Adam Penketh, co-leader of Pioneering Initiatives (PI) Scotland, really enjoys sports. So as he and about 30 other believers set out to form a new kind of church in Glasgow—a church where more time and energy would be spent reaching people beyond church walls than within them—Adam decided his mission efforts would include joining a golf club. (If you missed it, read more about the formation of their microchurches called The Gathering in parts 1 and 2.)
How is golfing a central part of anyone’s mission, you might ask? The answer involves third spaces and the strategic role they play in reaching others with the good news.
A third space is a social space outside of home and work where a person spends time regularly. However, third spaces that are useful for mission have a narrower definition “It’s neutral ground that isn’t in a church and not religion based,” Adam said. “It’s neutral ground where you would share an interest with someone else that would give you something over which to connect.”
A third space might be a place that already exists. For example, members of The Gathering go down to the pub in Glasgow, where other people also regularly go. A third space can also be something you create yourself to gather people together—a monthly neighborhood BBQ, play group, or something else built around a common interest. The Gathering started a poker night.
“A third space isn’t a mission unto itself,” Adam’s co-leader Andy Ashworth shared. “The mission is to make new followers of Jesus who are self-replicating—disciples who make disciples—and who ultimately form new expressions of church. Third spaces are a really important step in that process because they’re where you can make acquaintances that Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) can spring up around. We need to be meeting new people regularly. It expands our sphere of influence and increases our chance of finding someone who’s a gateway to a number of other people. In my experience, just meeting people in your day-to-day walk that you can share with tends not to happen. We have to be more intentional about it. And third places are somewhere to be intentional.”
That’s why Adam decided to join a blue-collar golf club. It was an activity he enjoyed where he could meet new people and build relationships. And even though he didn’t feel like he really knew what he was doing, he saw interesting fruit come from that decision.
For example, one time after a golf competition Adam was sitting with the other guys at the bar, and one guy exclaimed, “I’ve been slain in the Spirit!” “What?” Adam responded, “You’ve got to tell me about that.” His golfing buddy told Adam he’d gone to an evangelistic event when he was 15. Someone came up to him and touched him and he fell over, filled with the Holy Spirit. “I think I’ve gone nuts,” he confided to Adam. “What even was that?” So Adam got to explain that the power and love of Jesus was real.
Adam and Andy would encourage anyone hoping to make disciples to spend time in third spaces. “Spending time in third spaces is a challenging yet encouraging and tangible first step for people who are aspiring to get out there and embrace the mission that Jesus calls us on,” Adam said. “Go to a place where you can identify with people who don’t know Jesus, that you have something in common with, that you can mix with. That’s really all it is.”
While it’s a simple concept, there are quite a few lessons that Andy and Adam have learned in three years of using third spaces (which they also call missional spaces). Here are some of the big ones:
Lesson #1: Go Together
“One of the big learning curves for us in the first year and a half of experimenting with missional spaces was the absolute need to go out together, not to go it alone,” said Adam. “For 95% of our people that’s a make or break thing. Without someone else there they wouldn’t do it, or they would go but choke up and not be themselves.”
“Part of that is accountability,” Andy added. “And part of it is pure courage. For most people it’s really hard to do risky things by yourself. We wish everyone could just do their own things and be super productive and evangelistic, but it doesn’t seem to work like that. Don’t go alone is one of our pillars.”
“If there are no other options, go alone,” Adam advised. “It’s better than not going at all. The Lord will be with you in that.” He pointed out that he had gone alone to the golf club, and God used it.
Lesson #2: Invite People Into One-on-One Settings
“Another learning curve that came out of our experiments,” said Adam, “is that conversations in large groups and open public spaces are naturally going to stay rather shallow.” To go deeper, you need to identify who your acquaintances are and invite them to hang out with you outside of the third space.
“Say at the golf club with that guy that got slain in the Spirit,” Adam explained, “we were all together, all playing in that competition together. So I told that guy, ‘Hey, here’s my number. Really interesting chat. Would you like to go for a round of golf with me sometime? Let me know.’ And then you get to have one-on-one time with them. That tends to be where you can share stories and begin to more naturally bring Jesus into the conversation. For example, in that situation I might have shared, ‘You know, when I was 16 something similar happened to me at a youth event, and I’ve not turned back since. And it’s because of Jesus.’ That kind of thing.”
Adam reiterated that third spaces are not the mission, they’re just a tool to meet people and be on the lookout for those who are spiritually curious, who may already have had an encounter with Jesus, or who might be open to discovering more about him through a DBS or other discovery process. “You’re just looking to engage and build deepening relationships with those people where you can share Jesus and display Jesus through prayer and bold acts of obedience,” Adam said.
Lesson #3: Remember That Jesus Is Worth the Cost
Many believers are resistant to doing this out of a fear that people will feel like a “project” when they share about Jesus. Andy says, there’s some basis to that fear. “When you befriend people and they learn you’re a follower of Christ, some people may feel you have an agenda. Some people may be offended or might not like you. And I would say, ‘So what?’ The honest truth is we do want them to find and know Jesus.”
The real project, Andy said, is actually us. Learning how to share our hope with people and be genuine about our faith takes a lot of practice for most of us.
