Music Valley Cowboy Church

Music Valley Cowboy Church, a non-denominational church in Nashville.
The Troubadour Theatre
2416 Music Valley Drive,
Nashville, TN 37214
Service Time: Sundays 10am Central

Music Valley Cowboy Church has a name that sparks curiosity, laughter, and smiles when it’s mentioned. I had the opportunity to visit the church on Sunday August 6, 2023. The short version is this church is everything the name implies.

Let’s start outside. The parking lot is very easy to use as it’s in a complex of shops. I saw people standing outside and there was plenty of parking without complication. The church service is held at the Troubadour theater which from the outside looks like a normal theater entrance. But inside is yet something else.

Inside the Troubadour theater is where the church service is held. The inside of the theater features a stage, announcer podium area, a bar, and several tables. The ambiance and décor is very on-theme for what the name says – ‘Music Valley Cowboy Church’ – and although the church didn’t build the theater, there’s something to be said for being on-message in terms of where you have your church. The inside wasn’t the only part that was different.

When I went inside, hospitality was extended in a non-awkward way. I was welcomed and offered coffee, donuts, and a visitor card. The seating was very spread out which made it comfortable, at least to me.  I was greeted but not smothered which was a good measure. But this was only the beginning of what was to come as I looked around and saw the stage and announcer’s podium.

As service started, the welcome greeting came from the announcer’s podium. The greeting was very full of energy for both in-person and online viewers. The worship set had both the church’s performers and a guest singer. The sound was something I could only describe as sweet and reflective. I was told later that many of the musicians on stage come with some experience which I think showed during the set. There was no confidence monitor, no stage screen, no on-screen lyrics, no shuffling of charts, just a sweet country sound and feelings that come with it. Country music itself is fairly reflective so having it as a worship mix was an amazing experience. But the most interesting thing was yet to come at this a non-denominational church in Nashville.

I found the offering the most interesting part. They actually held up and passed a hat – a real cowboy hat. The offering was done with a great attitude. No pressure but much like the rest of the service, very on-theme with the hat. There were also online options but let’s face it, it’s all about the hat. The offering was taken up prior to the message.

The message was definitely not what I expected. It was from the last few books of Judges and the theme was ‘unintended consequences’ and considering what Jesus would do. The message itself was dark and contemplative which to me at least was refreshing from the usual southern feel-good messaging. It gave me a lot to think about and consider. It was fairly sobering – which was something considering there was actually a bar in the room. It was a bold play to go with such a dark and contemplative message but it definitely was something I wasn’t expecting. It was a solid match for the contemplative country music worship set before it.

Music Valley Cowboy Church, a non-denominational church in Nashville, is everything the name implies. From the first words that come from the announcer’s podium to the worship set only country music can provide and the kind of deep reflective message that could inspire a song or two itself, this place is much more than just a church, it’s an experience and one worth having again.

Update: Music Valley Cowboy Church mailed me a nice paper letter via US Snail Mail thanking me for my visit.