The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi, hope this in the right section.

I'm an Australian player who's heard a bit about Cowboy Church, but don't know a lot about it. Can anyone enlighten me? As a rule how much steel is used? Its kind of in my line of work.

Thanks.

(Rev.) Stuart Devenish
Sydney

I play steel in a Cowboy Church in Orange Tx. Honestly it's one of the greatest things to come along in my lifetime!! As far as what we play....it's a mixture of some old gospel standards, country gospel from current artist as well as some originals that some of the band members have written.

We have a 5 piece band made up of church congregation. A typical country band playing gospel music. As far as how much steel is in the music....our lead instruments are steel, guitar & harmonica and we all normally take a ride in each song and split up the fills. We also have drums, tambourine, rhythm guitar & 2-3 vocalists.

As far as the church itself, it's no doubt the best thing I've ever been involved with. In short form, the Cowboy Church is set up to knock down the walls that keep a lot of people from coming to church while at the same time having activities that appeal to the cowboy/country/rural people.

A couple of examples of knocking down the walls is....there is no implied dress code. It's a come as you are relaxed atmosphere. Everyone is truly made to feel welcome regardless of their social status. Another thing is an offering plate is not passed. We have a whiskey barrel & old milk can set up for offerings for anyone who wants to give. There is no pressure to give, purely voluntary.

This particular church has been going for almost 2 years and we are averaging 200 in attendance every Sunday. Ours is held in an open barn so we are subject to whatever the outside temperature is. It don't matter if it's 100 deg. or 35 deg. the place is full every Sunday.

This church has really been blessed over these last 2 years and we are currently constructing new facilities with an arena for rodeo's and such. It will all be geared to the cowboy lifestyle, very rustic in appearance to attract those who don't feel comfortable in a regular church.

The big majority of those who attend have either never been to church or haven't been in many years!

The best part of it all is that God's word is being spread to folks who otherwise probably wouldn't hear it. In the last 2 yrs there have been about 50 baptisms.......in a watering trough of course. That is the greatest evidence of the effectiveness!!

Sidney this is great news . I think it's great that someone had a vision to do something like this so anyone can find help for their aching soul ! Folks come from all walks of life and simply aren't comfortable in the big fancy churches ( nothing wrong with this ) but some don't fit in . I think there should be a place in every city that has an open worship center where folks can come and hear good Gospel music and ''country ''preaching and not feel out of place or any pressure . We need to just love people and be there for them when there is a need . Just my thoughts . G.P. ( P.S. i do have more but at another time ) .

Yea Gary, I'm continuously amazed at the blessings our Father has granted to this church. Some of the bigger ones are, the barn we're currently in was made available by a local doctor that said we could use it as long as we needed to. We had a local trailer manufacturer donate a trailer for our band/sound equipment. A local family donated 20 acres of prime property for our new facilities....this is just to name a few of the bigger ones!!

It's by far the most welcoming environment I've ever experienced! I've played country gospel in "regular" churches at different times with mixed results.....usually the older folks love it, the younger folks are not sure if they're allowed to like it and those inbetween....well I'm not really sure what they thought.

It is great to have a place the normally uncomfortable can be comfortable worshiping the Lord!!

There's even a Cowboy Church program on RFDTV. It's no wonder to me that the Cowboy Church is the fastest growing church in America.....the best is yet to come!!

As was said in the other posting , the services are held outdoors , like in a barn
The folks in the Cowboy Church in our area sit on hay bales as they said they don't pass the plate there is a bucket on a chair on the way out .

The Preacher is usually a real cowboy and there is usually an arena attached to the Church .

Some folks really go for this kind of service and the Preacher is a little more
charismatic , not usually Fire & Brimstone type .
Hope this helps .

Tuck

Sounds quite similar to our church, where I played lead guitar on the worship team for 15 years (quit when left-hand problems flared up and I took up steel, but my hand has improved and I'm filling in for the moment but will probably be back full-time an a couple of months).

It's not "Cowboy Church" - If I had to call it anything it'd be "Beach Church". We're in the beach communities of L.A., have no dress code, the music is sort of contemporary Christian Music but played with a lot more "edge" and "bite" than usual - and 3/4 of the team moonlights as a bar band called the 8-Tracks that does classic rock. The piano player/leader hates country, but likes my steel and bender stuff because it's NOT country.

Simple premise - the music is loud, raucous and fun. It draws a lot of people who are uncomfortable in a traditional church setting and who are "on the fence". Our primary purpose with the style and choice of music is to get them to keep coming...and it works REALLY well.

7am Sundays when I'm playing the B3 player/associate pastor (yes, we have a B3 and Leslie, but NOT for a "choir") and I will warm up playing Yes stuff or Bloomfield/Kooper tracks.

The cowboy church That I played in, in Eugene Oregon was in a livestock auction barn and we played on Tues. night because of a conflict for the space. There was always a crowd and we played on the auction floor so you always wore your boots. [A few souvenirs was left by the steers] Doc.....

Years and Years ago Stuart Hamblen (This Ole House) had his Cowboy Church on Sunday mornings here in So. Calif. In Stuarts younger days he was a real Maverick, end up in Jail and then talk about it on his Radio program. Along the way he got the message and became a real Christion influence.

There is one in Vinita , Ok pastored by a retired vet named Wade Markham. The church is called Cowboy Junction and has a permanent building. Attached to the church is a fine restaurant and the decor is like a western town facade....Sheriffs Office , Bank , Gold Assayers ,General Store , Hardware Store, Livery, Blacksmith, etc...you get the idea. Services are on Monday nights and they'll consistently have 400-600 in attendance. Check out their website. They'll also have team roping after church and anyone can rope as long as you've been in the church service that night.The arena is right behind the vet office which is next door to the church.

