The Old Rugged Cross

from UNCONDITIONAL - March 2021

Wind Beneath My Wings

words and images Dwain Hebda

Pastor Josh Davis steps to the microphone with a Bible in his hands. Seventy-five sets of eyes hone in on the thirtyeight-year-old former bull rider, called to preach the word of God to all who have ears to hear. Many carry their own wellworn good books, lined and highlighted, chapter and verse.

It’s a regular Sunday morning and all over Arkansas, faithful Christians of every stripe have gathered to give thanks, pray for wisdom, look for strength. The congregation here in Natural Dam is no different, save for one thing. For this flock, the sanctuary is a rodeo arena where bleachers take the place of pews. Sunday duds are by Wrangler, Stetson, Carhartt, and Tony Lama. Welcome to CrossRoads Cowboy Church of Natural Dam, a small but rapidly growing group of believers who care less about where you’ve been in life as much as that you are here today.

“I think becoming a pastor, you have to be open to anything,” Josh says. “You’ll find when some of these folks are coming to church, they’re broken. They’re lost. A lot of them are unsaved, never had the opportunity to get a personal relationship with Christ. There’s a lot on their minds. One thing I have really learned is how to be a good listener and to sit back and have a true heart to hear somebody and what they’re really trying to say.”

Josh took over as senior pastor here in October 2020. He and his wife previously attended CrossRoads Cowboy Church in El Paso, Arkansas, where they were heavily involved with various ministries there and engulfed in the culture of the place. The El Paso church founded the Natural Dam church in 2019, first in borrowed space in Fort Smith, then to the covered rodeo arena where it now resides, a stone’s throw from the area’s landmark falls.

At the time, Josh couldn’t fathom the thought of becoming a pastor.

“I just kept telling myself that I’m not qualified for that position,” he says. “I’m not worthy of being a pastor. I look at the pastor position as someone who’s a little older and wiser and been there and done that on more things than I have, and who’s sound in theology.”

“There is no way God’s going to call this beat up, ragged ol’ bull rider into a pastor position. I just didn’t see that in the cards for myself or my family.”

Three years of encouragement from the pastoral staff at El Paso and a lot of prayer proved Josh wrong. Today, he looks at whatever deficiencies or inexperience he has as opportunities to learn something new rather than as an excuse to duck out of what God wants of his life.

“I think one thing about becoming a Christian and especially stepping into this position, is you should never be comfortable,” he says. “God is an expert at keeping people outside of their comfort zone because that’s when we grow. And I’m continuously growing. Every day I wake up, I’m learning something new, whether it be meeting a challenge, getting over an obstacle or seeing something amazing that God’s doing. Something new is coming up every day. I know that I’m growing in this position and I think that’s just a testament to God.”

The cowboy church movement started in Texas in the 1940s, when a born-again country singer hosted a radio program called “Cowboy Church in the Air.” Thirty years later, evangelists started following around rodeo circuits, reaching out to riders and ropers known for their hard-partying, itinerant lifestyles. Groups like Cowboys for Christ, Rodeo Cowboys Ministry and Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Cowboy Chapter soon formed to offer a welcoming path of salvation to all.

A landmark moment in cowboy church history came in 1985 when Sunday services began at the rodeo arena of Billy Bob’s Texas nightclub, turning the iconic honky-tonk into the world’s first stationary cowboy church.

It’s difficult to pinpoint just how many cowboy churches there are – the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches boasts 200 members while some estimates put the total as high as 5,000 nationwide – but they all share certain things in common. Namely, they provide a spiritual outlet that’s shorter on ceremony compared to more traditional denominations.

They have also made their name attracting the unchurched, people who have walked away, stayed away or been turned away from more mainstream religions. Josh’s plainspoken, salt-of-theearth preaching perfectly embodies that simple philosophy.

“Sometimes in the traditional church, there’s too many labels and that’s why it’s so refreshing for people to be part of the

nondenominational cowboy church atmosphere,” he says. “There are times that it’s challenging to find common ground and to be able to relate to people because of what your story is.”

“God gives you a testimony so you can share it with people that need to hear it. It’s hard to share a testimony with somebody that doesn’t share those same interests and be able to get them to grasp it.”

The area that serves as Josh’s Sunday sanctuary is part of the formula for success that grew El Paso to 1,200 members and counting. Events are held here every day of the week in riding, roping, rodeo and other Western heritage activities. Josh doesn’t miss the chance to evangelize at these events, invite people to Sunday services and explain what a cowboy church is all about. Between these activities and the behind-thescenes administrative duties, he finds himself wearing many ten-gallon hats.

“On the business side, knowing when to delegate and when to lead out in front with sleeves rolled up is key,” he says. “I surround myself with people who are smarter than me and as a result the leadership team we have at Natural Dam is bar-none, exceptional.”

“As a pastor, you have to be a good listener because there’s going to be times that I’m not going to have the resources inside my building to give somebody and I’ll have to know who to get them in contact with. There are just different things you have to be open and vulnerable to. Again, you have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and understand there’s going to be some unfamiliar territory you’re going to have to go through as a pastor, and there’s going to be a lot of firsts. There’s been a lot of firsts here so far.”

There‘s a brightness to Josh’s tone as he talks about his work and the community he leads and loves with all his heart. He knows his sheep, as Scripture goes, and his sheep know him, but that’s not enough. He’s always on the range, looking to rescue more.

“People come to you with many different struggles and things that they’re going through, and it’s my job to love on them, to pray with them, to involve my wife in that,” he says. “As a church family, we wrap our arms around these folks and show them hospitality, love and kindness. That’s what we’re called to do.”