THE STRUCTURE

Cowboy churches use an Elder – Lay Pastor structure that helps support the pastor and congregation in several areas of the church.

Pastor

The pastor shall be the spiritual leader of the congregation. In that capacity, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, he shall preach and teach the Word of God, lead the church in regular worship services, administer the ordinances of the church, serve as moderator at church conferences, provide leadership to the ministerial staff, serve as overall administrator of the church, and generally fulfill all of his pastoral duties as set forth in Scripture.

Elders

Elders model what it means to be Christ-like.  Elders serve a 3-year term and are an example for the congregation of how to live a Christian life. This includes how to relate to other Christians, how to relate to non-believers, and how to be a godly man and have an active personal relationship with Jesus.

• Elders provide spiritual leadership and accountability to the church in accordance with Scripture.
• They provide a brotherhood of support and accountability for the pastor, assist the ministry teams with difficult issues and serve as arbiters in matters of conflict.
• They are responsible for administering church discipline, and in general provide spiritual leadership, guidance and assistance wherever and whenever appropriate.
• The elder body is made up of three selected elders plus the pastor, who is the lead elder.

Lay Pastors

Lay pastors serve the pastor as armor bearers (I Samuel 14:6-14). They serve a one-year term that may be extended, and are appointed and replaced by the pastor at his discretion. Lay pastors take the place of paid staff in a traditional church.

Lay pastors help the pastor minister to the needs of the congregation in many ways, such as visitation, and meeting members’ physical needs as well as the physical needs of the church. Lay pastors are assigned to a ministry team to be the spiritual guide for the team leaders and members.

PASTOR BRAD

Brad McClain is originally from Montgomery, Alabama and grew up in the cattle business.  His father, Paul McClain, was an order buyer who shipped cattle all over the country and had a large yearling operation.  Brad grew up on horseback. Brad continues this legacy now at the Running Mc Ranch in Weatherford, TX where he gathers and raises quality beef as a part of mission outreach to feed the hungry and save souls of the lost.

As a young man, Brad graduated from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth (B.A.) and later graduated from Emory University with a M.Div. (Magna Cum Laude) and became an ordained pastor.

For over 30 years, Brad has served as a preacher, teacher, church-planter, evangelist, consultant, retreat leader, and men’s devotional leader for various ministries across the U.S.

Brad launched God’s Horseback Gospel as a Facebook outreach that posts scripture and a brief prayer daily, accompanied by western art and photography.  Brad began writing inspirational cowboy poetry in 2014.  He is a published author. His work has also appeared on cowboypoetry.com. 

You can contact Pastor Brad at 251-345-3939 or AmericanCowboyPastor@gmail.com

ELDERS & LAY PASTORS

To contact one of our Elders or Lay Pastors, visit our Contact Page or reach out to the church office at cowboychurchtc@gmail.com

TEAM LEADERS

In the cowboy church we use ministry teams to carry out the specialized ministries of the church. Each ministry team has a specific function and responsibility that is assigned or approved by the Pastor and/or Elders.

• Arena – JW Chisholm
• Audit – Wayne Farrar
• Band – Sammy Alaniz
• Children’s Ministry – Morgan Dodd
• Chuckwagon – Tom Hancock
• Facilities – Ronald McKinnon
• Hospitality – Alice McElveen
• Ladies Round Pen – Carie Sparrer
• Media – Wendy LeSage
• Men’s Round Pen – Bryan Dees
• Welcome – Sergey Korotchenkov
• Youth – Keri Langford

To contact one of our Team Leaders, visit our Contact Page or reach out to the church office at cowboychurchtc@gmail.com.