A few years back, I had the opportunity to go up to the San Juan Mountains, just West of CO Springs – for a father-son retreat. My father died 14 years ago, so he wasn’t with me on this trip (that would have been gross, very awkward, and like a bad sequel to Weekend At Bernie’s).

Reflecting on that time, I remember that we rode horses from 11,000 feet to 14,000 feet in elevation. The horses were strong, beautiful, and patient. Once arriving at our campsite the Rancher then called our attention to watch something that I’ll never forget:: he gave some type of signal to the horses that it was okay for them to run free now – with a smooth start, but with power that literally shook the ground, about 25 horses took off running over an enormous area that was not fenced in. They ran hard, they ran fast, but most of all, you could tell that they were running free. This passionate freedom went on for about 20 minutes until one by one they began to settle down, gather back near one another, and started to graze. And when called back into a safe area where they could rest together – they came back – (actual photos below)

During a recent conversation with a friend, he began to share about the need for leaders to allow those working with them to run free and trusting that if the vision is aligned and the trust is built, that we can allow others to run free without the fear that they may run off.

So how much freedom do you give those who are around you, who work on you staff or team? How does this relate to where you are? What are the consequences or possibilities of letting people you lead run free?

The church should be leading the way in asking the question and bringing valuable answers to how we can Design for Community. Many things have occurred to create such a time as this, where the church is being given the opportunity to go back to the center of town both figuratively and literally. And if we choose to use the same methods and approach that we have the past few decades, then we may miss a ‘once in our lifetime’ opportunity. Stewardship is not about simple ‘occupancy of space’ but about seizing the ‘opportunity of place’. Now is the time we have been given to open our eyes and invest our resources to help fill the void of Third Places that has been left in too many of our local communities.

Third Places are essential ingredients if a church is serious about Designing for Community – because, when thought through and designed properly, they create, enhance, and sustain community. It is when authentic community is to the point of sustainability, that the best chance of making an impact to and through generations is realized. Sustainable Third Places leave a legacy when we go beyond settling for copying trendy mainstream and instead being tapping into our most valuable resources – humanity fuel by God’s imagination.

From Ft. Walton Beach to a development in the Philippines – correspondence continues to pick up pace with phrases like “I feel God wants us to go back to the center of town…”; “… I feel called to go back into the marketplace as the church…”; “…to be the church 7 days a week in and for our community”. What I am really being asked is, “Michael, how can we Design for Community?” That said, there is still a tremendous need for increased understanding and more intentional design along with proper business and ministry planning for those who want to create community whether within the more traditional walls of a church in the more classic times of meeting or in the times, places, and ways of doing church that are not as common – yet.

Understanding the social needs of people is an integral part of understanding their spiritual needs. I have been having the conversation about Third Places for about 15 years now – I have tried to quit it twice like a bad habit, but two things stopped me – first, there is no rehab program for people passionate about trying to communicate the importance of fully understanding this amazing tool and second (the most important) – God would not let me; which I’m sincerely thankful for, because we’ve not even seen the tipping point yet and it has never been a more exciting time to Design for Community. The terminology around Third Places has existed for about 25 years; the concept and human experience has always been.

In the roles I serve in, I am in daily conversation about the design and intentionality behind creation and sustainability of Third Places.  Let me offer this analogy – the local church is a piece that fits in a bigger puzzle that is the community; the community is not necessarily a piece that fits inside the church. Once through the common preliminary questions about Third Places and what’s happening today – this question almost always comes up, “How do we find a balance between being overt and covert?”

1. Add Value First: stop looking past the cliché that the church needs to contribute to the community it is in and stop merely consuming from it – this must change;

2. Stop denying that the church is a Business. We are business persons – going about our Father’s business. Go from “We’re non-profit and good at it” to “We unashamed to make a profit and do good things with it”;

3. Love With No Strings Attached: never forget to love because you were first loved; give knowing it will we given beyond your imagination;

4. Start the conversation & trust God for the conversion: this goes back to the serenity prayer of doing what you can do and not trying to do what you cannot do.

It is not time for the church to try and go underground, attempt some subtle version of bait and switch, or adapt to the saying “If you can’t beat em’, imitate them by setting your imagination on the shelf”. Instead, now is the time for anyone wanting to BE the church in their community to recognize that it is when we have a full awareness of the those around us, an attention to details such as the engaging all five senses, and by making ourselves available in the places where real life takes place that we find a great starting point in the overdue conversation for how the church can lead the way in the mandate to Design for Community.