Re: Cowboy Churches in general....their niche is that they aren't going after all of the "churched" folks but rather are focusing on the cowboy and those from a ranching/farming background and as has already been stated , there are no dress code demands including the permitting of wearing cowboy hats during service , removed of course when prayer is offered.

I think it's the neatest idea to come along and lives are being changed as a result. There is a sense of unpretention-ness with this crowd...everyone is down to earth.

Make that unpretentiousness....sorry

A SPECIAL thanks to all you guys who contributed to this thread -- I had no idea that kind of revolution was taking place in the American church (or is that outside it?). As a kid years ago I used to watch Rex Humbard on TV; from memory he used to have something similiar, or a least the 'feel' you're refering to.

I actually teach mission here in Australia and am aware of the whys and wherefores -- just wanted to get some idea of how I can use the steel as a meeting point with other people.

On a personal note -- it seems ironic that 30 years ago I left my 4000 acre family farm to enter the Christian ministry, when I might have been more useful staying home growing stuff,and running cowboy church.

More insights welcome.

Grace.

Stuart.

Boy, I've been wishing we had something like that here..........

4 or 5 years ago when I was playing with The Riders Of The Purple Sage,we used to perform our regular show frequently at a so-called "Cowboy Church" in Tujunga California which is a foothill community north of Burbank in the San Fernando Valley. It was freewheeling type of service with a practical,dogma-free message that reminded me of a Unitarian church I once attended in Colorado as a youth. The congregation seemed to be fairly sophisticated rural L.A. horsepeople and cowfolk. The Riders' old school 40s cowboy music was a big hit. It was the only church service I ever played that had an open bar serving shots of Patron at the bar-b-que hang afterwards and horses tied up out back that people had actually ridden to church.

Stuart,

It's never too late to start a Cowboy Church! Go for it.

I'm playing in one that is very young, just getting started.

The Service is held in the show arena of a local saddle club. We pull in a flat bed trailer for the stage.

I'm using Band In A Box for a rhythm section and playing steel. My daughter is the vocalist.

Lot's of good things happening there.

These churches are not without normal problems. There is one here that has had a "split" and another was formed with part of the congregation. Try as they might it is hard to get rid of "status symbols". ( My boots cost more than yours)!

Chisholm Trail Cowboy Church held at Winter Livestock Auction a few miles west of Enid, OK, every thursday evening, pastored by Dan O'Daniel. The church was started by brother Dan a few years ago and has grown ever since. It averages three to five hundred every service and features various bands and musicians. Some local and some as far away as Texas and Kansas. I Play with a local gospel band called Ruff Cutts. We play about four times a year at church services and trail rides. I play steel when the full band is there. It streams live on their website "Chisholm Trail Cowboy Church Enid"

Lowell

If you want some info on how they do it in Texas, just pull up www.texasfcc.org

That's the Texas Fellowship of Cowboy churches in Waxahachie, TX.
Yee-Haw!

Roual Ranes wrote:These churches are not without normal problems. There is one here that has had a "split" and another was formed with part of the congregation. Try as they might it is hard to get rid of "status symbols". ( My boots cost more than yours)!

Yea, anytime there's more than 1 person involved, there will eventually be problems......more people = more problems....we're not in Heaven yet!!

I believe by a long shot though that the blessings far oughtweigh the problems in that these churches are drawing people who would otherwise not step foot in a church. So the fact that they are there, hearing the word is much more important than any problems that might arise.

As I recall, Jesus ran into His share of problems as well.........

This might help some! Tuck



http://www.allaroundcowboychurch.com/

I played at a Cowboy Church in Sadler,Texas one evening. The music is country style even though it is gospel. They receive the offering in a cowboy boot. My problem with these churches is seeing men and women sitting in the church while wearing cowboy hats. To me that just does not look right. I saw a preacher on television preaching while wearing a cowboy hat. Maybe there is nothing wrong with that but I feel it does not reverence the house of the Lord.

I have been playing from time to time at The Cowboy Fellowship in Pleasanton, TX. I think it's great and so cool to be able to play steel guitar for a whole service. I have been involved with church music a long time, mostly playing six-string guitar, but to be able to play steel is a treat!

A "Cowboy Church" isn't the only house of God where you can hear the steel guitar.

I have a friend in Illinois who plays pedal steel in a Missouri Synod Lutheran church.
He even plays during communion. I talked to him this morning and he played 4 gospel songs during last Sunday's service.

There are a lot of churchs where "praises are given to the Lord on an instrument of 10 strings". (Psalms 33:2)

Hey Tommy...doesn't the sign outside of Pleasanton say ......the birthplace of the cowboy? Seems like the perfect place for a Cowboy Church.....God bless.....Tommy

A good friend,Susie Graham, has been running a cowboy church here in Salem County. They meet every saturday night at the Cowtown Rodeo before the performance. It's usually a couple rodeo people talking about having the Lord in their lives.
No music tho..

Erv Niehaus wrote:A "Cowboy Church" isn't the only house of God where you can hear the steel guitar.

I have a friend in Illinois who plays pedal steel in a Missouri Synod Lutheran church.
He even plays during communion. I talked to him this morning and he played 4 gospel songs during last Sunday's service.

There are a lot of churchs where "praises are given to the Lord on an instrument of 10 strings". (Psalms 33:2)

Including a large number of Keith Dominion and Jewel Dominion churches where Sacred Steel is completely integral to the service. No Steel = No Service!