Church community turns to hip-hop to stay relevant to a younger generation

The Rev. William Leon Ward danced himself into a sweat during a pulsating throwdown for the Lord. The artists were Christian, but their stage names — The Ambassador, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. and Mali Music — and their sound signaled their connection to hip-hop.

Ward grew up in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. His father was a deacon, and he was in the choir, served as an usher and headed the youth council. Songs, Sunday school and church traditions were passed down through the generations. But times have changed.

“There are a lot of young people out here that the church neglects, but we want to embrace them,” said Ward, 33, who grew up in Birmingham, Ala. “Today, the Sunday schools are empty, the choir stands are empty and kids are doing their own thing.”

So as Kanye West and Jay-Z performed at a sold-out Verizon Center last week, Ward was among 1,000 people who had lined up a day earlier to see Christian hip-hop acts as part the Howard University School of Divinity’s 95th annual alumni convocation. This year’s convocation, “Religion and Culture: Connecting the Church and Hip-Hop,” focused on how to keep the church relevant to a younger generation.

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