Kirk Franklin: Off The Record

Over 1,000 kids, ages 13 to 22, crammed into the Florence campus of the Inglewood, Ca-based Faithful Central Bible Church to hear gospel dynamo Kirk Franklin talk about life and share his take on the issues that matter most to his audience.

By the time the near three-hour long service had come to an end, more than three dozen youth had accepted Christ, and Franklin had apologized to any parent who might have been offended by the often-graphic way in which he spoke to their kids.


The program, dubbed the “Takeover,” the mission of which is to recapture lost youth, has transformed the lives of a growing number of kids throughout the Los Angeles area in services like these—without music. It’s just this sort of ministry that Kirk Franklin, gospel’s biggest selling music star, is most passionate about these days, and its one of the main things taking up his time. 


“It’s about all the issues Christians face in life,” Franklin said. “Very honest. Very street. It’s my voice and the way that I see them as being wrong and then my approach on how to make them right.

And while it has been keenly effective with youth, Franklin’s ministry is hardly limited. “Surprisingly enough. I get calls from everywhere, white, black, young and old,” Franklin reveals. “I speak at schools like Pepperdine and Baylor University, at youth events, churches and major Christian music events like Creation Festival. I don’t want to limit what I say or do. I just want to be a vessel and love who I’m doing it for more than what I’m doing.”

Read entire article by Lisa Collins at GospelMusicChannel.com