The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging Paperback – September 12, 2016

I just recommended this book today over lunch with a friend. She is a neighbor of mine who is constantly creating communities of her own. She's good at breaking down the barriers that separate people creating a space where connection and belonging can occur. As I left her driveway she handed me an invitation to her annual Octoberfest that she hosts. I recommended the book to her because I think it has the potential to take her raw and innate ability and make it more conscious and more effective.I sought out this book because I administer a facebook community and wanted to see if I could enhance the sense of belonging with the members. Charles Vogl has given me a road map to do so. For example, because of the Symbol principle and the Inner Ring principle I have selected a strategy to reward members for their contributions. It is my intention to create a greater sense of belonging and connection with those who are most active in the community. Anyone who runs a membership site must read this book. The book has given me practical (and fun) ideas I would not have thought about on my own.Lastly we are entering a new age. In my opinion, the "Information" age with its ability to digitally connect us has up until now made us all more isolated. There is a real hunger for deep connection and belonging. This book is a talisman of the coming of a new age of "Community". Vogl has collated the ancient wisdom of rituals and story telling and packaged it for the needs of the current age.

This book is a noteworthy PRACTICAL guidebook for making meaningful change in the communities around you. I think Vogl does a great job of bringing structure and clarity to a sometimes vague topic, giving the reader easy frameworks and tools for developing community. What I found so interesting was how immediately applicable the ideas were to so many different parts of my life--how to strengthen an endeavor to build a stronger neighborhood group, how to help me at work leading a cross-functional software team, how to create a stronger sense of belonging for myself in communities I'm a member of like weight watchers, how to make extended family gatherings more meaningful for participants. I had that "Duh! Of course!" moment many times reading this book because the points make so much sense, but you've never heard anyone lay them out in a way you could understand. Anyone interested in building a greater sense of belonging for themselves or for those in continue around them will find these simple "duh" moments immediately actionable and the frameworks worth revisiting again and again!! You don't realize how much you're muddling through these issues until you see how easy it can be.

It took me a little time to get into this book because I am an introvert. The book showed me many things I took for granted in community and the reason that I have left so many organizations that I belonged to at one time. I got nothing or little out of the relationship. As a pastor, it reminds me of things I need to do not only in the body but all of the groups functioning in the body.

The Art of Community brings clarity to the ethereal nuances that make strong communities. When I talk to many of my fellow organizers, they have various opinions on why certain communities thrive, but most have always said they only 'know a strong community when they see one'. Charles has done the hard work of distilling the practices that likely drive the success of these strong communities giving organizers a structure to draw from.However, his inclusion of the word 'Art' in the title is purposeful. The book is not a prescriptive set of steps to be followed. How to implement the principles and what exactly needs to get implemented is specific to the community. Charles talks at length about formal and informal implementations of the various principles and how they work in different ways to make a community successful. For example, he doesn't assert what values make a community successful, just that defined values, whatever they are, help members understand the community they're a part of.For any leader looking to create a lasting organization, group, or movement, Charles' book provides an excellent mental framework. It provides insight for avoiding internal problems and confusion of young communities, and explains how longstanding communities can fail to mature and atrophy. In our modern crises of community, it's a much needed guidepost towards a more fulfilling society.

Good read

This book is short. It compiles a number of keys to building community with an eye to lessons from religious practices. O far prefer The Art of Gathering as a source for building community, though Vogl's inner rings and guardians are important reminders on how to maintain community.

Having read way too many business books that are both vague, descriptive and ultimately useless, I was massively appreciative of the powerful distinctions and tools included in the book that helped me get into action improving my communities in my life. Concise, detailed and easy to read all at the same time. The personable tone of the writing and the examples used perfectly illustrated the 7 aspects of creating and sustaining communities. Not only was this a deep and useful dive into how people operate in business, social and sacred communities, it offered a blueprint for creating and deepening our already existing communities.We operate in groups and most of them are not powerful communities. I saw for myself how and why I operated the way I did in communities and the power of groups taking on changing their companies, society and their world. I have recommended it to all of my clients as a MUST read.