Third Place Ethnography

Simple Steps to Deepening Your Understanding of Community Spaces

“Jesus paid for your sins, not your beer. So don’t forget to close your tab.” This was by far my favorite ground rule for our fresh expression of church that met at the Boone Saloon. For the most part our regulars understood bar culture, but on occasion we had to help new folks figure it out.

In my work cultivating fresh expressions of church in Western North Carolina, I often advise churches as they think about starting a new form of church in a community gathering space, or third place. Every time, I emphasize the importance of understanding the culture of a gathering space first. It is a common mistake for good-intentioned church leaders to start ministries in restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and other spaces without fully understanding the space first. Doing so can be awkward, cause major issues, and severely limit the success of the ministry.

A simple ethnography (formal observation and analysis of the customs and culture of a group of people) can go a long way in forming a new gathering in a third place. Here’s a few simple steps to increase your understanding of a community gathering place through ethnography:

1.     Think about what questions you want to answer. You might want to find out what the regular customers are like, what days and times are the busiest/slowest, what is the vision/mission of the owner for this space, or what do customers wear. I always emphasize the importance of figuring out how people normally interact in the space. If you do start a ministry in the space, you’ll want your gathering to reflect a form of gathering that is natural to the people there. How do people regularly interact in the space? Are there special events in the gathering space? What are they like?

2.     Come with curiosity. Ethnographic research aims to be as observant and objective as possible. Leave prejudgments at home and come with open eyes/ears.

3.     Don’t be weird or creepy or dishonest. Anthropology uses the term participant observation to describe the role of an ethnographer. So be a normal customer in the place. Order a latte and grab a seat in the coffee shop. Cheer for the soccer team. Grab a beer and some French fries at the pub. If someone asks why you’re there let them know you’re there to learn more about the culture of the place. You don’t have to lie.

4.     Have some good questions ready. You’ll want to do some observing from a distance, but you’ll also want to have conversations with people there. Some examples might include: How long have you been coming here? What’s your favorite thing about this place? Who should I talk to if I want to understand the culture of this place? If appropriate see if you can catch a manager or owner and ask about their hopes and dreams for the space. Aim for the conversation to feel as natural as possible.

5.     Take good notes. It’s important to take detailed notes, but how you do it depends on the situation. I feel like writing notes while I talk to someone often changes the dynamic, so I like to jot down notes right after a conversation. It’s not the easiest way to do it, but I’ve gotten better at it with practice.

6.     Write out your observations in third person. After you’ve left the space, you can put your notes into an easier to read form. This observation section should be written in a neutral manner.

7.     Analyze your observations. Now take some time to analyze what you saw. What are some insights you’ve gleaned about the culture of the place? What will be important to remember if you start a ministry in this space? What new questions emerged? Where do you see possible intersections between the third place and your church? Did you walk away feeling drawn to do ministry in this space or did it feel like maybe it wasn’t the right place?

8.     Pray for next steps. Bring your observations and analysis to God. Ask for guidance, direction, and clarity about ministry in this third place. If you do decide to start a ministry in this space there will be more listening to be done. Particularly, seeking permission from the ownership and talking with people from the space to see how they would form a ministry there.

Good community engagement ministry begins with listening, and ethnography can be a great tool for your listening toolbox!

Let me know how your ethnographic research goes.