By will and by faith, cowboys take ‘bulls by the horn’

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Dan Stiles, from Fort Worth, is a cowboy minister and rodeo announcer who travels every weekend to announce rodeos and share the word of God with fellow cowboys. Photo by Mindy Poehl

Nov. 24, 2005 - Many rodeo contenders live life by the horns, yet many contestants are also "good ol' Christian boys," according to Dan Stiles, a rodeo announcer and cowboy evangelist from Fort Worth.

Stiles, who is 40 years old, grew up in Missouri around horses and livestock. He was involved in 4-H, boy scouts, and choir. At age 14 he started the dangerous sport of riding bulls, without his parent's permission.

"I wasn't real good at it, but I enjoyed it," Stiles said.

He continued to travel the rodeo circuit for 10 years, where he "lived the bull rider lifestyle of partying," Stiles explained.

Stiles grew up in the church, but the important part of Christ in his life seemed to fade away over the years.

"In 1993 I was at the International Finals Rodeo and I ended up going to a church service, kind of on accident," said Stiles. "I realized that Christ died for me and He was a part of my life that I was missing."

Stiles attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall, where he started the rodeo team, which is now the largest rodeo team in the Midwest, and he received his B.A. in youth ministry.

"I like the Christian aspect of my job," Stiles said. "I get to share about Christ and I like working with teens and getting them involved with the rodeo." 

In 1995 I was at a practice pen acting stupid on a chute gate, pretending to announce. Right then I got hired to be an announcer. So, I rented a sound system and got paid for announcing."

Stiles enjoys announcing because it lets him "be the guy in charge," he joked. 

"I like communicating with the fans and letting everyone know what's going on," Stiles said. "I keep the rodeo moving and the job is never boring."

Since 1997 Stiles has been ministering at rodeos and working with Clyde and Elsie Frost to help pass out Cowboy New Testaments that they distribute in their son Lane's memory. In 2002 Stiles moved to Texas to work with the North Texas Rodeo, where he works with the kids involved. 

As an announcer and minister Stiles spends much of his time on the road. Just last year he traveled over 40,000 miles in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. He holds "Power Ups" before rodeo events and meets with students in chutes or in the stands. 

"I have the desire to help younger cowboys and cowgirls and let them know that you don't have to be a Skoal chewing, skirt chasing drunk," Stiles explained. "I teach them that God loves them and wants a relationship with them. He wants to be their father."

Stiles is not only an announcer and evangelist, but he also helped start Christian Bull Riding schools.

"We bring in Christian guys involved with bull riding to teach kids the proper way to do it. We teach them the basics: about equipment, balance, how to use their free arm and how to do chute procedures," Stiles explained. "We teach them the right mental attitude. The second most dangerous part is the dismount. They can get stepped on. The most dangerous part is in the chute."

Stiles says he has seen a lot of changes in the rodeo over the past years.

"The stock used to be good, but the bulls were pulled off of the pasture. Now, they are breeding horses and bulls for buck," he said. "It's not as traditional as it used to. They aren't just playing country music at the rodeos. I've had to adjust. The cowboy code is still there, but the money has increased. Now, we are dealing with athletes training to be athletes."

Every Tuesday night Stiles holds a church service as pastor of Word of Faith Western Fellowship in Hurst. For more information, contact Dan Stiles at daniel.stiles@sbcglobal.net or visit his website at www.danstiles.net.