Place [1Word5Voices]

I’ve heard it said, and have even said myself,”Church isn’t a place, it’s the people.”

This is true.

However, this truth may leave us with a misunderstanding that place doesn’t matter, that the physical gathering spot for a community of faith is irrelevant.

This is not true.

The incarnation of Christ is certainly experienced in the life of a person, but it is where “two or more are gathered” that Christ is present. And the “where” of where people gather is a place.

I suggest our place, or rather places, are vital in communicating how we understand God and our participation in God’s Kingdom coming. The place may be a coffee shop or a bar. It may be a bus stop or an apartment. It could be a cinder block room in Guatemala or a cathedral in Russia. Plain or well adorned, the place is a reflection of who we are and the ways in which we relate to God.

What does your place say about you?

My places of worship include a worship facility complete with stained glass, an altar table and projection screens. I also include the beaches of Southern California, an orphanage in Russia, and a newly discovered local brewery/restaurant among my places of worship.

What do you think my places say about me?

Whatever they say, the places where the Church manifests itself are worth considering, worth opening up, worth expanding to include others.

Where is your where?

I pray one of your places could be one of my places. For more on that, maybe you’d be interested in some of my thoughts on third places.

Hope to see you someplace soon.

Life is better together,
Shawn

Check out what a few of my friends taking this journey with me think of this word…

• Brian Swanson
• Heather Kostelnick
• Lindsay Evans
• Stephanie Mutert