By Pastor Stephen Hess –
One of the catchphrases that I have been hearing frequently in the news recently is the term “third space.” A third space is a place between home (your first space) and work (your second space) where you can linger and connect with other people. It is a place where everyone is welcome and where you can find community.
In the past, coffee shops often served as go-to third spaces for many people. In the early days of Starbucks, the company prided itself on being a welcoming third space. Back in 1995 CEO Howard Shultz said, “If you look at the landscape of retail and restaurants in America, there is such a fracturing of places where people meet.” He added, “There’s nowhere for people to go. So we created a place where people can feel comfortable.”
However, Starbucks recently made headlines for changing their policies and moving away from being a third space. The company announced that they were ending their free bathroom policies and requiring people to make purchases if they want to linger and occupy their stores. In other words, if you are looking for a place to hang out with friends where you aren’t obligated to purchase something, Starbucks is no longer such a place.
Many articles have been written about the importance of third spaces for our well-being. Especially in the last several years there seems to be an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in American culture, and this is taking a toll on our mental health. We need places where we can be around others and find community. Yet there seem to be fewer and fewer of these third spaces available in our culture. Libraries continue to serve as welcoming spaces but aren’t necessarily conducive to socializing. Malls used to be popular third spaces but are increasingly being replaced by Amazon distribution centers. So where does this leave us?
There is a third space that no one is talking about, and it is hiding in plain sight. It is a space that has hundreds of thousands of locations across the United States. It is a place where everyone is welcome, and you don’t have to purchase anything to attend. It is a place where you can find community and a sense of belonging. It is a place where you can learn, grow, and find answers to life’s biggest questions. The place I am talking about is the local church.
The Bible tells us that when a person comes to faith in Christ, that person becomes part of a spiritual family. Paul writes, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). If you are a Christian, you are part of a new household and a new family. This family is comprised of every other person who is a follower of Jesus. What this means is that the place where the church gathers is our primary “third space.” It is the place we regularly attend to worship God, to have fellowship with other believers, and to be strengthened, encouraged, and equipped in our faith.
According to Scripture, the local church is the community hub for the Christian. We need to remember this for two reasons. First, we need the church. If we neglect gathering with our church family, then we are not only being disobedient to God but depriving ourselves of his blessings. The Book of Hebrews says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25).
Second, the world needs the church. We live in a world where people are starved for community and desperate to find a place where they can belong. In the midst of that world, we have something wonderful we can give our neighbors: We can invite them to a third space where everyone is welcome and where they can hear about a Savior who died on the cross so that they can be forgiven of their sins and adopted into his family.