Third Places & Missional Proximity

Lately we’ve discussed a sociological term called “third places.” The premise is this: home is your “first place,” work is your “second place.” What is your third place – those places you go regularly and yet spontaneously to unwind and connect with friends?

Ray Oldenberg in his book The Great Good Place describes in great detail what Third Places are. Many cultures in the world have third places, he writes, but America has been lacking. Italy and France have cafes, Latin American countries have plazas, England has pubs and Germany has beer gardens. But what about America? Well, it used to be the front porch. But that is a thing of the past. Howard Schultz has worked hard to create third places. In fact, he said that he wanted to create a company that would replace the front porch in America. And he did. He created a very successful company. The company’s name? Starbucks.

Jesus hung out in Third Places (check out John 4 with the woman at the well) and we need to think strategically about third places. Read what Michael Frost writes about Christians and Third Places in his book Exiles:

“Third places are the most significant places for Christian mission to occur because in a third place people are more relaxed, less guarded, more open to meaningful conversation and interaction…it is in third places where we let our guards down… Any cursory reading of the Gospels will reveal Jesus’ interest in being in third places…Missional proximity can best be developed in bars, pubs, gyms, grocery stores, beauty parlors, community groups, and coffee shops.” (pp. 59-60)

“Whenever I speak about the need to focus our energies in third places, many well-meaning Christians can’t help but agree. It makes perfect sense that if we want to influence people in the way Jesus did, we should create proximity in the places where people relax and find meaning. But for many Christians this poses a great dilemma. Whether it’s as simple as joining the local jogging club or as complex as owning a third-place business, most Christians can’t do it because they simply don’t have the time. The reason for this is that for most Christians their church has become their third place. Their churches soak up every bit of their spare time. All their social networks revolve around church…How could they ever find the time to hang out in a third place?

…The key to missional proximity is frequency and spontaneity. By seeing people several times a week, casually and un-rushed, you usually find that after a period of time you’re invited to a party here or a barbeque there. The most important events often are the spontaneous ones that you get caught up in because you’re there. And you need to be there frequently to get caught up in such a way…

…if I’m busy several nights a week and all weekend with my church activities, how can I possibly develop a commitment to such frequent proximity? Our churches, under the guides of doing the work of Christ, are inadvertently sucking us away from the very people that Jesus would want us to hang out with… It sucks you in, demanding everything of you, leaving you completely socially disconnected from your neighbors, your community… We, having read the dangerous stories of Jesus, have decided that the best way to do the Lord’s work is to follow him out into the third places of our community.” (pp 62-63).

We’re wrestling with these questions as we process third places:

• What are some third places in our culture? in Lansdale?
• How could we engage with these third places more regularly and intentionally?
• What lifestyle changes could that require of me?
• How do we make sure we aren’t too busy for third places?
• How do we know when we are too busy?