Discipling Austrian Youth Through Songwriting
April 23, 2025
Worship services vary widely depending on culture, denomination, and preference. Despite commonalities, everything from the length of the sermon to the style of prayer differs between congregations. As a musician, my attention tends to shift to the musical part of worship. Is there a band? If so, what is the arrangement? What genres of music are incorporated? Why those?
Hip-hop is widely accepted as the most popular genre of music around the world. While I have not yet encountered the genre during a worship service, that is not the case for one Greater Europe Mission worker.
Kim King and her family moved to Austria in 2012 and started serving a local church, including through music ministry. In addition to mentoring musicians, King also composes pieces specific to her church.
“There were a lot of themes that were coming up that we didn’t have music or songs that would express it… [and I thought] we need to celebrate this in song, or we need to express this in song,” she explained.
However, King is not the sole songwriter in her church. In our interview* she shared about six young songwriters who composed their own rap.
KING: So, six teen boys are in a Sunday school class, and the leader asked them, “How can we contribute to church specifically on a Sunday morning? What can we guys, as teen boys, do?” And so, they came up with this. I think that’s really cool that they were like, let’s write a worship song. So that’s kind of how it began.
When you heard they wanted to do a song, did that surprise you?
KING: What surprised me about it is that they apparently said, “Let’s do it.” And then they did it in like 45 minutes and came up with three long verses, a chorus and a bridge…all of it. But I think it’s their age that really shocked me.
Why do you think they chose rap? That’s a bit unorthodox for what one might hear sung in church.
KING: We’ve never done a rap song in church. (laughs) So this was a first. I think part of it had to do with [the thought], “This is something we can do. This is who we are. This is fun for us.”
How did others in the church react?
KING: In the last year and a half or two years, there’s been a little bit more conversation in the leadership about how we get the teens more involved. So, I think in general, there was this idea of “Wow! That’s awesome. You’re getting the teens involved.”
We’re happy to have them feeling like they’re a part [of the church] because that’s a big challenge—at least in Austrian churches—that a lot of churches aren’t big enough to have a teen youth group. Or they can do something, but it’s like once a month. And so that doesn’t really give a lot of connection. [The rap] was allowing them to be themselves and be involved, and I think the church saw the value in that.
What about their song do you find most meaningful?
KING: This is coming from their hearts, and it’s this statement: “God, You’re going to be the most important to me. I’m choosing this.”
The simplicity and depth of the longing that was expressed are very moving, and I think it’s challenging for the whole church to wonder, “Can I sing that? Does this reflect my heart? Do I want this to reflect my heart?”
How does this impact discipleship?
KING: For these six guys, I think this is probably one of those moments they’ll never forget. I mean, think about that age—between 12 and 16—standing in front of a church and doing anything is really nerve-wracking. You’re already concerned about how you’re appearing. Then, to present something that you yourself wrote and to do something that’s never been done in the church before, a rap, takes incredible courage. It’s something they might think back on and say, “It’s accepted and wanted that I’m being authentic to who I am.”
I hope they will show the pieces of God that each of them is meant to show.
Do you foresee another song coming from them?
KING: I think it was significant that they did it as a group because there’s a lot of encouragement and synergy. Yeah, I think they could. People are seeing that they don’t have to fit the mould. They can express worship to God in different forms.
What does it feel like seeing something in you passed on to these boys?
KING: It was very fun to be on the other side of supporting people who are writing songs for the church. When the students come to the teacher and they say, “Hey, we have this, we want to teach it,” and then the teacher gets to say, “Yes, here’s the date. Present it,” it is so rewarding. I never would have thought, “I’m going to write songs so that other people start writing. I mean, that would have been great if I thought that, but that wasn’t how I started it.
But now to see that that’s happening is beautiful, and I want that to happen more.
Kim King’s story highlights the importance of authentic, passionate worship in the life of the Christ-follower, especially in a corporate setting. It also reminds us of the need for creative innovation in ministry. Most importantly, it exemplifies how God uses people to influence the hearts of others in their communities.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
_
Author: Zachary McKay is a storyteller with Greater Europe Mission serving in Frankfurt, Germany.