Christian Hipsters and the Los Angeles RP Church

The Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church is not known for being a city of refuge for Christian Hipsters. But it doesn't have to be that way. Hipsters are more than welcome to join with us. Los Angeles as a city is becoming a haven for Christian Hipsters and the church's neighborhood, in particular, is moving in that direction as well.

What is a Christian Hipster you may be thinking? Well, one author summarizes Christian Hipster as, "Christian hipsters love breaking the taboos that used to be taboo for Christians. They love piercings, dressing a little goth, getting lots of tattoos (the Christian Tattoo Association now lists more than 100 member shops), carrying flasks and smoking cloves. A lot of them love skateboarding and surfing, and many of them play in bands. They tend to get jobs working for churches, parachurch organizations, non-profits, or the government. They are, on the whole, a little more sincere and idealistic than their secular hipster counterparts." (Source)

The Christian Hipster, of course, may fall anywhere on the theological spectrum of Christianity. The trend that the Church has seen in the past 5 years though, is there are two camps for Christian Hipsters: emergent theology types (read: neo-neoliberals), and those within the Reformed Tradition (both baptistic and presbyterian).

So why do I think that the Los Angeles RP Church would be a good fit for Christian Hipsters? There are numerous reasons, including our artists, writers, independent bookstore owners, people in the film industry, and independent fashion-types. But the demographics are also in favor of the LA RPCNA becoming a church home for Christian Hipsters. I will give you two reasons:

1. A recent study of cities in the country that are becoming havens for Christian Hipsters has Los Angeles as the 6th best city for them (Portland was one, and Seattle was two).

2. Our neighborhood was recently featured in Los Angeles Magazine and they write, "The prospect of more square feet for your buck has driven hipsters and hipster babies to Eagle Rock, a sleepy hamlet of hilly streets and old homes that is sandwiched between Glendale and Pasadena... There's an air of independence here. (Los Angeles Magazine, April, 2010)"

So as Christian Hipsters choose LA to be a city where they can come and minister, and they choose Eagle Rock to be around other like minded people; remember the Los Angeles Church. We may not have what the large emergent churches have; but we do have what you all need: The Gospel of Jesus Christ and a Christian community in which you may grow and flourish.

Christian Hipsters Welcome!