Cowboys of the Cross

Welcome to Cowboys of the Cross: your resource for Christian cowboys. Cowboys of the Cross has been providing cowboy church for the rodeo and cowboy community for more than 15 years. The website is your source for stories of faith and encouragement as well as devotions and news and information affecting cowboys of faith. Through LifeSong Family Church in Lewisburg, TN, Cowboys of the Cross leads cowboy church at rodeos, equine events and bull ridings in the United States and Canada. 

To support the mission

Cowboys of the Cross is a full time ministry shepherded by Scott Hilgendorff (His testimony can be found below). Like other missionaries, Scott relies on the generous support of private donors to carry out the work of the Great Commission within the rodeo and cowboy culture. Donations are managed through LifeSong Family Church in Lewisburg, TN. To give online, please click the button, selecton online giving and please choose Cowboys of the Cross from the dropdown menu. To give via mail, please make checks payable to LifeSongFamily Church but include a note that it is for “rodeo ministry.” Donations can be sent to LifeSong Family Chuch, 1041 S. Ellington Pkwy
Lewisburg, TN  37091

Two men on a cross: an Easter message

A rodeo cowboy yells in anger for a Bible lesson in James about being slow to speak and slow to grow angry

Best sermons are lived AND preached

By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross

The best sermons are lived, not preached.” That’s a phrase that people have shared in faith-based conversations and it’s often been in some form of a viral meme the cowboy crowd has shared numerous times over the years across social media.

It sounds good and I don’t disagree with it entirely, but it’s more complicated than that. Both are not just important, but essential. The gospel, how someone comes to a saving faith in Jesus, needs to be preached clearly and we should be looking for opportunities to share it. Our words and actions, how we live our lives, how we treat others and what we say to people can show others that we believe differently from them because most of how the Bible teaches us to live goes against human nature and the culture we live in.

James 1: 19-21 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

In rodeo, everyone knows who the hothead is, especially the judges. Same with your crew at work or on the ranch. While there’s a difference between getting cheated by a judge on a score or just thinking we were cheated from disagreeing with the call, you know the hothead is going to going to nose to nose with the judge either in the arena or at intermission.

James wants us to listen, hold our tongues and hold back our anger. Literally taking a breath and counting to 10 before we speak or act can give us that moment to cool down and not act out of anger. And being quick to hear gives us a chance both to listen to someone’s perspective whether we agree with them or not and more importantly, give us a chance to hear from God through the Holy Spirit. If we pause and let God direct our steps, He’s going to direct us away from an angry response. If we buck up right away, it only escalates into something that isn’t God-honoring and makes it nearly impossible for us to ever share the gospel.

We need to be trustworthy but how do we know what’s true?

By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross

Proverbs 12:22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

We may not be intentionally lying but often what we are doing is willingly spreading false information because it supports a strong view and opinion we have. It doens’t matter to us if the information is correct, we believe it is because it supports what we already think.

God wants us to be trustworthy.

In fact, we need to be trustworthy if we’re going to be able to tell people about Jesus and having any hope of them believing us.

The most important truth we can share is that of who Jesus is and what it means to have a saving faith in him.

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

How we behave should line up with what we believe in terms of our faith. That needs to come from a solid understanding of what the Bible teaches and unfortunately, many of us these days know more details about false stories that circulate or false gospels (beliefs that sound Biblical but aren’t).

Here’s just a little bit to help you navigate what is real, particularly on social media. Most of this only takes seconds or minutes before

1.First, look to the original source. If it’s something that sounds Christian, look up the preacher or teacher or church it came from and see if their beliefs are rooted in the gospel and right teaching of scripture. That’s why you HAVE to know more of what’s in the Bible yourself to help you catch these things or ask someone you trust to verify it for you.

If it’s from the realm of politics, news and social issues, look at the original sources. Take the time to follow the post back to where it came from. If you can’t find a source, chances are it’s not true at all or at best, is misleading.

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Email: cowboysofthecross@gmail.com

Contact Us

Phone: 865_293_2668

Email: cowboysofthecross@gmail.com

Mail: Cowboys of the Cross, 3710 Warden Branch Lane, Gatlinburg, TN, 37738

New devotions/teaching right here every other Thursday

Where to find us

April 19, Bull’s Gap, TN, Turnmire Bull Riding productions, Bull Riders and Outlaws event, cowboy church

April 25, Sevierville, TN, J – K Rodeo Company, IPRA rodeo, cowboy church

May 3, Bulls Gap, TN, Turnmire Bull Riding productions, Southeast, cowboy church

Scott is found at events sanctioned by the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association, the Bull and Outlaws Association, the National Cowboys Association.

They can also sometimes be found at PBR Velocity Tour events, International Professional Rodeo Association events  and others.

In all your ways...

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths — Proverbs 3:6
A Cowboy of the Cross believes God comes first and strive to follow His leading from a desire that comes from the knowledge of the cost of our salvation, paid for by Jesus Christ through is death on the cross. Through a saving and repentant faith in Jesus and the knowledge of his resurrection, we know God has forgiven our sins and will take us home to Heaven when our time here is done. Through God’s grace, we’ll get through the mistakes we make and grow more like Christ with study of Scripture, time in prayer and learning to hear God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Meet our Teachers / Preachers and Site Contributors

Caleb Crouch

Caleb Crouch

I am 28, married to a beautiful lady, and blessed with 5 beautiful children! To begin with my testimony, I would say that Jesus means everything to me! I have often beenreminded of how blessed I am, to have had a mother and father active and together — as well aswho...

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Keith Miller

Keith Miller

Keith Miller grew up in a strict Amish home in Indiana until discovering the freedom of an independent relationship with Jesus Christ. As a bull rider, he met his wife Natalie and together, they have a daughter Gracelyn and have settled in Westport, Indiana. Keith...

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Scott Hilgendorff

Scott Hilgendorff

Scott heads up Cowboys of the Cross, a ministry dedicated to bringing cowboy church to rodeos and bull ridings across North America but with a focus on discipleship. The ministry evolved out of Riding for Christ Ministries, the name which Scott operated under for more...

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Josh McCarthy

Josh McCarthy

Howdy! My name’s Josh McCarthy and I compete in saddle bronc riding in the PRCA and I’m the youngest of five from northeastern Wisconsin.  I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday. I accepted Christ into my life when I was little but I didn’t...

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Jim Bull

Jim Bull

I grew up always praying before meals and hearing that our friends that passed were in heaven. However, I never felt I knew who God was and definitely didn't have a relationship with Him. I lived my life thinking if I seemed like a good person, then I must be a good...

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Jesse Horton

Jesse Horton

I was 'raised Christian.' I can't remember a time before I was 10 years old that I wasn't a church-goer, though I remember several years of my teens where my family didn't attend church. I confessed my sin and my need for Christ when I was eight years old, but I do...

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