About CottonwoodChurch.net

about cottonwood

our vision:

Our vision is to be a fun community for the church-challenged to experience the love of Jesus by growing in grace and truth.

We believe church should be a fun place of safety, truth, and radical change. We go rappelling, take missions trips, have Bible studies and even go 4-wheeling together. We’re all a bit church-challenged, but we’ve experienced the love of Jesus here.


our directional values (getting to our vision)

1. Growing in Grace

a) Submitting to our heart attitudes to keep our relationships real and safe (see heart attitudes below).

b) Accepting people where they are to become all that God intends



2. Growing in Truth

a) Living lean so our finances can follow our priorities

b) Developing self-feeding followers of Christ through participation in creative ministry





our heart attitudes (core values – all scriptures in NLT):

1. It’s not about me, so I will put the goals and interests of others above my own. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too…. Philippians 2:42.

2. I will live an open, honest lifestyle. Stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. Ephesians 4:253.

3. I will humbly give and receive Scriptural correction. If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. Proverbs 15:314.

4. I will clear up relationships that I mess up. If you… suddenly remember that someone has something against you… Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-25.

5. I will support my church family by praying, attending, inviting, and giving. Remember this-A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 2 Corinthians 9:66.

6. I will participate in ministry. God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:107.

7. I will follow my leaders within Scriptural limits and make it a joy for them. Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. Hebrews 13:17


Cottonwood...is an autonomous, Bible-based, Christ-centered congregation, with members from almost every denominational background.

Lead Pastor Dan Cooley: I met my wife JoLynn in college and she has given me four wonderful children: Recently married Megan, and Amanda, Micah, and Caleb.Education: I went to a bunch of schools (fun, but not too productive…) finally getting my life together and graduating from Criswell in Dallas and Moody Grad School in Chicago.

As a missionary kid, I’ve always known who Jesus was, but it wasn’t until college that I really began to look at how He fit into my life. Discovering the answer has been a mysterious, exhilarating, long (and sometimes difficult) journey, but I could not imagine a life without Christ. I love eating, archery, rappelling, fixing cars (too often), spending time with friends (never enough) and raising my children. My favorite books include Velvet Elvis, A Man Called Intrepid, and Blue Like Jazz. A few of my favorite movies are Napoleon Dynamite (ughhhhhhhhh), Princess Bride (Inconceivable!), Shadowlands, and Blues Brothers (We’re on a mission from God!)

For more information check out our full website at http://www.cottonwoodchurch.com/