So often in The Loved Bible Project process, we reach the 4th and 5th steps and people ask “Who do I Give it Away to?” and “How do I Invest and Invite?” These are the steps where we begin to Love People and Make Disciples. Our hope is that you would invest in unbelievers and invite them to places and events where there will be other Christians – hangouts, meals, coffee, and worship gatherings. You may be wondering how do I even connect those who are unbelievers with other Christians.
Years I ago, I was able to attend a conference and I heard the term “third place.” Odds are, you probably have never heard that term before. A third place is defined as “–a place where your Christian community and your friends that do not believe in Jesus can connect with each other.” (Verge Network) Ideally, it would be neutral place that you would frequent on a regular basis. Most (not all) unbelievers may not accept an invitation to attend church with you or your weekly Bible Study, yet they usually would be more than willing to meet up at a park, restaurant, or play on a softball team with you!
When I was a mom with young children, we would frequent the local park playground. A park is a natural place that I could invite my unbelieving and believing friends to connect with each other. During baseball season, our dear friends from church sons played baseball. We would go and cheer them on and get to connect with others in our community at the ball field. My husband holds his weekly staff meetings in a local venue which has helped him connect our church staff with the employees there. If you work in an office, you might go grab appetizers every Friday after work and can invite friends from church to meet your there with co-workers.
List of 3rd place suggestions:
- Sports
- Restaurants
- Playground
- Community centers
- Neighborhood/Community pool
- Local gym
- Local coffee shop
Where is a 3rd space you invite others?
If you want to read more about the concept of a 3rd place: