The Cowboy Church Of Yesteryear

Cowboy church was never heard of until 1972 and stayed in the shadows until the 1990s. Hat wearing during service is a new phenomenon that started as an incentive to attract rodeo performers and lovers. Before this time, even at rodeos, if a service was held at the corrals so churchgoers could skip traditional church, hats still came off from opening prayer to closing prayer. It was only when the idea of a "cowboy" church became popular that hats were allowed during service. The idea that real cowboys and ranchers established these churches, is false. They were established strictly for rodeo convenience and evolved from there.

In the area I grew up, we had a community church in the rural Grange hall every Sunday. Everyone there was the real deal working rancher or farmer. Most wore suits or clothes that didn't look like work clothes or even western. Most men wore "cowboy" boots, but they were a dressy pair and polished to perfection. Women wore heels or pumps. Hats were left at the door except small hats and scarves worn by women. Sunday was a special day to dress up. The women always wore dresses or skirts. We usually had a potluck following the service. For me, this is still the real cowboy church.

Modern times have changed many things. Now you can attend a virtual church service dressed in your flowered PJ's, bunny slippers, and wear a sombrero if you want.

 

Well, Faye, to you, the "real" cowboy is the ones that work ranches. But, to many pro-rodeo Stock Contractors, their help are cowboys. To me, a "real" cowboy is both a rodeo and ranch one. Funny, both are part of organizations that have "cowboy" in the organizations name. The most popular is PRCA and WRCA.

However, there were, and are, those rodeo cowboys out there that carry a full-time job, like I did, that has absolutely nothing to do with the word "cowboy".

Just take a look at the website, Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame. Both rodeo, ranch and country singers are in there. People like George Strait, Donny Gay and Charmayne James

 

Cody, this thread is under reminiscing about what I knew growing up going to a rural community church where working ranchers and ranchhands, and families attended and supported. It is also a brief history of how and why modern "cowboy" churches sprang up. You seem to miss the point that the "cowboy" church became popular because of rodeo. Whether the stock contractors and help are real working cowboys or not is not relevant. What is relevant is such churches sprang from on-site services at the rodeo and this explains why many "cowboy" churches have no rule about hat-wearing during service.

Skipping church for rodeo was a big no-no with my mother. However at the fair time since it was important not to leave your animals unattended, someone would usually conduct a brief Sunday morning service, and many times 2 or 3 denominations would have preachers there. Exhibiting your animals and other things at the fair was an important part of ranch life and survival. Rodeo however was not but that changed as it became a way of making a living for many and a lifestyle. It was more important than the church, so the preachers took to conducting services at Sunday rodeo where the participants were dressed in western wear. Later when the "cowboy" church was started, the appeal was don't worry about changing clothes, just ride on down and join in. Don't even worry about your hair a mess, just leave your hat on. Remove it during prayer and no one will notice your hair because their heads are bowed.

Cowboy churches are named so because of western dress. Modern western dress is based on a stereotype of the way the cattle pokes and ranch hands once dressed. There may be real working ranchers there, rodeo participants, or even a big town city person that hates ranch life but loves to dress western that may be frowned on in other churches. You don't have to dress western at all to attend there, but most do because that is what makes it a "cowboy" church.

Would you consider the community Grange Hall Sunday services I attended as a youth a "cowboy" church? Everyone there was a working cattle rancher.

I hope you get my point here in that the modern "cowboy" church is defined by the come in your western apparel appeal. Attending such doesn't appeal to many nonwestern dressers, working ranch hand or not.

 

First, I know what your thread here is about, but, it appears you are talking one way (old time) and I'm talking another way (today). Both are fine, but............

Ok, Faye, this is how Wikipedia and another website explains Cowboy Church:

Cowboy churches are local Christian churches within the cowboy culture that are distinctively Western heritage in character. A typical cowboy church may meet in a rural setting in a barn, metal building, arena, sale barn, or old western building, have its own rodeo arena, and a country gospel band. Baptisms are generally done in a stock tank. The sermons are usually short and simple, in order to be better understood by the parishioners. Some cowboy churches have covered Arenas where rodeo events such as bull riding, team roping, ranch sorting, team penning and equestrian events are held on weeknights.
“Cowboy Church” is simply an approach to church with an emphasis on cowboy culture. Cowboy churches desire to reach those in the cowboy community (often those involved in the pro rodeo circuit) and hold worship services with a decidedly Western flavor. There have been cowboy churches for the past 50 years or so, but they became more popular and plentiful in the 1970s.

As for this, you are both right and wrong, by way of what the internet states: "The idea that real cowboys and ranchers established these churches, is false. They were established strictly for rodeo convenience and evolved from there." Faye, what I'm reading from this is that you say "real" cowboys are only the ones that work ranches, which, in many a rodeo competitors mind, is most definitely wrong.

Actually, I've gone over this with someone else that declared "rodeo cowboys are not real cowboys". Those on the pro-rodeo circuit would very much disagree with this. Many do not work ranches, but then again, some do during their "off time". When Kaycee Fields isn't at a rodeo, or traveling to one, he is working the family stock contracting business started by his father, Lewis Fields.

