Christian Community: A Fresh Approach

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, director of the School for Conversion and a New Monastic, gives his heart felt and inspiring message about what he sees as true Christian community. According to Jonathan. finding your community doesn’t mean isolating yourself with a bunch of like-minded people. Community is about having honest, authentic relationships across dividing lines. It’s about healing wounds and reconciliation. It’s about love.

Never heard of New Monasticism? Watch the video and then read the ‘12 Marks of a New Monasticism’ below. You can also see more at NewMonasticism.org.

1. Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.

2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.

3. Hospitality to the stranger

4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.

5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.

6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate.

7. Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.

8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.

9. Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.

10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies.

11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.

12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.