As grandstand lights illuminate the summer sky behind Polkville Baptist Church each June, thousands of spectators gather for an event that might seem unexpected for a local congregation: a professional rodeo.

For the past 26 years, the church has hosted the annual rodeo to raise money for missions, turning an unconventional fundraiser into a long-standing outreach that shares the gospel with attendees and supports ministry efforts across North Carolina and around the world.

“We just want to bless our community,” said Will Davis, Polkville Baptist’s pastor.

The rodeo traces its roots to Hurricane Floyd, which devastated eastern North Carolina in 1999. Like many Baptist churches across the state, Polkville Baptist partnered with N.C. Baptists on Mission — then known as N.C. Baptist Men — to help rebuild homes destroyed by the storm.

“We knew we didn’t have the funds,” Davis said. “So we took this on with faith that God would provide.”

The idea came from an unlikely source. Davis recalled that a retired rodeo clown suggested to the church’s deacons that they host a rodeo. Church leaders embraced the concept and worked with two men in the church who had connections in the rodeo industry to recruit sponsors, organize the event and launch the church’s first rodeo the following spring.

“The plan was to hold it for a year,” Davis said.

Instead, church leaders took another step of faith. They left the grandstand lights in place, scheduled another rodeo the following June and trusted God to provide once again.

He did.

Attendance steadily grew over the years, transforming the event into one of the area’s largest annual gatherings and drawing thousands of visitors to the rural community in the foothills of western North Carolina. After the rodeo was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, crowds surged when it returned the following year.

“In 2021, we had 9,000 people,” Davis said. “We had more people here than we could accommodate.”

This year’s rodeo drew approximately 7,000 people over two nights, June 19-20.

“We had the stands completely full on Friday,” Davis said. “On Saturday there was nowhere to sit.”

The annual rodeo in Polkville features eight competitive events and is sanctioned by the International Professional Rodeo Association, making it a regular stop for professional competitors. The event attracts visitors from across North Carolina and beyond, and its family-friendly atmosphere has helped build a loyal following among returning guests.

For Polkville Baptist, however, the rodeo has never been about entertainment alone. Throughout the event, church members build relationships with attendees, serve their community and share the gospel in a unique setting. Funds raised from the rodeo support missions and ministry efforts locally and around the world.

Locally, proceeds help send children to Bible camp, support a local hospice ministry, contribute to the Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association and assist other ministries throughout the county.

The church also supports other work through the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Following Hurricane Helene, rodeo proceeds helped support the disaster relief work of N.C. Baptists on Mission. Funds also maintain the church’s own disaster relief trailer, which has been deployed across North Carolina to assist communities following storms and other emergencies.

Beyond North Carolina, the rodeo helps support missionaries serving in Japan and another undisclosed country, along with a church planter in St. Louis, Missouri. Additional proceeds help send Polkville Baptist members on mission trips to partner with churches in Africa and South America.

The annual rodeo has become an important resource for Polkville Baptist’s missions efforts, helping the church continue serving both its neighbors and people around the world.

The rodeo’s decades-long success has prompted ministry leaders to explore how the concept could be adapted in other communities, giving churches another way to engage their neighbors while supporting missions.

The unusual combination of church and rodeo often prompts the question: Why has it lasted so long?

“The grace of God,” Davis said. “God has a purpose for it. I don’t know why other than that. We have a good product, and God has allowed it (to continue).”

Davis said the event would not be possible without the faithful work of church members, the rodeo committee, the support of local sponsors and volunteers, and the community that returns year after year. But above all, he points to God’s faithfulness.

“He’s been gracious to give us the event to spread His gospel and His good news,” Davis said. “We try our best to be good stewards.”

Next year’s Polkville Rodeo is scheduled for June 18-19, 2027. 

By Stephen Halley, BR Editorial Aide

EDITOR’S NOTE — The featured image is courtesy of Polkville Baptist Church. In it, a rider participates in Polkville Baptist Church’s annual rodeo.