What is the difference between an intentional community and a monastery? Some questions are easy to answer. This one will send most people grasping for the nearest search engine. It matters a lot for people who are looking for alternatives to traditional living arrangements. It also matters a lot for people like me who have to describe what it is like to live in a place like New Covenant House. It matters to people who already live here and who want it to stay more or less the same tomorrow as it was yesterday, only just a little bit better. Language matters. It matters because it creates expectations. Scientists say that we humans are pattern seeking animals. Whenever we hear something our brains immediately go into overdrive and automatically conjures up all kinds of images associated with whatever it is we thought we heard. Few things have absolute meaning. I may say one thing, but you hear something completely different. It is easy to see how even a minor misunderstanding can lead to conflicts, even wars. Language matters. Intentional communities in some form or another have been around for thousands of years, but under various labels. The term seems to have gained traction in the late 20th century when people began to experiment with alternatives to traditional nuclear families living in urban and suburban environments. A monastery is just one of many kinds and implementations of intentional communities. The particular kind of intentional communities we now know as Christian monasteries began to emerge within the first few hundred years following the execution of Jesus of Nazareth. What is special about monastic communities is that they are rooted in a religion such as Christianity, Buddhism or some other religion. Christian monasteries were typically founded by followers of a particularly visionary person, e.g. Franciscans or Benedictines. The purpose was to be able to more perfectly follow the teachings of Jesus. Many saw separation from the corruption of the world as an important ingredient in doing that. Monasteries have proven to be very resilient. They have been around for centuries while other forms of community have lasted a few decades at best. Their persistence can most likely be attributed to their stubborn pursuit of one purpose only, the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. While their purpose has not changed, some monasteries have started to adopt new and more modern forms. Modern monasteries often reflect the make-up of the surrounding society by including males and females as well as families. The ways they anticipate the Kingdom of God is also changing as they adopt modern interpretations of the ancient scriptures to replace old traditions. Because the term monastery seems antiquated, some modern monasteries have adopted the label Intentional Christian Communities. For others that gets a little too close to the myriad of other intentional communities such as co-housing, ecovillages, tiny villages or kibbutz, etc. The confusion may persist for some time to come. Generally, labels simply fail to adequately describe the full nature of the community. Like with personal relationships, the best way to get to know one another is to slow it down and spend time together over meals, go for a walk or sit around a campfire and dive into deep discussions about life. Modern technology makes that possible even on a worldwide basis.
