The Intriguing Growth of Texas Cowboy Churches!
Cowboy Church Waxahachie, TX
howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas where
the weather is a hot 100 degrees in a dry spell, ponds are going down!
No problem, might have to pray for rain though.
okay okay okay! I should have titled this about Cowboy churches
growing all over the South and Southwest, not just in Texas..but I'm
a little prejudiced and there ARE more in Texas, just like almost
everything else, so I'm mostly correct.
wikipediacommons
Actually there is also a large Cowboy Church in Ohio so it's not
just in the South although I've never heard of cowboys in Ohio
so I don't know what that's about. Probably a bunch of wannabes?
lol that's mean. Forgive me Ohioan Cowboy Church people. I repent.
One of the first things that grabbed my attention when we moved to
Texas, besides a donut shop on every corner and a gun shop on every
OTHER corner, were Cowboy Churches.
I'm like..what is a COWBOY church? Never heard of them. I think it's
a scheme. I think it's just another scheme that God created to reach
people who would never darken the doorway of a "regular" church.
It's a conspiracy. yep, to get people sucked in so they can experience
God's Love! And guess what? It's working! big surprise.
So just what IS a Cowboy Church? Well here's what a local one has
on their website, this is the Lone Star Church of Hunt County. They
have this on their site, the definition of what a Cowboy Church is:
"Across every region and occupation , cowboys live among us.
You may live and work on a farm or ranch, ride horses, and own
livestock. Or you may live in the city and just enjoy country music,
John Wayne movies and the western lifestyle.
If you are a "Cowboy" or "Cowgirl" of any variety who is ready to
grow in your walk with God, or if you want to explore the Christian
faith in a comfortable, come-as-you-are setting, we invite you to join
us each week here at Lone Star Cowboy Church of Hunt County."
The Cowboy Churches are very casual, many times church goers
are greeted by Cowboys on horseback at the front doors, many
times there ARE no doors because the services are held in a riding
arena outdoors or a horse barn.
Cowboy Church Waxahachie, TX
theannistonstar
People are eating donuts and having coffee and there isn't a suit and
tie in sight! In fact they'd probably throw you out if you wore that!
Baptisms are done in a horse tank.
I love these churches. The messages are short but powerful and
there are many different events like roping and barrel racing but
also training in these skills also.
crosscreekchurch
There are about 12 Cowboy Churches within a 20 mile radius of
our place so that gives you an idea of their numbers and popularity.
This is a new phenomenon, there didn't used to be any but they
started popping up in the 90's and have been growing ever since
and I can see why.
No religion allowed. Just fellowship, love, helping each other,
community, fun events.
The Gospel can and SHOULD be a blast!
let me know if you have any theories as to the growth of Cowboy
Churches.
Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck
ps- you might just be a redneck if:
you're moved to tears every time you hear Dolly Parton singing
"I Will Always Love you"!
I don't think the Creator cares where, when or how you worship or how you are dressed. That was man's invention. Whatever brings people together in the Creator's name is not all bad in my books...
Ceci, You nailed it! :)
We have had some amazing times under bridges in blue jeans! When GOD is there, it is special!
howdy @cecicastor! yes Ma'am you are so right because He is not religious.
great comment thank you!
Interesting. I'm fairly certain none of these are in Florida, but there also aren't any cowboys here.
I don't think it's my cup of tea. (Or sip of my canteen.) But Texas and Florida culturally are pretty different, so that isn't surprising.
lol! you should definitely google cowboy churches in FL and you might be surprised. Actually I would be but if they are in Ohio you never know.
So what are you saying ginnyannette? you have something against horses? lol
I'm two hundred years old. All these young folks and their new fangled ideas ;)
Maybe I'll check one out if I ever make it over to Texas.
