Hipster Church?

So ok - Here is a noodle rocker for you:  When does a trend become something permanent - no longer a trend but more like a marker or line in the sand?  My particular take on that question might bake your above mentioned noodle.

I believe that a trend becomes permanent the moment it impacts a person's life.....instantly.  It becomes permanent in THAT person.  Which, by my definition at least, makes this question very relevant doesn't it?  I can remember being shaped by certain trends that are most definitely not around anymore.

I am, however, still around.

The shaping is still evident in me.  I still work from those moments in my life - even if they happened 20 years ago.  Don't you?  Do you find yourself being continually classified generationally?  That's because you ARE classified by the generation from which you were shaped / formed.  In truth that is completely how we all view each other.  Especially across broad gaps in age and tradition.

Here is what I'm getting at:  Why do we discount cultural and societal trends in church culture?  Why can't we value the things that others value....the things that impact people?  Why do we keep playing "Chicken" with society....waiting to see who will flinch first?

The Gospel is all about impact and change.  Isn't it?  I do surely understand that trendiness doesn't apply to Jesus.  Relevance isn't an issue with Him.  In a vacuum - void of my influence on the situation - Jesus would always be relevant.  But last I checked I wasn't living in a vacuum - neither are you.  We should favor the idea of people in general being willing to be shaped and formed by trends and culture.  Why?  It's a very good common language to share - the language of movement and change....and it's a very good place to start a conversation.  I am in favor of change.  I am in favor or warming someone up to the idea that change is good - Jesus change is fantastic.

We in the church tend to fear it a bit - or either we overly embrace it altogether.  Not much balance to speak of.  For me, personally, I think the danger of trendiness lies in the mindless mob mentality that tends to come with cultural influence - sometimes.  Take Croc's for instance - total mob mentality.  In retrospect, I can't imagine why I would have owned a pair but I did.  Admit it, so did you.   But that's also true of Church life isn't it - mindless mob mentality?  Maybe.  Have you ever seen it in your church community?  I certainly have.  I've seen it in the very church I pastor.  Even while we work tirelessly to prevent it.  It's still there.  Mindless being the key word.

Sometimes I wish we, as a Christ centered group doing Jesus Culture, would be so easily shaped and changed.  I wish we could be shaped by Jesus alone - but sometimes I would literally settle for just changing the shoes we wear.  Maybe we should just do Hipster Church and go ahead and get it over with.

Maybe.