November 4, 2002

Conference examines cowboy church model
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___WAXAHACHIE--When it's time to round up Texans for church, a new breed of congregation is showing unusual success in corralling a hard-to-reach species.
___Cowboy churches are springing up across the state to minister to western-heritage Texans, including cowboys, cowgirls and those interested in the ranching and rodeo lifestyle.
___About 5 percent, or 1 million people, of the Texas population belongs to this unreached group, estimates Ron Nolen, a regional consultant for the Church Starting Center of the Baptist

The Cowgirl/Cowboy Church Planters Conference examined how to reach people involved in the western heritage culture.

General Convention of Texas. Nolen has helped start and shape many of the Texas cowboy churches.
___Today, 15 cowboy churches are working to reach a Texas subculture that could use 400 churches, Nolen said at the Cowgirl/Cowboy Church Planters Conference in Waxahachie this fall. The first-ever event was attended by more than 180 people.
___Interest in the western-heritage culture is strong outside Texas as well. Groups from Illinois, New Mexico and Arkansas attended the conference.
___Paula Edwards came from Arkansas, where she runs a trail-riding ministry. People are interested in horses all across the nation, and trail-riding is becoming increasingly popular, she noted.
___This western lifestyle revolves around arena sports such as barrel racing and team roping, according to Larry Johnson, director of missions for Ellis Baptist Association. Many corporate sponsors including alcohol companies have tapped the popularity of these sports for years, but churches are just now reaching out, he noted.
___While some church leaders have said the cowboy culture cannot be reached, other churches have built arenas of their own to host rodeos and serve as a place of fellowship and fun.
___The typical cowboy is familiar with many of the basic notions and ethics of Christianity because the ideas are commonly present in their music and culture, Nolen said. For example, many cowboys idolize John Wayne and all he stood for in his movies, primarily morals that Christianity emphasizes.
___"You don't have to work hard to get these people to believe in God," Nolen said. "They believe that."
___Because of these common connections between the faith and the culture, cowboy churches are reaching people at an astounding rate. More than 300 people showed up for initial services at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, and the church led its association in baptisms after its first year in existence.
___"We are reaping where we have not sown," Nolen said. "Someone's already been here. Someone's sown the seed for 200 years. They'll come check out the cowboy church and suddenly their objections are taken away and they are left to make a decision about Christ."
___Cowboy church members often wear blue jeans, boots and a hat to church. Rather than having a sunrise service on Easter, one cowboy church decided to hold a sunset service attended by hundreds. On Valentine's Day, a cowboy church held a John Wayne dance for the community.
___The methods may be different, but the churches are reaching out to new members while encouraging fellowship among congregants, Nolen reported.
___"People thirst for that intimate time with God," said Jayme Richman, during a seminar on ministering to western-heritage women. "People may not know how to get there, but ultimately they want to be close to him.
___"In barrel racing, the tighter your pattern, the better your time. The same goes with God. The tighter your walk with him, the better your time."

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