Pastor Duke Edwards had never heard the terms “church planting” or “church multiplication” when he found himself leading a church of ranchers and farmers in the Northeast Colorado town of Wray. In 2006 Duke was asked to lead a Bible study. Six months later the group had grown to 85 and was re-locating for the third time. Today the Wray Cowboy Church meets in the local Livestock Sale Barn and was recently voted “Best Church” by 800 of the town’s 2000 residents.
It became a church by accident, but the Cowboy Church is quite purposeful about reaching their community through a variety of ways. “Our people love to give themselves to our outreach efforts,” says Pastor Duke. Remodeling houses, refurbishing parks, filling refrigerators with food, mowing every lawn in town, and even butchering a cow and distributing the beef are just a few ways this congregation is sharing God’s love in a tangible way.
Max has been a community business leader and rancher for years. He had some bad business dealings with “Christians” and was of the opinion that they were all hypocrites until he visited Cowboy Church with a friend. After experiencing the authenticity and the unique servant-hearted approach to evangelism Max was convinced and became a believer.
By Josh Wellborn
RSS Syndication
Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church (J-B Leadership Network Series)
Planting Missional Churches
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars
The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer
An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind
Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch
Leading Change