An old friend of mine has looked back and found value in ancient practices of Christian community.  This approach to intentional Christian community has been labeled by some as “new monasticism”.  Check out this quick interview with Karen.

Can living life in community help us draw closer to God? “Come and see,” says Karen Sloan, Presbyterian pastor and author of “Flirting with Monasticism,” a book in which she takes readers through her personal journey with ancient Christian traditions. If the Blessed Mother/monasticism and Presbyterian traditions don’t seem like typical bedfellows, consider Karen’s background. She grew up actively involved in a mega church, serving in campus ministries, with the primary teaching that there’s one way to grow spiritually: Read Your Bible and Pray. Karen’s not disputing the importance of “read your Bible and pray” but in her experience, there wasn’t much help in learning how to do that. You were left to figure it out on your own-a sort of personal piety-and it was isolating and guilt-producing. Karen stumbled into practices that help her draw near to God through ancient traditions and common life with others. She’s calling others to experience these traditions which offer resources for people on their spiritual journey-resources like mentors, practices in drawing near to God, and living in community where those around you call you to live holistically-spiritually, physically, and socially building sustainability. Karen’s community is called Formation House. It’s located in a Pittsburgh neighborhood sandwiched between affluence and need, and residents live together, serve together, play together, practice ancient traditions together with layers of mentors and staff to help along the way.

New monasticism is producing a grassroots ecumenism and a prophetic witness within the North American church which is diverse in form, but characterized by the following marks:

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.

For more information on intentional Christian community:

• http://www.newmonasticism.org
• http://www.thesimpleway.org
• http://www.conspiremagazine.com
• http://www.formationhouse.org
• http://karensloan.net

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