More on Third Places

This comes from a church blog. As I have been searching for blog entries about "third places," I've come across a number of references to developing churches as "third places."

It's an excellent idea. The challenge will be to get people who aren't members of that church to feel comfortable gathering there. (And perhaps that isn't what the church wants anyway.) But if it becomes the case, then churches may also be used as music venues, giving people an alternative to bars. What appeals to me about churches as music venues is that most of them also have daycare facilities, so adults can go to a concert and their kids can be watched in adjacent rooms.

MBCC Blog: the third place?: "Oldenburg sees the third place as the cure for American society’s fragmentation. He lists several characteristics that all third places share. First, the third place puts people on neutral ground. By this, he means that it is a setting where people can come and go as they please without obligation. Inherent in this is a contradiction that Oldenburg himself points out: “we need a good deal of immunity from those whose company we like best”. The second trait is that they are a leveler. In a third place, every one is equal. People of differing social status come together without distinction, to put in perhaps too idealistic terms. Next, third places are spots where the main activity is conversation. Fourth, it is accessible and accommodating at almost anytime. Fifth, third places have “regulars”, people who are always in the place and add to the environment (think Norm on Cheers). Third places tend to have a low profile. They are usually in buildings that have been around for awhile. Finally, third places have the feeling of a home away from home."

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