemental. Also, I said the people of the Cowboy Churches are obviously happy based on how much the Cowboy Church ministry has grown.
Ms. Perkins, not to pick a fight, but your comment that these folks would be happy no matter "how much money they'll be expected to give" is judgmental enough for me. Thanks.
What difference does it make how the preachers/pastors are preaching? This article did NOT state they were NOT preaching "JESUS and his virgin birth, his blood on the cross that he shed willingly and his resurrection". The article simply stated the Cowboy Churches are getting their message across in a different way. The people of the Cowboy Churches are obviously happy with the way things are done since the ministry has grown from 300 members to 2,200 members, so those pastors/preachers must be doing something right. And there are already churches for the niche groups, they're called Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Protestant, Apostolic, etc. I think it's wonderful for anybody to be able to attend a church where they feel comfortable without worrying about how they're dressed or how much money they'll be expected to give. Be happy for these people instead of judgemental.
At some point in the not-too-distant future, there will be a church for every niche group under the sun. So much for the Brotherhood of man.
More likely it's just your head.
Wow, I think I need a decoder ring to make sense of MJ's comments. What is with the multiple comma's, quotation marks, question marks,exclamations, etc.? Is he sending secret messages here or does he think it helps him make a stronger statement; I am not sure but reading his comments makes my head hurt.
Well, we have a "biker church" here in the Tri-Cities, so why not?
Un-Be-Lieve-Able.