I'm Launching a Creative Discipleship Program. Here's Why.
THE PROBLEM
As a father of two girls under two, I am more aware of what they hear and see. Today's music is outwardly demonic, overly sexual, and increasingly violent. Recently, Spotify reported that 100,000 new songs are released daily. Of that, 98.3% of songs are secular. We know the impact that music can have on those that listen and its ability to influence violence, misogyny, and use of drugs. In 2023, Washington D.C. had 274 homicides in the city alone, not to mention the number of young people displaced and grieving from friends and loved ones lost.
When we consider Christian music, most of the time what we hear doesn't appeal to us as competing secular songs often win us over. Christian rap, in particular, has a bad reputation for being corny. As a kid, I watched my parents combine messages of Jesus with their own spin of funk and hip hop music through their band, Urban Street Level. As a Christian rap artist, I began my music journey doing the same, combing messages of Jesus with my love of music. Since then, I've grown my Spotify listenership to 32,500 monthly listeners and my TikTok to over 60,000 followers. I've also developed a playlist called, "Christian R&B That's Actually Good" with over 27,000 saves, proving that people want music that sounds good and is good for their soul.
THE SOLUTION
After 10 years in ministry and meeting over 1,000 young people in the city of Alexandria alone, I have the heart to create a program bridges music and ministry. Through the Creative Discipleship Program, we are on a mission to train up other Christian content creators and artists to impact the world globally through music. In turn, we will equip those content creators to be leaders and influence the next generation of disciples.
THE MISSION
Our mission is to engage and mentor young people and creatives by using music as a pathway for discipleship in Christ.
THE VISION
Our vision is to mobilize Christian music artists worldwide to engage young people in their local communities through music and discipleship in Christ.
THE TIMELINE
Year 1 - Outreach and Program Building
During year one, we will:
Year 2 - Growth and Deepening Impact
During year two, we will:
THE ASK
My ask is that you would consider:
As a father of two girls under two, I am more aware of what they hear and see. Today's music is outwardly demonic, overly sexual, and increasingly violent. Recently, Spotify reported that 100,000 new songs are released daily. Of that, 98.3% of songs are secular. We know the impact that music can have on those that listen and its ability to influence violence, misogyny, and use of drugs. In 2023, Washington D.C. had 274 homicides in the city alone, not to mention the number of young people displaced and grieving from friends and loved ones lost.
When we consider Christian music, most of the time what we hear doesn't appeal to us as competing secular songs often win us over. Christian rap, in particular, has a bad reputation for being corny. As a kid, I watched my parents combine messages of Jesus with their own spin of funk and hip hop music through their band, Urban Street Level. As a Christian rap artist, I began my music journey doing the same, combing messages of Jesus with my love of music. Since then, I've grown my Spotify listenership to 32,500 monthly listeners and my TikTok to over 60,000 followers. I've also developed a playlist called, "Christian R&B That's Actually Good" with over 27,000 saves, proving that people want music that sounds good and is good for their soul.
THE SOLUTION
After 10 years in ministry and meeting over 1,000 young people in the city of Alexandria alone, I have the heart to create a program bridges music and ministry. Through the Creative Discipleship Program, we are on a mission to train up other Christian content creators and artists to impact the world globally through music. In turn, we will equip those content creators to be leaders and influence the next generation of disciples.
THE MISSION
Our mission is to engage and mentor young people and creatives by using music as a pathway for discipleship in Christ.
THE VISION
Our vision is to mobilize Christian music artists worldwide to engage young people in their local communities through music and discipleship in Christ.
THE TIMELINE
Year 1 - Outreach and Program Building
During year one, we will:
- Establish the foundations of the program, solidifying the name, mission, and vision.
- Continue reaching Christian content creators and artists, building relationships to establish our network and grow the curated playlists of high-quality Christian music on Spotify.
- Develop curriculum materials for Bible studies and small groups with creators and young adults, using music lyrics as discussion themes.
- Grow relationships with churches and schools for workshop hosting and performances.
Year 2 - Growth and Deepening Impact
During year two, we will:
- Launch our curriculum for Christian content creators, artists, and youth.
- Release new music, collaborating with our creator network.
- Organize a tour.
- Plan and organize a conference with guest speakers, performances, and break out sessions.
THE ASK
My ask is that you would consider:
- Adding us to your prayer list as we launch this program. We believe that God will move through this initiative and we are praying that those assigned to our mission will partner with us and experience His glory.
- Sharing this program with three people who would be willing to partner with us or contribute to the mission. We are also looking for an organization that will host us as we pursue a 501c3 within the next two years.
- Donating to the start-up costs. We are asking 60 people to commit to a monthly donation of $83, for a total of $1,000 per person to reach our $60,000 goal.