Trailblazin Ministries Blog

Ministry

Taking Ministry and Hip-Hop to Another Level

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Saturday, 14 April 2007
Filed under: Faith, Holy Hip-Hop, Ministry

You know, I really love it when the Lord gives me new ideas, especially when it's one that allows me to build with others who are involved in hip-hop ministry. Now that I'm getting my feet wet here in Austin, I really want to grab the opportunity by the horns to expand Trailblazin Ministries and do a lot more ministry than I did back in Jacksonville, NC. For starters, I've already attended one show, about to see another one next weekend, plus another in mid-May; I'm using these opportunities to build with artists and just make my face/ministry known to those who are around and at the shows. Well, the other day, I was sitting down listening to Flame's upcoming album Our World Fallen and then I ended up watching the little promotional video he did for the project when the light bulb came on. From listening to the album, his purpose was clear, but watching the video just made things that much clearer and made me think of more ways we could further the gospel and help build up people in the faith.

So, what's the idea that the Lord gave me? Simply put, it's a Bible study booklet that is based upon a holy hip-hop artist's album. The idea is to put together a series of Bible studies and/or lessons that are both based on the album as a whole and then on each individual song. By doing this, it will afford the listener of an album to really get into the Word with each song and truly grow in the Lord and use the album as a tool for spiritual growth. Then, others will be able to use the study and album to teach the youth in their church or small group Bible studies. In other words, it will take the music to another level, from just music, but to a legitimate training tool that the listener and buyer can benefit from.

How will the process work? Pretty much, the artist and I will get together and lay out the scope of the album and the focus of each individual song and how it relates to the project as a whole. From there, the artist will then give me all of their insight into putting this project together, such as: Scriptures used for each song, what the album is based on (if it's one passage in particular), the direction they want the Bible study to go, etc. Once that is done, the artist can be involved as much or as little as they want; I will take the information they've given me and start putting together the Bible study booklet in as much detail as possible. When complete, the artist and I will then proofread it to make sure any glaring errors are corrected, and then compile it into a file that is downloadable on Trailblazin Ministries and on the artist's website. That's it, the process is that simple. One of the benefits of it being a downloadable media is that it allows people to make as many copies as they need to (so that each member in a small group can have a copy, etc.). We may even go so far as to have both a teacher's guide to accompany the study so that they know what needs to be focused on when teaching from the guide & album.

Personally, I really like this idea, and I think it's one that can and will benefit the holy hip-hop community as a whole. So many people are still unable to view the genre as a viable ministry tool, but a project like this would really help to legitimize things in the eyes of the church and show that what is being projected in these songs is nothing but the Word of God and the Gospel. One of the things that I would really like to see happen with these Bible study booklets is that they are worked on as an artist is working on their album, so that the booklet can be completed, compiled, and then added to the music CD as enhanced media that a person can get just by putting the CD into their computer. Doing this would put the material in the buyer's hands immediately without even having to visit Trailblazin Ministries or the artist's site; or, at the very least, putting a note in the album credits about downloading the booklet from the site.

This is my heart; my heart is in ministry and teaching the gospel of Christ to raise up disciples who will in turn make more disciples. I'm not a hip-hop artist, but I do have a voice, and I want to use the gift that God has given me to help as many people as I can, and help artists take their ministry to another level. I'm meeting up with Excelsius next weekend to get this started with his two albums, In Conjunction and The Final Evolution. From there, I hope many other artists will jump on and make this a staple in holy hip-hop. I really believe that this and the hip-hop devotions are the legacy that Trailblazin Ministries are going to leave behind, and I pray that the Lord is glorified through all of it. So, if you're an artist reading this & you're interested, holla at ya boy and let's get down!