Where Misfits Fit
On the very end of Baptist Encampment Road, where the blacktop gives way to dirt and the Texas Pines close in, The Little Country Church sits on 110 acres of ranch land in New Caney, Texas. The church calls itself "the place where misfits fit," and the people who gather here like to say they are looking for the real, the authentic, the holy wild, and not the perfect. Sunday worship is held on a campus called Camp Holy Wild, complete with two fishing ponds, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a ropes course, a zip line, and a sanctuary where the front row parks on the lawn.
The Little Country Church, often shortened to TLCC, is a non-denominational, Bible-based congregation seeking, in its own words, "balance in an unbalanced world." Its members describe themselves as bikers and gear heads, country folk and uptowners, people of every age and background who have learned to call the same place home. The motto "where misfits fit" is painted at the church, and the leadership is open about why. Religion, they say, is usually about pretending you are perfect so you can belong. At TLCC, the goal is the opposite.
From a Living Room Bible Study to Hundreds in the Pines
The Little Country Church began as a "small Bible study" hosted on Easter Sunday in 2003. Within just a few months, the group had grown from five to seventy-five, and the home could no longer hold them. By the time the church moved out to the ranch, hundreds of believers were showing up on a given Sunday, with thousands more who still claim Pastor Jerry Hovater as their pastor.
Pastor Jerry, who is both the founder and the lead pastor, brings forty years of full-time ministry to the pulpit. The church describes him as their "fearless leader" and credits him with shaping a culture that prizes honesty over polish. The church's stated mission is to W.I.N. others to Christ, which the leadership defines three ways: Win the Lost, drawing on the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18; Integrate the Body, drawing on Romans 12 and the picture of believers as parts of one body; and Nurture the People, growing believers in their relationship with God and with one another.
Camp Holy Wild: 110 Acres at the End of the Road
The Little Country Church is set in the middle of Camp Holy Wild, the church's 110-acre ranch property. Visitors follow a dirt road through the pines to reach the main sanctuary, and on the way they pass two fishing ponds, an Olympic-sized swimming pool used for baptisms, a ropes course, a zip line, and a complex of cabins that host Bible studies, youth meetings, and the church cafeteria. The buildings are practical, country in style, and decorated, in the leadership's own words, with deer heads on the walls and the personality of a place that has never tried to be anything other than itself.
The campus is the church's second location. The Little Country Church also operates a Crosby Campus, and the two locations together host more than twenty-five service groups, connect groups, and life groups. Baptisms and baby dedications are held at both.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like
Sunday service begins at 10 a.m. Central Time at the New Caney campus, with a livestream broadcast at 11 a.m. CT on YouTube and through holywild.online.church. A team of greeters meets cars on the dirt road and points first-time guests toward the sanctuary. Inside, a morning greeter offers a warm welcome and asks visitors to fill out a brief guest card so the church can stay in touch after they leave.
Worship at TLCC is led by a worship team that draws on a variety of musical genres. Lyrics are projected on screens so the congregation can sing along, and many worshipers lift their hands in surrender as they sing. The church does not sing hymns, and it does not shy away from contemporary music. Once congregational worship wraps up, children are escorted by teachers and volunteers to their classrooms, and the pastor opens the sermon. After the service, the patio is open for fellowship, and the grounds are available for anyone who wants to walk the property, grab information about upcoming events, or meet new friends.
The Bread Ministry: A Loaf for Every First-Time Guest
One of the small details that makes a first visit to TLCC memorable is the Bread Ministry. Volunteers bake fresh bread and present a loaf to every first-time guest during the service as a tangible expression of welcome. The ministry is staffed by a team of bakers who prepare loaves each week and is part of the broader Welcome Ministry, which also includes the parking team and the greeting team that meets visitors at the door.
The church also maintains a small bookstore, called the TLCC Bookstore, that stocks Bibles, branded gear, and ministry resources. It functions as a central hub for information about upcoming events, small groups, and service opportunities, and it also houses an iPad station where visitors and members can give online while on campus.
Children and Students: From KUBS to Forge
Children are taken care of from the nursery through high school at The Little Country Church. Babies under two years old, or those not yet potty trained, are cared for in the nursery by a volunteer team. Children ages three through kindergarten meet in the Lions' Den, just outside the sanctuary, in a group called K.U.B.S., or "Kids Under Bold Supervision." First through fourth graders attend TLCC Kids Church during the sermon, and fifth through eighth graders attend Ignite, the pre-teen ministry.
Junior and senior high students stay in the sanctuary with their parents on Sunday mornings, but the church runs a separate student ministry called Forge. Forge meets weekly on Sunday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. in the TLCC Chapel for students in seventh through twelfth grade. The goal of Forge, in the church's words, is to help students dig deeper into their relationship with each other and with God. Ignite also meets on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. for pre-teens, alternating weeks so that pre-teens gather every other Sunday for connection, games, and teaching tailored to the in-between years.
Tribes and Service Groups: How the Church Connects
The Little Country Church is structured around what it calls Tribes and Service Groups. Tribes are weekly or monthly gatherings built around shared stages of life or shared interests, while Service Groups are volunteer teams that keep the church running. The church's stated philosophy is that relationships are the currency of the Kingdom, and that finding your place at TLCC is part of finding your purpose.
The Pursuit is the church's primary discipleship ministry. It meets in person every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Cabin #8 for a dinner Bible study open to believers of all ages. The Women's Ministry meets monthly for Bible studies, prayer groups, and potlucks, and the Men's Roundtable also meets monthly, gathering men around a table for honest conversation about life, faith, and leading their families. S.W.A.P., which stands for Seniors With A Purpose, meets every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. in Cabin #8 for fellowship, Bible study, and encouragement aimed at the church's wiser generation.
