I remember about a year and a half ago, a friend of mine purchased Efrem Smith and Phil Jackson's book The Hip-Hop Church, which gave a break down of the history of hip-hop and gave details on how the two were able to start their own hip-hop ministries to reach today's culture. It was a very insightful book, as it provided a lot of the know how for putting together a similar ministry, and making sure that Christ was always at the focus. Fast forward to today, and now there is an all new book being released that is furthering the groundwork that was laid by Smith and Jackson and speaks to a crowd that is intrinsically influenced by the culture and lifestyle of hip-hop. Enter Tommy Kyllonen, who is better and more affectionately known as Urban D., holy hip-hopper and pastor, with his book titled Un.orthodox: Church. Hip-Hop. Culture. Following in the footsteps of The Hip-Hop Church, Kyllonen basically picks up where Smith and Jackson left off and shares his tale of starting his own hip-hop ministry and building it to become one of the most innovative and unorthodox churches in the nation.

What makes this book different from The Hip-Hop Church? Even with similar formats and content, the two books are vastly different, especially when you consider the level of intimacy that each author has with the hip-hop culture. In contrast to Efrem and Phil who were only fans and influenced by the culture, Kyllonen was more entrenched in the culture by taking part in the art of emceeing, which he still does to this day under the moniker Urban D (shortened from Urban Disciple). That alone, brings a whole new depth to the book as a completely different outlook on the culture of hip-hop, as well as growing up and being influenced by a different region during the hip-hop era. You then get Tommy's own experience in creating a hip-hop ministry, which is different from that of Smith and Jackson. With all comparisons aside, this book has a place and a purpose at this point in time for this generation. Let's see what Tommy Kyllonen has to say in his book.

Again, the title of this book is Un.orthodox, which is a look at the culture of hip-hop and showing how it can be transformed and used to create a ministry that is set to influence those who are affected by and a part of the hip-hop culture. The book is broken down into three distinct divisions: church, hip-hop, and culture. The church portion of the book focuses on Tommy Kyllonen's story and testimony from his unorthodox roots to his current position as a Christian hip-hopper and pastor of a church. It is in this section that you'll get the brief story of how his grandparents & great grandparents immigrated into the country and became Christians, to his growing up in Philadelphia as a PK (preacher's kid); from there you move on to his days as a youth pastor and eventually becoming the senior pastor of Crossover Church and turning it into the hip-hop ministry that it is today. The hip-hop section talks about just that: hip-hop. You get a very exhaustive history of the roots of hip-hop in the Bronx during the 70's to the 80's where it began to become commercialized by mainstream media, and eventually becoming the empire and culture that is today in the twenty-first century. The final section, culture, then deals with the urban culture and how we can reach out to it. It is here that you, the reader, get a new perception for what urban culture is all about and how we can take this and use it in a ministry setting to preach the gospel, teach, and worship. Indeed, we see how Tommy was able to go combine an unorthodox life and an unorthodox culture to create an unorthodox approach to ministry; essentially, that is the breakdown of this book and what you'll be sure to find in it.

Depending upon your involvement in the urban hip-hop culture and your understanding of it, that will determine how useful this book will be for you. For someone who doesn't know much at all about hip-hop and the urban way of life, this is an invaluable tool because it offers both a comprehensive history and explanation of the culture, and then showing you how to integrate them into an effective ministry. For the person who is involved in the culture already (like myself), the history portion of the book isn't as necessary, but the ministry portion of the book is just as priceless, if not more than just the laymen who doesn't already know about hip-hop. Not to be forgotten is the first section, as Urban D's testimony is genuinely a powerful one of how God can use ordinary people to do big things, which can be an encouragement to anyone who reads it. Another thing that makes this book interesting to read is the plethora of quotes and snippets from his songs that are put throughout the chapters, showing that his rhymes directly correlate to the message that he is trying to get across in this book.

There are also many valuable resources that are contained in the appendix of this book. Kyllonen provides a lot of sample material that comes right from Crossover Church and how he runs things there. In the book, you will find: service outlines (a time line for how the service should/could run), a list of sample sermons and series that are from an urban perspective (all of which he has taught at his own congregation and are available for purchase @ crossoverchurch.org), and a full list of resources. The resources include a full list of books, websites, magazines, and events that all relate to Christianity and the urban Christian culture (maybe in a future reprinting we'll get listed under the devotionals section LOL). With this full list of materials, you will definitely have everything you need to get an urban hip-hop ministry started in your area.

Overall, I was very impressed by the content that Tommy Kyllonen provided in Un.orthodox, and I feel that it is an invaluable resource for anyone that is even remotely interested in getting involved in urban ministry or has a desire to reach those who are a part of urban culture. Personally, I was inspired by this book and feel a great desire within me to get a ministry started in my local area. God has truly blessed Urban D and Crossover Church, and this book is simply a testament to that and a sign of what is to come in the future both nationally and locally. Hip-hop is in for a reformation, a Christian reformation!

Also, don't forget to check out the CD+DVD of the same name that was released simultaneously with this book; check out our review of it by clicking here: Urban D. - Un.orthodox.