Kevin Weatherby is the leader of the nonprofit Save the Cowboy, the largest independent cowboy ministry in the world. Born on a West Texas forty-two section ranch, Weatherby’s roots were planted deep. Although his formative years were spent in Big Lake, Texas, a town where his father was sheriff (you may remember it from the Dennis Quaid movie The Rookie), he soon returned to his ranch roots. He started college at Texas Tech but found the classrooms no comparison to the wide-open spaces and became a full-time cowboy. The long hours he logged in the saddle over the years weren’t a passing trend and continue to be a part of his life today. In fact, it is this core of his identity that led him to a deeper relationship with Christ and the start of the ministry.
During his ranching days Weatherby was told about something called a cowboy church. He’d never heard of such a thing and decided it was worth checking out. Upon arriving for that Sunday service the first thing he saw was two kids trying to head and heel a border collie. These were his kind of people. He became involved with the music team and later became a lay pastor. When the pastor left for another opportunity, the congregation wanted him in that spot. He was hesitant, but accepted, and became a bi-vocational preacher working in oilfield sales and running the church. While he felt he gave his heart to Jesus as a teenager and sincerely meant it, it wasn’t until these later years that he gave his life to Christ as well.
Things were going well with his job, the church, and life in general, so when his wife started talking about moving to Colorado, he couldn’t see the rationale. Like any true Texan, Weatherby had some strong objections. He wasn’t entertaining her idea until his phone rang one afternoon and the voice on the other end said– “You don’t know me but God told me to call you and tell you that you’re supposed to plant a cowboy church in Elbert County, Colorado.”
Weatherby was floored, but faithful, and soon he and his family were heading to Colorado.
Nothing has been the same since. The ministry has continued to grow with its social media presence one of the biggest avenues to connect with those in the cowboy world. While the old timers might not all be on social media, their children are, and this has proven a powerful way to share the Gospel with those who enjoy stories and analogies in language they understand. Scripture, personal stories, and moments from the ranch all point followers towards engaging with Jesus on their own more deeply. While the Colorado location offers weekly church services, men and women from all over the world connect with the ministry through online streaming, social media, the paraphrased Bibles Weatherby produces, and their social outreach.
Their social outreach shares the love of God without asking for anything in return. Save the Cowboy operates three ranches entirely run by donations through the subscription program Long X Ranch. The ranches provide beef cattle to local individuals facing hunger. All work and expenses of the ranch are supported by men and women who donate through the Long X Ranch Cowboys program. Many of the cows themselves are donated to the ranch. Like anything that seems simple, the program has been questioned for its lack of qualifications for individuals requesting beef.
Yet Weatherby states that while they don’t want to be taken advantage of, they don’t worry about it because if you’re not being taken advantage of every now and then you’re likely not being loving. So instead, this team continues to love their community and provide for all who request help—without even making it a tool for overt evangelism. Instead, they hand folks the beef, say God loves you, and walk away. This action reflects the beauty of simplicity; it takes depth.
In addition, their cowboy crew helps folks who need a hand on other ranches and have traveled to brandings and day work in several states.
Kevin Weatherby could easily be dubbed the cowboy’s preacher but is quick to express that the nonprofit is a ministry that holds weekly church services and not a church. In fact, while he wears the pastor hat, he considers his main spiritual gift encouragement, and his leadership falls more into the realm of motivational speaking centered on simplicity and the red-letter words of the Gospel. He considers himself another cowboy walking alongside his brothers and sisters as they all pursue Christ together.
Stories are at the heart of the cowboy world and at the heart of the Gospel. Kevin Weatherby brings the two together and is famous for telling folks on Sunday they have to come back the next Sunday to hear the rest of the story. This tactic is true to the journey of life itself and reflects his understanding that people are seeking Christ, not an earthly leader, and often find Him on the open ranges and moments in the pasture.
Photos property of Save the Cowboy.