Along those lines, Adam added, “I’d say it’s disingenuous not to share Jesus, if you think about it. What is the foundation to your life? The reason to get out of bed in the morning? The reason for the hope you have and the joy you have? It’s Jesus! We’ve forgotten just how awesome and transformative Jesus is, because we’re around people who have been transformed by him all the time. It’s become normal to us. But for somebody out in the world who doesn’t know Jesus, they’re literally sitting in darkness, hopelessness, and bondage. It’s a matter of life and death. And it’s actually the most genuine thing you can do to share Jesus with them.”
“Let me be clear,” he said. “You’re not condemning them. You’re sharing your story and the impact Jesus has had on you. ‘When I was in my bed with depression and suicidal thoughts (or whatever it was), the one thing that got me out of that was the name of Jesus and the relationship I have with Jesus.’ Why wouldn’t you want to share that with someone?”
“Nine times out of ten, people don’t think they’re a project,” Adam encouraged. “They’re actually quite honored to hear your story and are quite happy to hear someone give a reason for their beliefs. Generally people engage and are curious about it, and if they’re not, they’re polite. In my experience that’s about the worst thing that happens.”
Still, it takes guts. “There has to be an inner conviction from the Holy Spirit for anyone to actually get out and do this,” Adam added. “Our passion for the Kingdom has to be greater than our fear of people or we won’t do anything.”
Lesson #4: Just Get Out There and Do It
“We’re inexperienced at this,” Adam admitted. “We fumble our words when we’re speaking to people. We don’t have this polished testimony. Yes, we prepare our stories and remind ourselves about the great things God has done in our lives. But when you get into the moment with someone it’s so different.”
“You just have to do it and acknowledge the fact that you’re probably going to be rusty. You’re probably going to be a bit of a beginner. You might fumble some words, you might say some things differently than you intended. But the very fact that you’re sharing the hope Jesus has given you and the love he has for someone else is a win in my book.”
Andy and Adam are big fans of being bold for Jesus. “Be looking for the opportunities,” Andy suggested, “Be asking for Kingdom encounters with people throughout your day. When you wake in the morning and as you go about your day, be actively asking Jesus to give you those encounters, and then be attentive and ready to take them when they come.”
“Be looking for people to pray with, to pray for, to share a little bit of your story with, to be asking about their story. And constantly be ready to mention the name of Jesus and to engage in people’s lives.”
“The bold lifestyle Andy’s describing begins in the hidden place,” said Adam. “It begins with bold prayers of intercession with the Lord, with bold worship; it starts with the way you sacrifice your time to the Lord, your sleep to the Lord, your early morning. The more you’re close to him and filled with his Spirit, the less bold it feels to do this stuff. The closer you are to Jesus, the easier this is.”
“Hopefully a bold life is one that says yes more than it says no,” Adam concluded. “We admit that sometimes we wimp out and get a bit scared. But we recognize that there’s a whole load of grace, and those are learning opportunities to maybe say yes the next time around.”
Andy agreed: “That’s totally it! Let’s be people who partner with Jesus and his Kingdom and not with fear. Let’s be people who say yes!”
ABOUT
Adam Penketh is 34 and he and his wife Charlotte have been married for 10 years. They have two firecrackers of children: Ari who’s 5 and Asher who’s 3! Adam grew up on the outskirts of Liverpool, England, experiencing some life-shaping encounters with God as he navigated the pain and trauma of his dad leaving his mum and younger brother at an early age. Adam took an unconventional route into vocational ministry; playing both the trombone and piano, Adam moved to London and studied at the Royal College of Music. After nearly five years in London, Adam accepted the position of Principal Trombone in the Orquesta Filarmonica de Santiago, Chile, where he and Charlotte lived for two years before moving back to the UK and living in several cities before feeling a very clear and confirmed called to put down roots in Glasgow, Scotland.
Throughout this journey his closeness to the Father deepened, as the Lord took Adam through many moments of growth and hidden training. Having been a catalyst in forming a vibrant Jesus-centered youth community in Santiago, by the time Adam returned to the UK again he was sold on the fact that God was calling him into ministry—to utilize his creativity and natural connection to the voice and heart of the Father to do something new and different for the church—and seven years later that’s exactly what’s happening!
Andy Ashworth is 39 and is married to Julie. They have three children: Mollie, 11; Sophie, 8; and Zach, 5. Before ever thinking about church planting or ministry of any kind, Andy dreamed of being a doctor. He went to medical school where he met his wife and best friend Julie, and after graduating and working full time in medicine for a couple of years, he felt he heard Jesus call him into worship ministry. He joined a small church plant called Re:Hope where he became the worship pastor (amongst other things!) and was there for 11 years before setting out into the unknown again, following the Lord’s call into church planting.
Andy and Adam, along with their wives Julie and Charlotte, co-lead The Gathering, an aspiring network of microchurches loving God, living lives on mission, and normalizing the supernatural. Andy recently returned to medicine as a doctor during the global Covid-19 pandemic—a wonderful reminder of what it feels like to work outside of the church “bubble.” Andy’s greatest dream is to see a movement of the gospel, fueled by the supernatural move of the Holy Spirit, spread like wild-fire through post-Christian Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom.