Cheers To Third Places
By Glenn A. Lucas
Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
By Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo
The theme song from the television sitcom, Cheers, sets the theme for this week's Mission Moments. It describes a place where people voluntarily gather to be in each others company. It is not a "have to go to place" but a "want to go to place." Cheers represents what we missiologically call a Third Place.
A person's First Place is his home. It is where people are the most themselves. It is the place of love and laughter, quirks and secrets, joys and sorrows, anger and arguments, messy rooms, toilet seats left up, toothpaste squeezed in the middle, dishes in the sink or on the counter, socks on the floor, and a host of other things that make a house a home. It is a place where you are you.
A person's Second Place is usually her place of employment or school. It is a "have to go to place". It is where policy, socialization, and structure restrict behavior. People are not expected to be fully themselves in Second Places. One does not "let her hair down". A person puts in her time and looks forward to the end of the work day.
A person's Third Places will vary by context and culture. They are all "want to go to places". They may include restaurants, bars, health clubs, night clubs, or any regularly scheduled social events. Today, Starbucks is a Third Place for many people.
When my sons were young our third places were baseball and soccer practices and games. Today, one third place for my wife and I are band competitions as gather with other parents to watch our youngest son perform. I know a group of guys who gather every Sunday morning to play Frisbee golf at a local course. After the game most meet up at a local restaurant for a few beers and conversation. They will spend several hours at the restaurant. They know more about each others' lives than most people in our churches know about each other. Their fellowship is deep and abiding.
Why should third places be important to the churches? They are places where churches can learn the culture of their communities. In these places you can hear about what people value, learn what their everyday concerns and struggles are, find out what they do for fun and entertainment, amongst other things. In these places you will hear the language of the culture, some of which you will never want to speak, but it is important to know.
In third places you can ask questions. You can ask someone why they don't got to church or no longer go to church. Be careful, you may not like the answer. But, even if you don't like the answer if you hear it often enough it will teach you something valuable about the culture and the context of your community.
The ultimate goal of experiencing and learning from people in their third places is to use what we learn to better reach out to our community with the gospel of our Savior, Jesus. The message needs to be framed in words and services that communicate in the language and needs of the community.
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