Alumni & Friends

SOUTHEASTERN HELPED HIP-HOP ARTIST, PASTOR HONE MINISTRY TECHNIQUEs
By VONYA BALOGH

Christian rapper and pastor Tommy Kyllonen started as a rebellious preacher’s kid in Philadelphia. He says Southeastern helped him channel his rebelliousness into new ways to reach and disciple the hip-hop generation.

Working with a homeless ministry in Philadelphia sparked Kyllonen’s desire to evangelize in the inner city. After passing out sandwiches and blankets in subway stations, Kyllonen (pronounced “ki-LOWnun”) prayed for the homeless men he served. His involvement with a youth ministry in the city further fueled his interest in urban ministry. Kyllonen says he transferred to Southeastern from a college close to home to pursue his new call away from the negative influences of non-Christian friends and others.

Southeastern prepared Kyllonen to become a pastor by helping him sharpen his communication skills, develop new evangelistic methods, and gain substantive experience in ministry. Since he graduated from Southeastern in 1996, Kyllonen has become the senior pastor of a 600-member church that integrates hip-hop music and dance into its ministry. Kyllonen also has released five hip-hop CDs under the stage name Urban D. (The “D” stands for “disciple.”) Kyllonen’s sixth CD will be released by EMI, which records major artists, such as Grammy-winning vocalist Norah Jones. Kyllonen also has just inked a deal with prominent Christian publisher Zondervan Publishing House to publish his first book. More >>

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