Cowboy Churches ... Can Students Be Involved?
I guess I have heard about "cowboy churches" before. But I never gave them much thought. Until this week.I ran across an old article on the Church Planting Village about these "cowboy churches." According to this article, the sheer number of people involved in the "cowboy" or "western" culture is huge. Indeed, based upon studies of musical tastes, this "people group" (can we call them that? ... I suppose so!) is approximately twice as large as any other people group in North America.
This article led me to another very interesting site hosted by the Cowboy Church Network. Check it out. You can even order a belt buckle!
So, I am sold! I am intrigued. I already have a couple of guys in my church checking out the possibilities of planting a "cowboy church" in our area.
The question for me is this ... how will students connect? Is there a significant number of youth involved in the agricultural / "cowboy" culture in our country? As I look at the youth in my community, I have to think that there is. In my daughter's class there is one girl who lives and breathes horses and rodeos. Others own horses and are involved to a somewhat lesser extent. A trip to our local high school will reveal a plethora of the famed blue and yellow AG jackets (FFA - Future Farmers of America). But can we engage them in church planting? Specifically, is the growing phenomenon of "cowboy" churches an opportunity to reach all of our young "cowboys" and "cowgirls," in addition to their "cowboy" parents?
I would like some input from people who have "cowboy" churches in their area, or who may have attended one. What was it like? What did you think? How can we engage students in this kind of work?
posted by Geoff Baggett at 9:00 PM
1 Comments:
Yes, they sure can! Thanks for the email the other day by the way. I have several students in my youth group that are involved in the "Cowboy Culture". We get along great because I am a part of that culture as well. While we are not a Cowboy Church, there are plenty of students and their parents that would fit right in with one. They are from farming, ranching families and are often involved with 4H programs. What's more, I have several students in the goth movement who have been involved more and more in the western culture since meeting these other students. It's a great culture that has very deep roots in most areas of the country. Roots are something many of today's you are willing to for know matter what it takes, so offering those roots in something wholesome is a wonderful thing!
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