Alright, maybe I'm not that old.
lol! "if I ever make it over to Texas."
uh, I think you mean WHEN you visit Texas.
everyone's gotta visit Texas a few times in their life!
believe it or not everything's not just about Florida lol
I actually have driven through Texas on my way to New Mexico but had no time to stop. It is such a long state, it felt never ending. I will check it out next time. I'm sure it would inspire some writing for me.
oh yeah, certain areas would have to inspire a lot of writing for you. I mean you write amazing posts about walking along the beach or going to your Grandmothers' house..just think what could come about when seeing some of the amazing sites here. I like that idea.
yes Texas is gigantic to drive across from East to West or vice versa especially out West where it's nothing but desert.
thank you ginnyannette!
I have heard of them but never been to one.
thanks @bowentroyer I bet there is at least one in Kentucky..maybe.
As long as the Cowboys don't get away from the Bible, I'm in favor! We have a Church here, that does weightlifting exhibitions and sponsore boxing matches; called Guts Church, but they also give out food for those in need!
Dolly Parton singing; "I Will Always Love you" is a good example of sacrificial (agape) love. That will reach every heart that is not hardened; so red necks...PLUS!
lol! rednecks plus! hey I like the sounds of that church..Guts Church!
I love churches like that because they drive the religious people crazy..sounds like they are doing some outstanding work.
there are still so many good churches and people out there, even in Oklahoma!
"Even in Oklahoma"...Don't let them catch you sayin' such heresy, ROFLOL!
We Built the last church from scratch (it was an old warehouse) and out grew it while we were building it. We put in hundreds of sheets of 5/8 inch sheetrock in 12 foot long lengths! I put in 1000 sticks of Thinwall conduit. when we finished, we had a business meeting, and voted to sell it if we had a decent offer, and go looking for a bigger building.
That was Wednesday, on Friday, LifeChurch TV walked in, and offered exactly what we decided was right, and ofered to pay the realitor fees too! We had not even had time to list it yet! They have about a dozen campuses locally!
:)oh wow..now THAT was a God thing!
amazing.
Yes, he is riding on our shoulders! :)
LOL...I DO love that Dolly Parton song!
Hey, as long as people are serious about their approach to God, I don't think he cares one wit about what the building looks like (or even if there is one.)
Cool Stuff, bro.
I remember when we first move up to Aroostook County that there was a drive-in former outdoor movie theater that had been converted to a "drive-in church." But it's gone now. Not sure what happened....
yeah those old drive-in converted churches were catching on for awhile but I don't
think they're around anymore. Never went to one but if you didn't want to get dressed
properly I think it would work.
I agree with everyone else. A gathering of believers IS a church. Building and clothing are just decorations. Our Father doesn't even see those things, just his children for who they are.
yes Ma'am and that must be the reason so many people are going to
Cowboy Churches.. I mean there are very few cowboys left but the Cowboy Churches are springing up everywhere?
rejecting religion.
well said @squirrelbait!
Now, I enjoyed that! You got me on several points: John Wayne mention, gun stores on the corner, Dolly singing and gettin' me mushy inside, and the churches where religion is not allowed.
I want to go to one for the experience.
We've been talking about moving to Texas for about five years and wish we had just pulled up stakes and did it back then. Not sure how I'd do in a place with no water, but otherwise no real preference. Love the Hill Country and the central part around San Angelo. Spend a lot of time day dreaming about waking up and seeing the horizon. I always thought Heaven was in Texas on a small spread with about 32 alpacas.
howdy again @willymac! I just added 2 more photos to this blog because they have horses and one of them has a horse up front by the preacher! lol
too bad I didn't find those yesterday but anyway it's quite a site!
But yes sir Texas definitely has a lot going for it. tons of jobs in or near cities but still nice properties in the country. The Hill Country is where all the rich elites are moving, putting in all their bunkers and survival homes and such, prices are sky high out there.
In our area the soil is a black clay which holds water like crazy so there are lakes and ponds everywhere, we got 2 of em on our place..so you could have your own water or live on one of the many lakes here.
Alpacas are great, a lot of people have them, one of our neighbors does, keeps the coyotes away among other things.
I agree with all your points. love John Wayne, Dolly Parton, gun shops and non-religion churches. thank you sir!
