“Coworking is an emerging trend for a new pattern for working. Typically work-at-home professionals or independent contractors or people who travel frequently end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.” Wikipedia

“Coworking is a movement to create cafe-like community/collaboration spaces for developers, writers and independents.” Coworking Community Blog

“A coworking space gives independent companies that would usually work out of their home, to cut out overhead, a place to call their office.” coworking.com

My formal introduction to the business model of coworking came a few months back while blogging from one of the local espresso shops I frequent (although I suppose I’ve been informally aware of coworking most of my life). I was surprised to find that I was, in a small way and completely ignorantly, a practitioner of coworking. At a table in near mine in this coffee shop, a web designer was giving a sales presentation. The sales pitch ended, and the two began talking about his business. At the time, he rotated between coffee shops, restaurants, and and coworking spaces, utilizing free wi-fi to do his design. He even set up business meeting (like the one I was eavesdropping on) in these public spaces. He went on to say, he was hoping to soon open and manage his own coworking space here in San Antonio. I immediately stopped my blogging and Inquisitor-ed coworking. Basically, coworking is when business share space. Sometimes coworking just means caring on business in an existing public venue. Coworking can also be much more formal, like at Citizen Space in San Francisco Le Bureau, in London or the Hive in Denver.

The lobby of the Hive in Denver

At this point, you may be asking, what in the world does coworking have to do with Christian education? In response to a post at The Road Less Traveled, I recently commented, “if there was a way to channel the late night, coffee fueled discussion of young, reckless dreamers into a model of discipleship, we’d be onto something.” I think coworking may point us in that direction. Many of these coworking spaces encourage community and collaboration. A web designer, graphics designer, children’s book author, pro blogger, marketing consultant, software developer and small tech company could all be sharing a space, brainstorming together, pooling resources and collaborating on projects.

What if innovative churches would set up coworking opportunities for the brilliant young minds they hope to cultivate for ministry. This would allow bible and ministry education to thrive in an organic environment that is more more peer-to-peer than lecture driven. This is the point in the discussion at which the technology discussed in my previous post becomes significant. A coworking educational model (if done well) could also alleviate the “Christian bubble” and lack of real world experience concerns of a traditional Bible/Christian College environment. Innovative Christian writers, software developers, business people, theologians, educators and students could work alongside one another in community. While students are being mentored, they would also be doing (and picking up some non-traditional ministry skills to boot).

What do you think?

__________________

For additional reading on coworking, I suggest you check out, “The Business of Coworking,” “The Business of Coworking II,” and The Hive Co-Op.

“I’m wondering why we insist on sending guys who want to be preachers and church planters off to Bible college and seminary for four years (or more). Would it not be more beneficial for a guy to be mentored and coached by the staff of his local church? He could learn the ins and outs of ministry on the field instead of in the abstract theories of the classroom. And he wouldn’t amass a huge amount of college debt that will take him at least a decade to pay off… and the chances are high that he’ll be out of “professional ministry” a few years before he gets his education paid for.”

It seems to have drawn out some helpful conversation and has got me thinking. If there were no limits, traditions, or built in assumptions, what would be the best way to train people to do ministry? I will try to wrap words around my initial thoughts in a few posts over the next week or so. In the mean time, show Aaron some love.