Why are Christians always hanging out in coffee shops anyway?
Coffee shops seem to align particularly well with the Christian emphasis on community, making them natural hubs for social and spiritual activities. And while there may not be a perfect answer to the question of why, but here are the possibilities.
The perfect “Third Place”
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place”, a location that is neither home nor work. These are the perfect venues for informal and impromptu meetings. Christian meetings often need a “third place” — a place that’s not a home or a church. This helps foster a sense of community and safety. Coffee shops are ideal communal meeting places.
Equalized Accessibility
Coffee shops are typically inexpensive and convenient. Rather than ordering food at a restaurant, a cup of coffee or a mug of tea is much less of a commitment in time, calories, and dollars. Coffee not your jam? Most shops have several options to serve any taste. The coffee shop provides a neutral ground for discipleship and evangelism.
A Haven of Productivity
Many Christians, particularly students, pastors, and leaders, use coffee shops as places to work, study, or read. The availability of Wi-Fi, a steady supply of coffee, and a generally quiet atmosphere make them ideal for productive Bible study and sermon prep places. Working in public provides an element of productive accountability.
It’s been said that ideas are born in coffee shops and deals are done in bars. Whether research supports this proverbial truth, it seems a fitting stereotype for our two cultural watering holes. Interestingly, it’s the former, not the latter, where Christians usually congregate.
Walk into nearly any coffee shop in an American community of any size, and you’re likely to find tables full of Christians. Bible study groups discussing Scripture, pairs in personal discipleship conversations, and pastors preparing sermons are as common a sight as iced coffee and mocha lattes.
A modern-day ‘City on a Hill’
In Greenville, South Carolina, Bridge City Coffee is a nondescript, standalone building amid mild suburban sprawl, where the typical menagerie of Christian activity takes place at round tables and comfortable couches.
Greg Ward, Bridge City’s owner, can often be found at the shop’s primary location, which also houses their award-winning roastery. While Ward is a Christian , he’s quick to clarify that he doesn’t run a “Christian business.” As he explains, “Creating a place that is a true ‘City on a Hill’ is a lot more than overtly putting Bible verses on the walls.” Ward seeks the good of the community, from sourcing to staffing to local engagement.
It’s about goodness at the source, Ward might say. Coffee as a commodity has some long-standing problematic elements rooted in colonization, exploitation, unfair pricing, and environmental neglect. Ward ensures Bridge City Coffee is ethically sourced and maintains ongoing relationships with coffee growers. “Our vision is to enrich communities, and that starts with sourcing,” he says.
He said, “From the beginning, it was important to me that we be able to hire anyone. And I mean anyone,” Ward said. Bridge City hires diversely, from seasoned coffee professionals to those who have never worked before. Working through local non-profit organizations, they even seek to hire those who might be deemed risky hires.
One team member, who identifies as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, had experienced trauma from the local Christian community. However, her experience as a Bridge City employee has been a healing one. This staff member shared with Ward, “You are redeeming who Jesus is to me. I’m way more interested in Jesus because you have loved me and provided me with a safe place.” This embodies Ward’s mission: to help everyone who works for him understand their immeasurable, intrinsic value as imago Dei.
While many Christians certainly frequent Bridge City Coffee, Ward is adamant about not depending solely on the Christian community for his business. He’s very clear on this: Bridge City is for everyone.
“I feel like we (Christian business owners) are often too lazy and dependent on other Christians to fuel our business, rather than appealing to everyone and trying to be a true City on a Hill,” Ward said.
Ward’s shop isn’t the first to see a prevalence of Christian coffeehouse goers. In fact that connection is long established. While not resembling a 17th-century coffeehouse in appearance, Bridge City Coffee certainly embodies its spirit.
From Constantinople to American suburbia
The coffee shop as a gathering place goes back at least to 17th-century Turkey. Some of the world’s first known coffee shops appeared in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in the Ottoman Empire. In the early 1600s, George Sandys, a young English poet and maybe the original travel writer, traveled to Turkey and observed men in the city sitting around chatting most of the day, drinking “caffa … as hot as they could stand.” He described it as “black as soot and tasting not much unlike it.”
Shortly after, the first coffee shops began appearing in London and spreading to other European cities. By the end of the 1600s, coffeehouses proliferated throughout the known world, from colonial Boston to Prague, becoming hubs for discussing local politics and global news. While taverns had a reputation for idle drunkenness, coffeehouses were known for caffeine-fueled ideation, conversation, and labor. The 17th-century Puritan work-ethic preferred coffee.
This tradition continues today. Coffeehouses are ubiquitous, from corporate chains to small locally owned cafes, and these shops are the daytime haunts of many writers, poets, entrepreneurs, and pastors.
Seeking the welfare of the city
By design, businesses gain profit, but often commodify both resources and human beings. Ward believes this isn’t how it should be. While profitability is essential, Ward believes Christians entrepreneurs must be willing to move into the uncomfortable places where Jesus would be, bringing value to those often overlooked and undervalued.
“We should be seeking the welfare of our city, even if we don’t agree politically with the city,” Ward concludes. “That’s what Jeremiah told the people of Israel to do while in captivity. I believe that’s what we should do as well.”
Following the long-standing traditions of the third-space coffeehouse, Bridge City Coffee is a powerful example of how Christian principles of goodness and ethics can create positive change — no matter who is frequenting the shop.