Nurturing Communities Network

Materials for the Resources Page

(Please email nurturingcommunitiesnetwork@gmail.com with additional ideas or resources)

10/28/19  

Foundations

  1. The Call to Community  — Essay already on website.  Please make suggestions for edits or resources.

  2. The History of Community — Essay already on website.  Please suggest edits or relevant examples

  3. Community for All — Life Stages in Community — Essay already on website.  Please suggest edits or examples of resources for or approaches to children, mentally ill, aging in community, LGBTQ, differently-enabled, etc.


Issues for Community: Examples and Resources

  1. Affiliation

    To affiliate or not.  Provide rationales from several communities as to why or why not they have affiliated with denominations or associations.  Perhaps a list of pro’s and con’s.

  2. Rules of Life and Covenants

    Examples from several communities

  3. Membership, Novices, and Ways of Belonging

    Examples of categories of membership, novice programs, or other ways that communities have defined belonging.

  4. Community and Church — Ecclesiological Examples

    How does community intersect with “church.”  Different examples with theological rationales.

  5. Legal Organization and Tax Consequences

    We need an essay to explain the different options for both legal organization and IRS classifications for US communities.

  6. Decision-making and Governance 

    Options, examples including structure and responsibilities, terms, qualifications, and scope of authority for various leaders, individuals or groups. Plus how does the body make decisions.

  7. Finances

    Various ways that communities structure or promote financial sharing including

    options or examples.

  8. Mission and Social Justice

    We have an essay, but need more examples of mission statements from various communities.

  9.  Worship

    Examples of worship resources that can be uploaded.

  10.  Community Practices, Discipling and Flow of Life

    How communities have gone about establishing practices.  Various examples including weekly or monthly calendars showing different models for the intensity of community life.  Examples of discipleship programs.

  11. Starting a community

    How to talk to people about starting a community along with discussion topics to have, discernment ideas, indicators of when it might make sense to move forward, aligning beliefs or affirming diversity in beliefs.