In my latest nonfiction book, MY HOMETOWN: One of the Best Places in America to Live, I wrote a segment on cowboy churches. It has been one of my best-read pieces.
Cowboy churches are becoming the rage across the country, including all over Florida. The first cowboy church was started about forty years back, but only recently have they caught on big-time. It is estimated that hundreds of cowboy churches in the United States and Canada have opened their doors wide in the past few years.
Cowboy Church of Ellis County, about thirty miles south of Dallas, bills itself as the world's largest cowboy church with twenty-two hundred members. The church is reportedly less than ten years old.
My nephew, David Hope, pastors Stable Faith Cowboy Church in Brooksville, FL. He's actually worked as a cowboy, so he plays the role well. He preaches in cowboy boots and 10-gallon hat, baptizes in a horse trough and helps to create a friendly and easy-going atmosphere.
People from all walks of life are welcome, so it sure seems like my kind of church.
Here are a few other tongue-in-cheek things I have learned are unique about cowboy churches:
• The doors to most of the churches are never locked.
• The Call to Worship is, "Y'all come on in!"
• Horses, dogs and other pets are included on the prayer list.
• The preacher says, "I'd like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering," and five guys and one woman stand up.
• Opening day of deer hunting season is recognized as an official church holiday.
• When the pastor preaches on Jesus feeding the five thousand, a little boy wants to know if the fish were trout or redfish.
• A member requests to be buried with his horse because, "I ain't never been in a hole he couldn't get me out of."
• There is no such thing as a "secret" sin.
• It's not Heaven, but some cowboys believe you can see it from there.
• When the cowboy band hits a high note, dogs under the pews begin howling.
• Baptism is referred to as a "branding."
The novelty of a new kind of church directed at cowboys might attract people, but the warm, accepting atmosphere keeps them coming back. Many thousands throughout several nations, after years of searching, have found a place where they come “just as you are” and hear what God might have to say to them.