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O'Hearn: A "cowboy church" is a place or a church where real people are looking for real answers. There are many fine churches doing great things for God. But people are tired of religion. I believe that the more relaxed and somewhat less structured atmosphere bring people into a place where God can be God--a place where there is freedom to seek God and to get to know Him. It's not about religion--it's about relationship. Cowboy churches are reaching people who would not attend a "regular" church for whatever reason. I believe we are reaching people who are unchurched, people who are living a western lifestyle--farmers, ranchers, really all kinds of people. We are seeing people from all walks of life. It's all types and kinds of people. And I believe it's all about knowing and experiencing God.
O'Hearn: Apparently, other churches are not meeting the needs of all the people because these cowboy churches are having tremendous growth and are very popular because of their openness and simplicity--just like the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 101 (DE & CRH): There are always a lot of misconceptions about any movement of value and the typical response of "it's not what you think". People, for instance, would have a very hard time addressing the words "cowboy" and "church" in the same sentence--almost to the point where the combination of the words would definitely seem like the ultimate oxymoron. How would you address these misconceptions for our readers and how would you sort between what is the truth and what are the falsehoods about those misconceptions? O'Hearn: Cowboy churches are to me simply a name or a way to describe the church itself. There is a misconception that the church is just for cowboys--but I also know it sparks a curiosity to many people. There is something to the cowboy mystique that draws people. If it has cowboy on it, they seem to come. Some people think that this is some sort of "fad"--especially some mainline denominations. We are heading into our seventh year with continuous growth. Something is going on--I believe God is trying to reach all people with the Gospel. 101 (DE) Another followup question related to the last one--what, in your own opinion, is it about what you're doing that you feel people just aren't getting despite your best efforts?
The copyright of the article Tales from the West Texas Dust - Page 4 in Texas Culture is owned by . Permission to republish Tales from the West Texas Dust - Page 4 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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