To a point, we simply have a difference in feelings about yesteryears and today. There are "old-timer ranchers" that see that difference, just as well as some "old-time farmers" do. But, "it is what it is and won't change". Instead of the old country-western music that use to be heard at rodeos, today it is can be a combo of Classic Rock, Disco and 80's/90's Country music. Old-timers will say "that damn music is just too loud", while others love it. The "old-timers" of rodeo, like Larry Mahan, Walt Garrison, see just how much money has gone up in the last 50 years of rodeo and are very amazed.

 

Well Cody you are not understanding what I wrote or why I wrote it. It is about how things have evolved in the rural churches. In some places, those rural churches still exist as they were 50 years ago. They adhere to the same code of etiquette and apostolic beliefs. I enjoy reminiscing about my past.

What I wrote about the advent of today's cowboy churches is in agreement with your copy and paste from Wikipedia. It was first formed to reach the rodeo crowd which may include working cowboys or maybe not. Read what I wrote again. I am saying that the real working ranch people always had churches and they didn't differ from their sister churches in town other than a rural setting, potlucks, or one member hosting lunch at their ranch. Things like all afternoon singing were common. They could have cared less about dressing western and tailoring the service for "cowboy culture." It was about getting away from the ranch for worship and fellowship, even if for an hour or two.

If you want to get technical, a cowboy or girl is someone that works with cattle. They could live in town and dress non-western and work cattle in the stockyards all day and technically they are a real cowboy or girl. Most that live on a total horse ranch and never work cattle, dress western in "cowboy" clothes, prefer to be called wranglers. The same with sheep ranchers. They prefer to be called shepherds even if they dress in western clothes. Cowboy, as used today, is a general sweeping term that generally refers to how one is dressed which was based on the cowboys of old that had hats and boots as tools, not fashion.

The reason I was reminiscing about this today was a conversation I had with a cattle ranch veterinarian that goes to a small community church near me. I asked her why she didn't go to the local cowboy church. She laughed and said that is for urban horse people and I live the life all week and the last thing I want to see is a preacher wearing a cowboy hat while tailoring his sermon to fit into cowboy culture. I decided to share my reminisce. I quit going to church when I left home. I remember a few years ago when they started a cowboy church here. I had to ask, "what the heck is a cowboy church?" My mother was a cattle ranch woman from birth to death with a few years out to get her college degree. She was a lifelong churchgoer and read her bible daily and never mentioned cowboy church, so naturally, I had to investigate.

 

Well, I don't know if anyone has used taking off their hat as an excuse for not going to church, but because the early cowboy church advocates (1970's) wanted to serve those that loved Sunday rodeo more than attending church, they went to the rodeos to minister, but not just to the ditchers of other churches, but to the "unsaved" that frequented rodeo that would in their opinion otherwise never know about Jesus. It wouldn't go over well to asked that these sinners take off their hats or spit out their chaw, so "cowboy" church started with a new set of manners tailored to accommodate the lifestyle of rodeo attendees and performers. Since rodeo isn't every Sunday, buildings came into use with Cowboy Church on their signs. The appeal was to come dressed modern western and if close and good weather, ride your horse to church and tie it on the hitching post out front. Building a corral on-site so cowpokes with 500 head mooing could stop by on the way to the mountain pasture, was somehow overlooked. The working cowpoke was disenfranchised by the cowboy church.

Locally I see several that bring their pickups with horses and tack in fancy trailers so after service they can ride in the adjacent arena. Most members are also members of the horse riding club which meets right after services. Great people all of them, but to me not cow folks, but rather horse people, but NOT working or retired ranch wranglers either. Fair, parade, and rodeo riders.

Being from the old school, I find it disrespectful to leave your "cowboy" hat or ball cap on when in a home or church. Western hats and caps are tools just like a hard hat for construction workers. Wearing a hat or cap in a home or church serves no purpose other than show. I can understand at an outside service or BBQ where the bright hot sun is beating down on uncovered faces and heads, but in a home or church, it is not just disrespectful but ludicrous in my opinion and done for show only.

Maybe the construction workers need to start a church. They could wear their hard hats and leave in their earplugs. With dark glasses, they could catch a few Z's while the preacher rambled on about Jesus and Jackhammers.

 

Ok, will state this again..........not at a Cowboy Church! At a regular church, yes, taking off a cowboy hat or baseball cap is required and, church staff can ask a person to do it. When the Minister leaves his cowboy hat on, except for prayers, during the Service, it's darn sure ok for the people to leaves theirs own, if they choose to.

 

Ok, Faye, there you go again, in red highlighted, are you referring to "rodeo riders" as not cowboys? Sorry, but I have to get this straight.

To a point, wife and I are "old fashion", but to another point we aren't. I will take my hat off when entering the sanctuary of a regular church, but, if it's not required in a Cowboy Church, I'll leave it on. If it's ok for the Minister to wears his, except for prayer, than it's ok for me!

 

I believe I used the words cow folks purposely Can you define for us in your own words what makes a person deserving of the label cowboy? What makes a cowboy church different than other churches?

 

Difference.........Cowboy Church: music, activities ,size of congregation and the "western" feeling that a regular church wouldn't have.

Deserving of the label "cowboy"? You tell me why the largest rodeo association in America has the word "cowboy" in it's title, as in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. And, why the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado has everything listed in their Hall as "cowboy"? And, why does the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, in Ft. Worth, Texas, that includes famous rodeo cowboys, as Donny Gay and even actor John Wayne, has the word "cowboy" in it's name?

 

It's all a misnomer anyway: "Cowboys" mess around mainly with STEERS, not cows.

Frank