A third place is not a home, and not a business, but an informal gathering place that fosters friendships, discussions, and networking. Third places are incredibly important for churches who don’t want their front doors on a Sunday morning to be their only gateway in their communities. If our churches are to be missional and incarnational, third spaces are crucial ideas to understand and bring to life (or participate in) in our neighborhoods.
Pernell planted a church called The Freeway in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton is the city of my youth. Steel town of Canada. Jordon Cooper called the Freeway the mecca of the emerging church in Canada. Of course I don’t know if he was serious because Jordon is always jabbing Pernell. So I’ll just say that Pernell is one of the leaders of the emerging church/resonate collaboration in Canada and I count them all as good friends. Pernell has developed a coffeeshop as a third space in the urban downtown of Hamilton. He will be speaking on what makes a good third space for community witness. We can also engage him on broader church planting issues/struggles. There is a fantastic write-up and podcast of an interview of Pernell by Allelon here.
I’d encourage you to read Pernell’s page on third spaces, and come on June 14th to engage in the theory and practice of third spaces for our churches in the suburbs, where third spaces, like all forms of hospitality, face unique challenges. Don’t miss this critical conversation about being incarnate in the places where we live.
June 14th, 7pm, at Life on the Vine Church. See you there!
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Don’t tell Pernell that I said this but I think the Freeway may be one of the healthiest church plants in Canada and while his model is different in that his context is the Salvation Army, what he has done is worth paying attention too.
It might not be Mecca but the Freeway is a wonderful community to learn from.
Yo Jordon … thanks for insight … and I look forward to cathcing up with what you all are doing in Saskatoon … church of the Exiles .. DF
I’ve been wondering about the nature of the gathering of believers we call “church” lately–and I could be wrong, but I think we have that confused with what Third Places are about. We want the church to be a Third Place, so we make it hip and cool and relevant but sometimes those elements detract from hunkering down to intimate, corporate worship and interaction. What do you think–am I off base?
I’m all for Third Places–and I think I’m hoping they help us retrieve our gathering of believers for what it’s supposed to be.