This “next-steps” worksheet is for current or aspiring community leaders. Working through these steps will help you clarify what you intend to create and how to use the ideas in this book successfully. Remember, no matter how formal or informal your community prefers to be, the seven principles will likely become apparent over time, and, depending on how well they’re introduced, they can help or hinder what you want to create.
You may not have answers to all these questions yet. This is perfectly fine. You may find some answers as soon as you look more deeply, while other answers may naturally emerge over time. In either case, knowing that these questions might come up will make a huge difference in creating clarity and strength.
Communities must be defined at some level so that prospective members can know if they belong.
What is the name or description of our community?
(Example: a community of Bay Area mountain biking enthusiasts.)
Who do we want in our community who is not yet in it?
Who should not be in our community?
(Really, who doesn’t share our values?)
What are the core values of our community?
How can we know these are the values?
How can other people (current members as well as people interested in becoming members) learn that these are our values?
Who does our community tell members we are? (in any part of our lives)
What does our community tell members we should do? (about anything)
What does our community tell members we should believe? (about anything)
What moral proscriptions in our community are different from those of others (at least one person) in the world?
What and whom do we protect?
What is unacceptable behavior?
What do we share? (knowledge, objects, access)
With whom do we share these things?
Whom do we particularly respect?
How do we show respect?
What do our members want others to understand about them without having to explain themselves?
Communities have a boundary between outsiders and insiders.
Do we know formally or informally who is in our community and who is outside? (Even self-selecting communities have insiders and outsiders.)
How do we know when someone is inside?
Who are our gatekeepers who can welcome new members? (informal or formal)
How do newcomers find and access them?
Who maintains the boundary so that we know who is inside or outside? (This can be several people, or just one, and can be informal or formal.)
Has anyone ever been denied entry or rejected?
How was this enforced?
How do we prefer to enforce the boundary to protect the values in our community?
Communities have an initiation ceremony of some kind, by which new members know that they are officially welcomed.
What is an activity that is understood as official recognition and welcome into the community? (no matter how small)
How can visitors become recognized as members?
How do they learn how to become a member?
Would members appreciate an option for a more ritualized initiation?
Where do you prefer initiation to take place? (if anywhere)
What is/should be said?
Who leads or is present for the initiation?
What item do you give members to take and remind them of their belonging?
What privileges do members gain when welcomed inside the community? (Closer connection, respect, more access, and understanding all count.)
Mature communities have rituals that honor important times or events.
What activities are important rituals for the community? (Even if unlabeled. Hint: if you changed the activities, members would feel the absence and be upset.)
What events, transitions, or memorial moments do members appreciate are recognized by the community?
When and how do members display their participation together so they can see others in the community?
When do members play together as a community? (Sporting events and celebrations count.)
What activities do your members appreciate doing together that are special? (Feasting, sporting, silence, singing, toasting all count.)
What ritual tradition do you prefer to continue? (if any)
Who preferably leads?
What preferably is said?
What do you pass on or leave behind to remember?
Mature communities have a special place where members gather and enact rituals. These can include play or honoring rituals.
Where do members gather to enact rituals? (even play rituals)
What is the most important place?
How do you make that place special when the community gathers?
What spaces are special other than a main place?
When are these spaces special? (for example, all the time or once a year or other frequency)
How do you designate the spaces as special? (Inviting people to the place for a specific time counts.)
Mature communities have stories by which they strengthen their identity and share values with newcomers.
What origin story about the community do you want newcomers to know and understand?
Who was involved?
When was it?
What was the goal for the community?
What challenges were faced?
What was learned in creating the community?
What story do you want newcomers to understand that reveals how the community core values were upheld when facing a challenging time?
When did the community or certain members fail, and what important lesson(s) was learned?
What personal stories about members would you want all members to learn?
How can members share their stories with others?
How can newcomers or visitors learn stories about members?
What opportunity can you create so members can share their own stories and hear stories important to your community?
What are the most important symbols for your community and what do they represent?
Who uses them and how are they used?
How did they become symbols?
What tokens do/could members keep and what meaning do/could they hold?
What are the names for the inner rings in your community and the privileges for each? (Please do not create new inner rings that aren’t helpful.)
Visitor
Novice
Member
Elder
Principal Elder
How do members enter the inner rings?
How do members learn the path to inner rings?
How do senior members show their concern beyond themselves?
The diaconate holds authority in these areas:
Protecting the boundary
Officiating at rituals
Teaching community values
Who represents the diaconate in your community? (They are probably called something else, and may even have no title.)
How do members know that those people are the diaconate?
How can others join the diaconate?
How do you know whose contribution is valued more than others?
Mature communities teach members to succeed at something they want (making supportive friends counts).
What do your members want to succeed at? (Creating safe, deep, and connected friendships counts. So does learning a skill.)
What outward skills are they learning (informally or formally)? (How to be a supportive neighbor, support new friends, and make a safe neighborhood count.)
What wisdom are they learning about internal mental and emotional health?
How do members understand something is not as it seems to outsiders?
You can get downloads of worksheets and examples filled by community leaders at charlesvogl.com
Once you as a leader have completed the worksheet in as much detail as you can, you should have new ideas about your community and how you can strengthen it. The next step is to take those ideas to your members, or to those who you think want to be your members, and ask them for their thoughts. I promise that you’ll be surprised! And you’ll probably be shocked by how much they’ll appreciate an honest, values-based, and welcoming effort to strengthen their community.
You can reach both me and my team at charlesvogl.com.