Michael Frost in his book Exiles mentions the idea that people need "third place"environments to meet, develop friendships, discuss issues and interact with others. The "first place" is home where we live. The "second place" is the work place. For many people, home is a place of privacy and withdrawal and work is a highly pressurised environment.
The subject was discussed at a recent Mission Shaped Ministry workshop (Southhampton). A number of us (I am pleased to say!) suggested that Starbucks Costas etc were good "third place" environments
Some who attended the course ruefully commented that church should be an ideal "third place" However the busy life of maintaining church a organisation had to a degree pushed out this "third place" environment lessening the focus on interaction, relationship and conversations about faith.
Should we be looking for modifications in our church programme or should we be hunting for a "fourth place?"
No comments:
Post a Comment