Justin Bieber and the Hipster Millennials Making Church Cool
Photography by Hailley Howard
You may have heard that Los Angeles has seen a flourishing of so-called “hipster churches” — newish Christian congregations packed with good-looking and stylish 20- and 30-something pastors and followers, many of whom work in creative fields like film, design, and fashion. They’ve attracted young celebs including Justin Bieber, Vanessa Hudgens, and Joe Jonas. Yahoo Style recently visited outside four of the top houses of worship — Reality L.A., Hillsong L.A. (with prior congregations in Australia and New York), Oasis L.A., and Zoe L.A. (where almost everyone moved from the original church in Seattle to start the L.A. branch).
All the churches espouse a “come as you are, all are welcome” ethos but still take very seriously the word of the Bible and the primacy of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. So while some church newbies may be looking for a deeper satisfaction than they’ve found at yoga, meditation, or spin class, most of the folks we talked to were raised in church and seemed to be seeking a fresher and younger version of their childhood Sundays. In a city where professionals often hold off on those things for at least another decade, many in their mid- to late 20s were already married with children.
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