Trailblazin Ministries Blog

Ministry

What Matters Most

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Filed under: Faith, Ministry

When in comes to the work that I do with Trailblazin Ministries, I often ask myself one question: what matters most? Is it my love for hip-hop music and a desire to see it get into the hands of as many people as possible who are influenced by urban culture? Or is it my love for web design and programming that keeps me going? Maybe it's the constant influx of music that hits both my physical and email inbox that keeps me going? No, I don't think it's any of that, even though I do enjoy those things to a degree. The thing that matters most to me in doing this ministry is the thing that has always been my fuel and passion: preaching the Word of God.

Even before this site and ministry had a hip-hop angle to it, I was focused on making sure that the gospel was preached to as many people as I could possibly reach with my little website. And because my desire is to make sure that the gospel is preached, it will always be at the forefront of my mind to ask myself if what I'm doing with this site is getting people the gospel and allowing them to grow in their faith. I'll be honest and say that it is one of the things that I struggle with the most, especially now that this site has taken a very significant shift towards becoming a "music site" (which I honestly dread the thought of). You see, I don't want to be simply another Sphere of Hip-Hop or Rapzilla, or even a Holy Culture Radio; I want to be different and set apart. Those sites are certainly needed in the church and culture at large, but I do not want my site or ministry to be a mere mirror of what they are already doing. I already loathe the fact that we are known more for our music reviews and mixtapes page (which is where well over 95% of our traffic comes from) than we are for the things that I want the site to be known for.

After doing this kind of web ministry for years and not getting much of a response or seeing any kind of growth (i.e. only 10-15 visits/day), I finally made the decision to give the website and ministry a complete overhaul (under the Lord's guidance) by changing the name to what it is now and eventually incorporating music. I'll admit that the ministry is growing and more people are visiting the site (not that numbers are really an indication on a ministry's effectiveness), but I see that so many are simply reading the reviews and hitting up the mixtapes page, without giving as much as a second thought to browse through the rest of the site (the part of the site that is far more meaningful than the music). I'll be honest and say that it frustrates me to no end, and ends up leaving me with questions about how I can adjust things without compromising what matters most (the gospel). The main question I ask myself is, "how can I put the Word into every aspect of the website?" One area where I was able to do this was with the music reviews, as I have adjusted their format to focus more on the spiritual side of the album, instead of just the music. So far that has been pretty beneficial as it has afforded the opportunity to point out doctrinal issues in music and highlight the spiritual truths contained within a project (or lack thereof). I even started late last year with the hip-hop devotions, using a holy hip-hop song to base a devotion on. I'm still not sure about the response to that, but has brought a fresh perspective to the site.

Now, I sit and ask, what more can I do? I've had a few ideas that have come to mind, but I have yet to really take the time to develop them into anything substantial. I'm definitely considering bringing back the podcast, as the site could use some consistent multimedia; but instead of just being music, it would be an audio version of the hip-hop devotions. That is an idea I'm toying with, but not too sure how well it will work at the moment. I've already shared other ideas as well on my forum, but some are simply too time consuming (requiring more time than I have to commit without allowing another area of the site to suffer, or more money than I have to spend), so I constantly sit at the drawing board looking for ways to continue to reach out. This is certainly an area where I am not quick to move, though; I am constantly checking my site's mission statement to see whether what I am wanting to do lines up and measuring to see what its effectiveness will be versus the effort put into it. As I've already stated, it's important that everything I do line up with the mission, which is to preach the gospel; so, if an idea doesn't do that, then it isn't worth it.

Let me set the record straight though. I am not trying to make Trailblazin Ministries grow simply for the sake of growing and having a "name;" instead, the goal is to disciple people and see them grow in the Lord. But alas, I'm wondering if what I'm trying to do is too much. I meditated a bit on the passage for today's devotion (James 1:22) and it really got me to thinking, especially as I'm writing this. It is truth that too many Christians are not doers of the Word, but hearers only; and, more than that, there are a lot more who are not heading James 1:19 and are by no means quick to hear the Word of God. So, when I put that together, I have to realize that what I'm doing is a bit out there and not what the majority want. Most are happy getting a "word" on Sundays (if that), and don't have any desire for God throughout the week. Even those that seemingly do, don't seem to have a great passion for doing a lot of study or devotion on their own. So, that makes a site like mine null and void to the majority. Therefore, my site, even with the vast number of music reviews and other music tools, seems to be geared towards a small remnant who seem to be concerned with the same things I am, the thing that matters most: the gospel and growing in holiness. In a way, I do find comfort in that, but as a man called out by God, it pains me to see so many people with a lackluster desire for their so-called Lord. Nevertheless, I will press on, in season and out, preaching the Word to whomever will hear.

So, with that being said, I really don't know what the next step or phase is for this site/ministry. Minimization and simplification seem to be ringing loud though, but we'll see what comes of that...