Hotrods, Harleys, and Tables for Men and Women
Two of TLCC's Tribes are built around the kinds of things its members love to do in their free time. S.P.E.E.D., which stands for Saved People Effecting Eternity Daily, is the church's hotrods group for gear heads and classic car enthusiasts who want to combine their love of cars with their love of the Gospel. Zion's Lions is the church's motorcycle group, made up of riders who say they are "just a bunch of misfits who love God and the freedom of cruising the backroads with friends." Both groups meet seasonally for events and rides.
Service Groups cover everything from parking and nursery duty to media, worship, and outreach. There are teams for production, including audio, lighting, and presentation; teams for streaming the service to online viewers; and a media team that handles photography, video, and design. There is also a H.U.G.S. team, which stands for Helping Uplift God's Saints, that visits the sick and supports families walking through health crises.
Water Baptism in an Olympic-Sized Pool
Baptism at TLCC is taken seriously, and the church has built a unique setting for it. Community Baptisms are held on the second Sunday of every month, with baptisms taking place in the church's Olympic-sized swimming pool at Camp Holy Wild. New believers are given three options for how to enter the water. They can be baptized in the traditional way, being lowered into the water and raised again by the pastor. They can "walk the plank" to enter the pool. Or they can take the "Holy Wild Slide," a more exuberant entry that the church describes as the "cannon ball" route to salvation.
All three methods are recognized as full expressions of believer's baptism by immersion. Each person baptized receives a printed certificate dated and signed by Pastor Jerry as a keepsake of the day. Baby dedications are also offered on the first Sunday of every month for parents who want to present their child to the congregation and vow to raise the child in the ways of God.
What TLCC Believes
The Little Country Church holds to a classic evangelical statement of faith with a charismatic emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. The church teaches that the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired and infallible Word of God, and that it is the guide for Christian conduct and doctrine. There is one true God, the church teaches, eternally existing in three co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The church teaches that man was created good but fell into sin through Adam's transgression, leaving every person in need of redemption. Salvation, it teaches, comes only through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning blood, and is received by grace, not by human works. Water baptism by immersion is a public act of obedience that follows salvation, and communion, with bread and the fruit of the vine, is observed as a memorial of Christ's suffering and death. The church teaches divine healing through the prayer of faith and the laying on of hands, and it holds to a doctrine of the imminent rapture of the church, the literal judgment of the lost in the Lake of Fire, and the literal millennial reign of Christ.
The Resource Library and Hope Notes
Online, TLCC runs a resource library called The Library, with free downloadable Bible reading plans, prayer guides, and devotionals for new believers. Plans include God's Character Through the Psalms, God's Promises: A 31 Day Bible Reading Plan, and A New Life In Christ: A 30 Day Bible Reading Plan. Prayer guides cover topics like praying for children, praying for oneself, and a Month of Prayer devotional. Each guide is a printable PDF, and the library also hosts sermon notes and a video archive of services.
The church also publishes a weekly series called Hope Notes, short for Helping Others Pursue Eternity. Most of the posts are written by a contributor named Sheryl Malek, and they walk through everyday topics like a misprinted fifty-dollar bill, a stack of used golf balls, or a memory of cow anatomy, drawing spiritual lessons out of each. The series covers themes like gratitude in hard circumstances, the difference between worldly peace and God's peace, and the importance of meditating deeply on Scripture.
Caring for the Community: Food Pantry, Clothing, HUGS
The Little Country Church runs two ongoing outreach ministries that serve neighbors in need around New Caney. The Little Country Pantry is a food pantry that distributes free groceries to individuals and families in the community who need a helping hand. Donations of non-perishable items are collected year-round, and the church runs an annual Holiday Food Drive from October through December to refill the pantry for the winter months. A suggested shopping list is provided so that donors know exactly what to bring.
The TLCC Clothing Ministry offers free clothing to anyone who needs it, sorting and distributing donated items and setting aside a regular Free Shopping Day after Sunday services. Winter coats are available during the colder months. H.U.G.S., Helping Uplift God's Saints, is the church's hospital and family care team, made up of volunteers who visit the sick and support families through health crises. The OCD Maintenance Crew, a retired-but-wired group of volunteers who joke that OCD stands for "Old, Cantankerous, and Dangerous," keeps the church buildings and campgrounds in working order.
Giving, Prayer, and the Digital Sanctuary
Tithes and offerings can be given in several ways at TLCC. During services, envelopes are passed and collected, accepting cash or check. The church also accepts online gifts through a secure server by credit or debit card, and members can give in person at the TLCC Bookstore using the iPad station. Checks can be mailed to the church address. The church teaches that giving is a cheerful act of worship and points to scriptures like Malachi 3:10 and 2 Corinthians 9:7 as the basis for that conviction.
A prayer team is available at the altar during services and online through the church's prayer request page. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube at @liveholywild and through holywild.online.church, where online attendees can also fellowship in a chat, request one-on-one prayer, and give digitally. The church maintains an active Facebook Group for community conversation and updates.
Planning Your First Visit
The Little Country Church meets for Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Central Time at 22152 Baptist Encampment Road in New Caney, Texas, 77357. A midweek service is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. The church office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at 281-354-8927 or tlcc@holywildministries.com. Visitors follow a dirt road through the 110-acre property to the main sanctuary, and parking is on the lawn. There is no dress code; jeans and t-shirts are welcome. Children of every age have a place in the service, with nurseries and classrooms available for babies through eighth graders. First-time guests can expect a handshake, a guest card, a fresh loaf of bread, and a seat at the table with everyone else.