Whoa, there! I said I like the Hill Country, not that I could afford a major chunk of it! Yep, there are some really nice places scattered around but my dream place would be so big I could not see what kind of place my neighbors had and I could shoot targets all day and they could not even hear me. If I'm going to dream, why not do it right?
What is the name of a town in your area...so I can do some map exploring? Didn't know about the black clay!
yes sir the black clay around here causes tremendous flooding almost any time we get a decent rain because the clay won't absorb it. there are thousands of ponds, or Pots as they are called here, any man-made pond is a pot.
anyway Texas also has lots of big lakes but only one of them is natural, all the rest are man-made, that's why they all have tree tops sticking out of them. the nearest town to us is Caddo Mills about 7 miles away but they're so small we do all our shopping in Greenville.
our 15 acre place is totally private and we can shoot anytime we want, we hear gunfire going on and off all day and night here.
here's a typical TX lake with trees sticking up:
We have a similar problem with the very heavy red clay that is mixed with rocks. When it is wet it is like crunchy peanut butter that will not take any more moisture. Even when we dig out a bowl and add compost and much, a new plant will likely rot if we get a lot of rain because the water will not drain from the bowl. Flat ground like that is good for pine trees, but little else.
Thanks for the location info. A visit via Google Earth is next...
thank you @willymac I haven't heard about Red Clay, very interesting.
and kind of a pain if you got it!
A messy pain! Like walking in glue that will get your feet so big and heavy you can't move in it. Drove the tractor in some of it yesterday and had to power wash it so I could unhitch the 3-point.
lol! yes sir I understand. hey with that discord site, what do you do when you go there..just start typing in that box on the bottom?
is there something you have to do to get into the Curie group?
thanks for your feedback!
Interesting...not sure I would every go to one though!
howdy simms50 thanks for stopping by!
why not, you afraid they'd put you on a horse? lol
well we went to one for awhile but they were just using the remodeled,
air conditioned building and the arena was several hundred feet away
that they used for events and some of the special guest speakers but
I reckon that don't really count because it was just like a regular church
except the pastor wore a cowboy hat.
I think it's obvious that they are set up to reach the unchurched who
wouldn't be seen in a regular church. I wonder if there are any in your
neck of the woods?
Not afraid of horses. I wonder though at what point in history did God's word not be enough? You hear that in other countries people will walk for miles and meet secretly just so they can hear the words of God, no gimmicks so to speak, just the word!
oh I know what you're sayin but I think we are the laziest Christians on earth aren't we? And since many people bulk at religious doctrine like you and I got away from, and see these as a comfortable, non-religious setting that they feel comfortable in...then that's the draw and the Word is taught strongly in them from what I hear.
and also my wife and I went to one for awhile and it was very strong in teaching, but it was in the summer and we just met in their newly remodeled air conditioned building away from the arena.
but no I totally agree that the Gospel should be enough.why it isn't I don't know because like you said in other countries they will walk for DAYS and then stand all day in a field rain or shine!
we're spoiled cry-babies here no doubt.
No doubt indeed!
how about if they had horses in the sanctuary? lol.
I just added a photo that has a horse standing up by the preacher!
I was moved to tears by your post:
New wine
new wine. absolutely, thank you sir!
ummm, you forgot to put @comedyopenmic in the title, and nominate 2 people ^^
Peace.
howdy there @bobaphet! hey this was supposed to be a serious piece, was it that funny? lol. I thought it was semi-serious. ok, if I come up with another funny one or I'm not sure then I'll run it past you first!
did Kevin Klein call yet?
Not yet, any day now...
Peace.
The pastor on the horse is what really cracked me up.
Or do they call them pastures ?
Peace.
lol! they probably DO call them Pastures at those kind of churches. oh man are you high or are you always this funny?
I think you guys should make another video when you're high, that was so funny.
Haha man, thanks, but seriously, we were both as sober as judges when we made that video :)
Peace.
well the acting was so good that ya'll had us fooled, but then that's what made it so funny. great job.
Thanks.
Peace.