SONOITA - Rural Arizona may be one of the last bastions of the “cowboy” lifestyle. Yet Cowboy Churches, tending to appeal to the cowboy or rural lifestyle, have been springing up all over Arizona and the country. Worshippers don’t even have to own ranchland or livestock, to appreciate the simple word of God that is offered in a facility like Canelo Cowboy Church in Sonoita.
“When we had our first service, an Easter Sunrise Service in the middle of nowhere in 2006, we had 80 people show up,” explains Pastor Steve Linsey. “I knew we were onto something that was needed here.”
Starting in an abandoned schoolhouse in Canelo, the church started with about 35 attendees and has since grown to more than 150 worshippers. Even with no running water and attendees using an outhouse, that little church continued to grow. “It was tough to leave that little schoolhouse; my grandmother attended that school, my father attended that school. There is so much history there.”
This growth prompted Pastor Linsey to plant more churches throughout Cochise County and to build a new building in Sonoita, complete with modern amenities and a corral for Family Fun Day rodeos.
Linsey expressed his opinion on the growth of the cowboy churches. “I think it has a lot to do with the simplicity of the gospel and the service. We don’t play a lot of contemporary music, we sing traditional hymns, yet we continue to attract a lot of young couples and families.” He continues, “Though we appeal to the rural ‘come as you are’ lifestyle in our community, attendees come from as far as 100 miles to attend services.”
John West, a regular attendee at CCC from Whetstone, goes because he found a place that fits. “I have retired from the rodeo lifestyle, but not from the love of the people,” West explains. “I wasn’t going to church for a while, then a friend told me about this church and I just felt the love from the people. They accept who and what you are. The teachings reached me so I kept coming back.”
Linsey had felt called to preach over the years, but in 2006 he got the call from God to take action. So he left his business in energy management, received ordainment from the Southern Baptist Convention, and worked to create the first church in the area. “If you would have asked me 11 years ago that I was going to become a Pastor, I would have laughed,” says Linsey. “I was raised on a ranch and I felt the need to preach a simple gospel in a place where our neighbors could come just as they are.”
Though Linsey himself was ordained by the Southern Baptist Convention, the church is not beholden to any rules or covenants of the denomination. “Many of the churches are Southern Baptist in spirit, yet each church is autonomous in its teachings and services offered.”
Since starting Canelo Cowboy Church, Linsey has also been instrumental in planting the Rincon Valley Cowboy Church in Vail, Sierra Vista Cowboy Church in Hereford, Mustang Mountain Cowboy Church in Whetstone and River of Faith Cowboy Church in Benson.
Linsey continues, “Our goal is to focus on our community and its needs. Our desire is to grow disciples of Jesus Christ in the community so they can shower the world around them with love.”
He state his passion for preaching: “I really enjoy my call. It is the best and the hardest job I have had, but it is so fulfilling saving people and watching them grow in Christ.
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