Pastor’s path brought him where he ‘needs to be

Joe Daggs' path to being pastor at Cowboy Church of Parker County was not direct, but he answered a calling.

Photo courtesy of Joe Daggs

For Joe Daggs, the message is very simple — everyone is welcome at his church, wherever that church may be.

Pastor of the Cowboy Church of Parker County, Daggs said while his journey to the Aledo church was rather circuitous, there is no doubt that God has placed him exactly where he needs to be.

“I was looking for a youth pastor," Daggs said. "I came from the Maxdale Cowboy Church down around Killeen, where I was pastor, and I saw they had an opening for a pastor up here. 

"Usually, when a pastor leaves, you have an opportunity to find a youth pastor, because the youth pastor doesn't stay around. One thing led to another, and my point of contact asked if I would be interested in interviewing for the pastor position.”

Daggs, 59, was not interested at the time, but offered to meet with church leaders because he was planning to retire to the area in a few years and thought it might make a good church home for he and his wife.

“It was a really pleasant meeting, but I didn't think too much more about it,” Daggs said. “A couple of weeks later, they asked if I would put in a resume'. I told them I haven't done a resume' in 31 years. So I had to get my daughter to kind of look it over and make sure I still knew how to write a resume'.”

Daggs sent it in, and then he and his wife did what they always do when they need to make a big decision — they prayed about it.

“I said, 'Lord, are you trying to send us a message? Are you opening a door for us in another place?'” Daggs said. “So what we did was we said, 'Lord, if that is what your will is for us, to be here, you open doors, and we will walk through them.' 

"He opened the door and even sent the pastor in Killeen to replace me. He (the pastor) was a friend of mine, and we grew up in the same church together. He's been a pastor for 30 years. He had come home to take care of his parents, and little did he know that he would be the pastor there and I would be the pastor here, and it would be the perfect fit for both of us."

A different kind of church

Daggs said the biggest difference between a Cowboy church and other types of churches is the atmosphere.

"It's a little more relaxed, particularly in the way people dress," Daggs said. "Most people wear their hats if they want to in the sanctuary, and you can just kind of come as you are. We have people that range from shorts and flip flops, to cowboy boots and hats. I think what people find appealing when they get here is that it is just really, simple, Biblical truths.

“I went to Bible school, but I am not deep theologically. I keep it simple, and say that this is a simple truth of God, right here in his word, you can read it for yourself and this is what it means to us as Christians. This is how we apply it to our daily lives. 

"We also don't take up offerings. The only time you'll see us take up an offering is if we are doing a love offering for an evangelist who comes or something like that."

Daggs has been at the Parker County Cowboy Church for a year and two months, but has been a pastor for 17 years and an ordained minister for 19 years.

The Cowboy Church in Parker County is affiliated with American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches (AFCC).

Growing up in the faith

Daggs grew up in the church. His grandfather served as deacon at the Memorial Baptist Church in Killeen and his parents went to an interdenominational worship center in Killeen.

“I felt a calling early on in my life to the ministry,” Daggs said. “But I didn't know it would be the pastorate.”

Daggs, who worked for 31 years as a senior quality control engineer with Lockheeed Martin, said he has had many memorable moments in his career, but one definitely stands out.

"Whenever you get to lead somebody to the Lord or get the chance to baptize somebody," Daggs said on Feb. 23. "I received a phone call from the daughter of a gentleman that had become a really great friend of mine. This gentleman made western hats and I met him as a customer. He started attending the church there in Maxdale. He was saved, and I had the opportunity to baptize him. 

"When this took place, he was in his early 90s. What a memorable day. When his daughter called, it was to inform me that earlier that day he had passed away. While his passing hurts, the reward is knowing that we had that moment together and knowing that he was baptized, saved and that when he left this earth, he slipped into his eternal life. Moments like that are rewarding."

Daggs said that after nearly two decades of pastoral service, he finds that two habits help keep his faith strong.

“There are so many things that add value and reinvigorate you," Daggs said. "But I think what honestly reinvigorates me the most are two things. One is my quiet time with the Lord, and then second is connecting with people, and learning who they are personally. That just ignites a fire in me to share the gospel and help them grow in their walk with Christ, and to coin a phrase from the Army, to 'be all they can be.'

“That's the thing that lights that fire in me, especially when they have those aha! moments where you can tell that they get it all of a sudden and the light comes on. That's what keeps you going week-in and week-out."