Most people may not think of cowboy boots and blue jeans as appropriate church attire, but local pastor Randy Harden does. That’s mostly what he sees – in addition to riders on horseback – at Cowboy Church of LaFayette where he preaches.
“It’s a place for people to come as you are,” he said. “You don’t need a suit and tie. We have cowboys, farmers and motorcycle riders. They are drawn to the outdoor atmosphere. It’s definitely not your typical church. It’s something different.”
Mounted greeters at the gate welcome people to the church, which sits on 92 acres in Rock Spring on County Line Road, on Sunday mornings. Inside the barn entryway, a coffee shop sits to the left with free coffee and biscuits for guests to sample. Then, people are invited to step on down the aisle into the open-air barn to a seating area before the service starts at 10:30 a.m.
The church’s guiding scripture verse is Revelations 19:14 that says, “We will ride with him.” Harden and his wife and co-pastor Sandy preach through the whole Bible one chapter at a time.
When they’re not preaching, the Hardens are farmers that grow hay in Rock Spring. They said they realized eight years ago in May that many of their customers did not attend church. So, they decided to start a cowboy church service to see how it would go as a test run.