Yielding a Harvest: From Farrier to Shepherd
Photos by Micah Martin
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Steve Feden, pastor of CC Fluvanna, VA, files the hoof of a patient horse. Steve worked full-time as a farrier while pastoring the congregation that grew mainly out of his clientele in the horse industry, earning their “Cowboy Chapel” moniker.
A farrier, commonly known as a horseshoer, has a captive audience. “The owner holds one end of the horse, and you have the other, and you talk,” explained Pastor Steve Feden, a full-time farrier before he began shepherding Calvary Chapel Fluvanna, VA, part-time in 2004. “I just loved what I was doing. Being bi-vocational (having two jobs), I was around unbelievers all day, which gave me opportunities for evangelism.” Many who flocked to CC Fluvanna at the beginning were Steve’s clients. He chuckled, “Early on, we were called ‘the Cowboy Chapel,’ because so many were in the horse industry.”
Before becoming a pastor, Steve began visiting area Calvary Chapel men’s events. “I was going to Calvary Chapel Louisa, [VA]’s Sunday night services with a group of us who had great stirrings on our heart,” Steve shared. “One night I didn’t go, but the guys had a conversation with [then] Pastor Ray Sumner about some of the doctrinal things we were uneasy about at a different church [the guys and I] were all currently attending. He told them, ‘If God is going to start a CC in Fluvanna, He’s probably already raised up the guy who is going to pastor it.’” That night, Steve sensed the call from God that he was to be a pastor. “At 9:30 p.m., the phone rings—it’s the guys saying, ‘Hey, Steve, guess what? You are going to be a pastor!’”
At the height of his career, Steve even worked on Olympics-trained horses with wealthy owners, but he knew he was called to be a spiritual shepherd. “My heart broke for people who weren’t being shepherded or taught. My heart longed to regather people and teach them God’s Word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter,” Steve disclosed.
Starting Over
Prior to his farrier career, Steve worked as an occupational therapist in a hospital for two years before realizing indoor work was not for him. He saw a blacksmith in action and was hooked. With no experience or exposure to horses, Steve started a new career by completing farrier school. Working his way up through the industry ranks, he established a clientele of wealthy horse owners, some with Olympics-qualified horses.
Steve recalled how hard that process was. “It was only by [God’s] grace that I succeeded. Now He’s asking me to start a church. I don’t know how to do that. [I felt God say], ‘You didn’t know what you were doing shoeing horses either, but I got you through that, so here we go again—trust Me again.’”
As the church grew, so did the needs of the congregation. Steve remembered, “I would be working on a horse and got calls for counseling.” He realized then that he needed to cut back on his farrier work. “I loved my job, but I knew in my heart I was called to be a shepherd,” Steve disclosed. “My heart broke for people who weren’t being shepherded or taught. Mark 6:34 was crucial to our endeavors then; my heart longed to regather people and teach them God’s Word verse by verse, chapter by chapter.”
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:34 (NIV)
Steve gradually transitioned roles, spending one day a week on church work and four days as a farrier, then two days and so on until the church was able to support him as their full-time pastor.
Steve hopes bi-vocational pastors are encouraged by his experience. “A lot of people in the horse business came to the church because they trusted me. You can’t run a crooked business or cheat people and expect them to follow you to church.”
Steve loved being bi-vocational as it gave him everyday opportunities for evangelism with a captive audience. “The owner holds one end of the horse, and you have the other, and you talk,” he explained.
He also credits his patience with the horses he worked on as a necessary pastoral skill for working with people. “People don’t have horse problems; horses have people problems,” Steve reasoned. “You realize the horse is the way he is because someone did something to him that makes him hard to work on. You love to work with some, [others] are hard to get along with, and people are the same way—they respond to how they’ve been treated, but you have to be patient with all of them. That’s cowboy philosophy.”
“For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:37
He attributes CC Fluvanna’s church growth solely to the desire to teach the Word, love people, and let God be in charge of the results. From that desire, God is now leading Steve and CC Fluvanna on a new adventure to help support a church plant in Sulmona, Italy. “Here we go again, but God has taught me that if I trust Him, with God nothing is impossible,” Steve assured.
Learn more about Calvary Chapel Fluvanna at ccfluvanna.com
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Follow our series in which we highlight bi-vocational—and even tri-vocational—pastors who minister to others through secular jobs while faithfully serving their congregations.
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Pastor Steve Freeman, Calvary Chapel Living Hope, West Des Moines, IA
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