Cowboy church planters?
Some say they go too far in contextualization, doing something avant-garde simply to draw a crowd. Others say they have taken the concept of the homogeneous unit to an extreme, only planting churches for cowboys, and then raise questions such as, “Do we then need to plant churches only for NASCAR fans? Do we then need to plant churches only among old men, who play chess in New York parks? Or, what about only planting churches among van-driving, soccer-moms who are members of Oprah’s Book-of-the-Month Club?”
Others say this is a unique movement of the Holy Spirit among an American subculture.
Regardless of what both the fans and critics are saying and asking, there are three things I have noticed over the past several years (Please note that numbers 2 and 3 are based on anecdotal evidence): 1) The cowboy subculture is not just an American phenomena, it is a global matter–IMAX even produced a movie about it; 2) A large number of churches have been planted (across denominations and many non-denominational) among this subculture in the past decade; and 3) Reports are coming from the field that large numbers of people are making professions of faith and being baptized through the work of such church planters.
Recently, I was able to interview Jeff Smith, the founder of the Cowboy Church Network of North America. He shares with us what the Lord is doing among the subculture, and some information about cowboy church planting.
While cowboy churches can be found in different denominations (and some non-denominational), Jeff works in partnership with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the North American Mission Board, training others to plant cowboy churches throughout America and Canada. According to the network’s website, they are “impacting the cowboy culture with the gospel of Jesus by planting cowboy churches in every county.”
Research is Needed
For sometime I have wanted to study what is going on among church planting in this subculture. I believe there is a great story to tell and much to be learned. Over the past few years, I have been thinking about writing a book on this topic, much like my first book Missional House Churches. However, don’t wait on me! Do the research, and tell the story about missional labors among this subculture (share the good, the bad, and the ugly–no pun intended)!
I have started a category in the Links section of my web site. There are a few links on this topic HERE. This will get you started.
Want to learn more about The Cowboy Church Network? Check it out HERE. Or, checkout their YouTube channel HERE.
I belong to a Cowboy Church in Lone Jack Mo. and I think a better classification for it would be a rural church. Our Association is called the Heartland Association of Cowboy Churches and Ranch Miniseries. I think anyone who says its too narrow of a group must have never been to a Cowboy Church before. We say our church is for the “Outsider”. I also think that part of the attraction of the Cowboy Church is the come as you are feeling, you don’t have to dress up unless you call your cowboy boots and hat dressing up. I think it is more of the model of the early church than the stained glass and 4 wall churches of today. I believe Jesus taught in more barns and stables and campfires than He did buildings with 4 walls.In our Church services and Outreaches like Rodeos and Horse Clinics, we have had more than 200 people come to Christ in the last 2 years. If any one thinks the teaching is watered down can come to http://www.openrangefellowship.com and you can hear our Pastor teach the word to see for yourself. So I think that answered both of your concerns about the Cowboy Church. Also we have more than Cowboys attending, we have bikers, doctors,IT professionals, business owners and we even have a gentleman who is running for Congress!! God is moving among the Cowboy Churches across America. We are growing while a lot of the Mainstream Churches are getting smaller. We must be doing something right!!!
Well said, Ken. Thank you. Keep up the great work for the Lord!
When I planted a Cowboy Church just south of Austin,TX in 2006 I did not take a single fellow member of a mainstream church with me besides my wife and daughter.Initially every attendee besides my family were NOT attending another church and hadn’t been for a long time. That being said if you planted for example a NASCAR church that reached people who were not already going to church that specifically obeys Matthew 28’s directive.
Thank you, Jeff for sharing. Keep up the great work for the Kingdom!
Thank for bringing Rev. Jeff to your blog!!
You are welcome!
Thank you for this post and especially for the video! We are studying Cowboy Churches in our Royal Ambassador Chapter and this is the only place that I have been able to find a discussion of the link between the NAMB and Cowboy Churches — I can’t even find them mentioned on the NAMB’s site.
You are welcome, Eric. Of course, the video is now 11 years old. Much has changed. 🙂