Cowboy Church

Counting today (June 2, 2013), I have attended Cowboy Church seven times in the last two and a half years.

The first time was in January, 2011. The Sunday after the Cowgirl Get Together was over, I went with my new friend Michelle to her church, Living for the Brand Cowboy Church in Athens, TX. I loved it! Actually, other than that the congregation was cowboys and cowgirls (including a cowgirl at heart from Minnesota), in some respects it wasn't that different from the services at my home church in Minneapolis. One difference was that there was no offering taken. There was a place at the back of the sanctuary where donations could be made. The restrooms were labelled "Cowboys" and "Cowgirls" instead of "Men" and "Women." The music was mostly contemporary worship songs, most of which I knew from my home church.

The next time I attended Cowboy Church was at the Minnesota Horse Expo in May 2011. It was good, but the music was mostly hymns rather than contemporary worship songs. Nothing against hymns; I've just gotten used to services that are heavier on contemporary worship songs. The band and preacher were from a Lutheran church that has Cowboy Church one Sunday evening per month. This Cowboy Church is held every year in the Coliseum at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds during the Minnesota Horse Expo.

The third Cowboy Church I attended was at the Minnesota EquiFest at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in October 2011. This Cowboy Church was held in one of the meeting rooms, not in the Coliseum. The preacher was originally from Fort Worth, TX. The group was smaller and the service featured more contemporary worship songs as opposed to standard hymns. It was more like what I expected from a Cowboy Church than the one at the Minnesota Horse Expo.

The next two Cowboy Church services I attended were at the Cowboy Church in the Fort Worth Stockyards. I visited that church both Sundays I was in Fort Worth in April 2012.  The services there weren't anything like any other Cowboy Church I attended. The focus was on the special musical guests and there wasn't much of a sermon. There wasn't anything for me to take home and apply to my daily life. For the only time at Cowboy Church, I felt like an outsider. I was there on Resurrection Sunday and kept waiting for the "He is risen!" with the "He is risen indeed!" response. I didn't happen even once.

Cowboy Church visit number six was back at the Minnesota Horse Expo in May 2012. It was similar to the 2011 visit. The only difference was the content of the sermon. Again it was good. Even if that Cowboy Church wasn't as good as the one in Athens, TX or the one at the EquiFest, it was still better than the services I attended at the Forth Worth Stockyards.

This now brings me to Cowboy Church visit number seven, which happened today. The music was contemporary worship music, although it was recorded music and we didn't sing any songs. The sermon was provided by one of the MSA Northern Colt Championship cowboys. (He competes in the men's pro category.) He had one of his horses with him in the Coliseum. At one point in his sermon, he got on his horse (bareback) and continued preaching while horseback. Now that was something I'd never seen at any Cowboy Church! His sermon was appropriate for a situation I'm currently facing. It gave me a lot to think about and to try to put into practice.

The Cowboy Church service in Athens, TX was my favorite, but the one today was a close second.

Whether it's Cowboy Church or a regular church, if the name of Jesus is honored and glorified, that's all that really matters.