Cowboy churches create new worship atmosphere

GAINESVILLE, Ga. --- It's not uncommon to see worshippers wearing belt buckles and boots or ministers preaching in a barn at a cowboy church.

The Rev. Jeff Smith, a cowboy missionary, hopes to bring the services to northeast Georgia with the help of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association.

His goal: Plant a cowboy church in every county.

"That will take a lifetime of work," the pastor of 20 years said. "It's the flavor; it's the style; it's going to the people on their turf and on their terms, planting a church that they can relate to."

Recently, the Rev. Smith held a seminar in Oakwood on how to start a cowboy church, ways to promote the church and the mistakes of a cowboy preacher.

"I step out there and preach with my belt buckle, my jeans and my boots, and when we baptize it's in a horse trough," he said. "Our communion tray is made out of wood, not fancy-plated steel."

Cowboy Church is a ministry of the Cowboy Church Network of North America, based in Midland, N.C. The Rev. Smith has been affiliated with the group for more than 4 1/2 years, during which he says at least 45 cowboy churches have been planted from Georgia to Canada.

The Rev. Mike Taylor, a new church strategist at the Chattahoochee Baptist Association, says at least one cowboy church is in the works for the Hall County area.

"There are a lot of people out there who are either horse-oriented, cowboy-oriented," the Rev. Taylor said. "They are not the kind of people that like to slip into a sport coat and a necktie to go to church on Sunday. What we are trying to do is lower the barriers that keep people away from church."

Rebecca Hampton started her own Cowboy Church about a year and a half ago in the Jerusalem community near Rome, Ga.

At her church, each service starts with a grand entry with everyone on horseback.

"We have the American flag and the Christian flag that rides up front and the horses come in behind ... it is so exciting," she said. "Then we have a welcome, a prayer and we have the cowboy service."