By creating sustainable Third Places inside our facilities and for our communities, we will be able to bring the church back to the center of town and put the front porch back on America.

It’s amazing the many ways we express emotions and relate in our pain and in our hope.

I don’t know who’s reading this or who will watch this video – but if you need to just Breathe – let this song, this music, this art bring a little more air into your lungs today – and know that tomorrow will take care of itself; it has enough worries of its own.

http://www.rstar.net/

The church should be leading the way in asking the question and bringing valuable answers to how we can Design for Community. Many things have occurred to create such a time as this, where the church is being given the opportunity to go back to the center of town both figuratively and literally. And if we choose to use the same methods and approach that we have the past few decades, then we may miss a ‘once in our lifetime’ opportunity. Stewardship is not about simple ‘occupancy of space’ but about seizing the ‘opportunity of place’. Now is the time we have been given to open our eyes and invest our resources to help fill the void of Third Places that has been left in too many of our local communities.

Third Places are essential ingredients if a church is serious about Designing for Community – because, when thought through and designed properly, they create, enhance, and sustain community. It is when authentic community is to the point of sustainability, that the best chance of making an impact to and through generations is realized. Sustainable Third Places leave a legacy when we go beyond settling for copying trendy mainstream and instead being tapping into our most valuable resources – humanity fuel by God’s imagination.

From Ft. Walton Beach to a development in the Philippines – correspondence continues to pick up pace with phrases like “I feel God wants us to go back to the center of town…”; “…feel called to go back into the marketplace as the church…”; “…to be the church 7 days a week in and for our community”. What I am really being asked is, “Michael, how can we Design for Community?” That said, there is still a tremendous need for increased understanding and more intentional design along with proper business and ministry planning for those who want to create community whether within the more traditional walls of a church in the more classic times of meeting or in the times, places, and ways of doing church that are not as common – yet.

Understanding the social needs of people is an integral part of understanding their spiritual needs. I have been having the conversation about Third Places for more than a decade now – I have tried to quit it twice like a bad habit, but two things stopped me – first, there is no rehab program for people passionate about trying to communicate the importance of fully understanding this amazing tool and second (the most important) – God would not let me; which I’m sincerely thankful for, because we’ve not even seen the tipping point yet and it has never been a more exciting time to Design for Community. The terminology around Third Places has existed for about 25 years; the concept and human experience has always been.

In the roles I serve in, I am in daily conversation about the design and intentionality behind creation and sustainability of Third Places. Let me offer this analogy – the local church is a piece that fits in a bigger puzzle that is the community; the community is not necessarily a piece that fits inside the church. Once through the common preliminary questions about Third Places and what’s happening today – this question almost always comes up, “How do we find a balance between being overt and covert?”

1. Add Value First: stop looking past the cliché that the church needs to contribute to the community it is in and stop merely consuming from it – this must change;

2. Stop denying that the church is a Business. We are business persons – going about our Father’s business. Go from “We’re non-profit and good at it” to “We unashamed to make a profit and do good things with it”;

3. Love With No Strings Attached: never forget to love because you were first loved; give knowing it will we given beyond your imagination;

4. Start the conversation & trust God for the conversion: this goes back to the serenity prayer of doing what you can do and not trying to do what you cannot do.

It is not time for the church to try and go underground, attempt some subtle version of bait and switch, or adapt to the saying “If you can’t beat em’, imitate them by setting your imagination on the shelf”. Instead, now is the time for anyone wanting to BE the church in their community to recognize that it is when we have a full awareness of the those around us, an attention to details such as the engaging all five senses, and by making ourselves available in the places where real life takes place that we find a great starting point in the overdue conversation for how the church can lead the way in the mandate to Design for Community.

By creating sustainable Third Places inside our facilities and for our communities, we will be able to bring the church back to the center of town and put the front porch back on America.

And the amazing help of Shaun King & team,  Eva Longoria and the communities of actors, athletes, and artists via TwitChange.  Thank you all so much for what you’ve done, are doing, and will continue to do to help create a place for children to receiving love, care, and learning.  This is an initiative – a start to something that will be sustainable for generations.  I look forward to hearing stories for years to come………..the fun has really only just started.

If you didn’t know about or get a chance to participate in TwitChange – you can still get involved by visiting aHomeInHaiti.org and making a donation.  Thanks for pouring into the lives of others.