Recognizing that the majority of the thousands of cowboys in North America claim Christianity as their faith, Cowboys of the Cross is first and foremost a rodeo, bull riding and cowboy ministry. We are entirely funding by individual financial donations and our main purpose is to lead cowboy church at events while fostering discipleship relationships. Cowboys of the Cross is headed by Scott Trevor
, who grew up around London, Ontario and answered God’s call to leave a 14-year career in journalism to pursue ministry full time. Scott is living proof that God can and will use anyone for his purposes if we choose to listen and be obedient and willing to make what may feel like sacrifices at the time. There are literally thousands of cowboys across North America and most identify with the Christian faith. Because of that, most rodeo cowboys and bull riders will attend cowboy church, a short service with a Bible-based message and prayer before the start of a rodeo or bull riding. While cowboy church is possibly the part of this rodeo ministry that stands out the most, being at rodeos, bull ridings and equine events are what helps us to build relationships with the cowboys that allow for the opportunity to disciple them and help them grow in their faith. It is through the focus on personal relationships that we have been given some amazing glimpses into how God has used this ministry to support and impact many of the cowboys we encounter. To stay accessible, Scott maintains a strong social media presence while working directly with rodeo and bull riding associations as well as event producers to ensure his availability to the cowboys is known. In addition to a focus on discipleship, as a ministry Cowboys of the Cross distributes Cowboy Bibles (small new testaments designed to be kept in gear bags and glove boxes with cowboy-themed covers to make them less uncomfortable to be picked up and carried around). Other efforts include:
*Hospital visits for injured riders
*Travel to make one-on-one visits or to lead Bible studies
*Crisis calls, both received and checking in when we know a cowboy is struggling or facing a challenge
*Cowboy church sermons made available electronically to more than 4,000 cowboys and rodeo/bull riding fans
*Sharing the ministry with churches to raise support but also, through Scott’s own call into ministry, to teach congregations that God can use the least of us to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.
