What is *The Art of Community* by Charles Vogl about?

*The Art of Community* outlines seven time-tested principles for building enduring, connected communities, drawing from 3,000 years of spiritual traditions. Key ideas include establishing boundaries, designing meaningful rituals, and fostering trust through shared values. Vogl provides actionable tools for leaders to cultivate belonging in organizations, companies, or social groups, emphasizing safety, mutual support, and purpose-driven collaboration.

Who should read *The Art of Community*?

This book is ideal for leaders, managers, organizers, and anyone aiming to strengthen communal bonds in workplaces, nonprofits, or online groups. It’s particularly valuable for mission-driven professionals seeking frameworks to resolve modern loneliness and build resilient, values-aligned networks.

Is *The Art of Community* worth reading?

Yes—the book won the Nautilus Silver Award and is praised for blending ancient wisdom with modern leadership strategies. Its practical frameworks (e.g., initiation rituals, boundary-setting) are used by organizations like Google and Airbnb, making it a trusted resource for fostering innovation and integrity through community.

What are the 7 principles of community-building in the book?

Vogl’s seven principles include: 1. **Boundary**: Defining who belongs to create safety and shared identity. 2. **Initiation**: Formalizing entry to deepen commitment. 3. **Rituals**: Designing meaningful shared practices. 4. **Temple**: Creating sacred spaces for connection. 5. **Stories**: Sharing narratives that reinforce values. 6. **Symbols**: Using visual markers of belonging. 7. **Inner Rings**: Structuring tiers of membership to reward engagement.

How does *The Art of Community* address modern loneliness?

The book argues that intentional community design combats isolation by fostering mutual concern and shared purpose. Vogl highlights rituals (e.g., structured meetings) and boundary management as tools to create psychological safety, mirroring strategies used in high-trust groups like spiritual traditions.

What is a key quote from *The Art of Community*?

“A community is not a product that can be manufactured, but a relationship that must be cultivated.” This emphasizes the need for ongoing, intentional effort to nurture trust and alignment rather than relying on superficial connections.

What critiques exist about *The Art of Community*?

Some note the principles require adaptation for fast-moving digital communities, as the book leans on analog-era case studies. However, its focus on timeless human needs (safety, belonging) keeps it relevant for hybrid and remote work contexts.

The Art of Community

Q: How does *The Art of Community* compare to *Building Brand Communities*?

While both books by Vogl focus on community-building, *The Art of Community* explores universal principles from spiritual traditions, whereas *Building Brand Communities* (co-authored with Carrie Melissa Jones) specifically addresses brand-led communities, emphasizing mutual concern and customer engagement. The latter won an Axiom Business Book Gold Medal.

Seven Principles for Belonging

Charles Vogl

3.69(1004 Reviews)

Overview of The Art of Community

Discover the seven ancient principles that transform mere groups into thriving communities. Winner of the Nautilus Silver Award, Charles Vogl's guide has become essential reading for leaders seeking deeper human connection in our increasingly disconnected world. What boundary will you establish first?

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Chapter 1

The Invisible Threads That Bind Us Together

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt at home? Or conversely, have you ever been surrounded by people yet felt utterly alone? In our increasingly disconnected world, where social media "friends" have replaced genuine connections and traditional community structures continue to crumble, Charles Vogl's "The Art of Community" arrives as a timely lifeline. This book has become a quiet phenomenon among Silicon Valley executives, nonprofit leaders, and religious organizations alike-all seeking to understand how to create authentic belonging in a world starved for connection. Vogl, who survived a plane crash, cobra attack, and malaria in the same year, brings a unique perspective as both an outsider who has experienced profound loneliness and as someone who successfully built a community that changed lives at Yale University. What makes this work particularly compelling is how it distills ancient wisdom about human connection into practical principles that work just as effectively for tech startups as they do for neighborhood associations. In a society where loneliness has become an epidemic as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes daily, learning to build true community isn't just nice-it's necessary for our collective survival.

Chapter 2

The Hunger for Belonging in a Disconnected Age

Our experience of community has transformed dramatically in a single generation. Research shows people reporting having no confidante has tripled, while our average social networks have shrunk by one-third. Religious participation has declined precipitously, especially among younger Americans, with one-fifth now religiously unaffiliated-the highest percentage ever recorded. Beyond religious institutions, social organizations have eroded significantly. While nearly two-thirds of Americans attended club meetings in the 1970s, by the late 1990s almost two-thirds had never attended one. Americans invested about one-third less time in organizational life from 1965 to 1995, and even picnics per capita decreased by 60% between 1975 and 1999. This decline in community participation has profound implications for our well-being. Studies involving over 300,000 participants show that weak social ties are as harmful as alcoholism and equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily. Loneliness literally kills-and one in five Americans report feeling lonely. Yet paradoxically, millennials show greater interest in connection and values-based activism than previous generations. They're more likely to join causes than social clubs and express strong desires to contribute to society. They prefer dense, diverse urban environments over isolated suburbs. This generation isn't rejecting community-they're seeking more meaningful forms of it. What's happening is a fundamental shift in how we connect. As marketing guru Seth Godin notes, people now want connection more than material things. When we find others sharing our values, friendship opportunities emerge that defeat loneliness. In deep community, we can be vulnerable while knowing we belong. The challenge and opportunity for leaders today is connecting this "lonely generation" in ways that provide deep belonging. Those who succeed will profoundly affect others' health and well-being, ultimately changing the world one relationship at a time.

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Chapter 3

What Makes a Community More Than Just a Group

A community is fundamentally different from a mere group or organization. While museums or associations may have large memberships, they often lack what defines true community: mutual concern for one another's welfare. As Robert Putnam explains, such members "root for the same team and share some interests, but remain unaware of each other's existence." When we perceive others care about our welfare, we invest more in building relationships with them. Communities form around shared values-what we cherish and disdain-regardless of appearances or geography. Consider CrossFit Oakland, where members join for high-intensity training but stay for connection. The gym values health, safety and personal growth over mere strength or competitiveness. Communities reveal their true values by where members put their "warm bodies"-what they physically show up for. Beyond shared values, communities provide membership identity that helps answer three fundamental questions: Who am I? How should I act? What do I believe? Even informal communities like weekend bicycling groups have implicit identities that determine who feels welcome. For firefighters, their community values hypervigilance, embracing the present, and extensive preparation, creating an identity of being "the fixer on the worst days." Executive chefs form an identity centered on culinary authority and continuous improvement. Communities also establish moral guidelines reflecting their core values, defining acceptable behavior and treatment of others. These become evident when asking: What do we protect? What's intolerable? What and with whom do we share? Whom do we respect and how? Even seemingly casual groups have implicit moral codes distinguishing responsible members from others. Perhaps one of community's greatest comforts is not having to explain ourselves-members share both technical understanding (terminology, history, skills) and emotional understanding (shared feelings and values). Weight Watchers members understand the struggle for healthy weight, firefighters share the emotional reality of dangerous work, and patient support groups provide relief through shared experiences. This insider understanding allows for authentic expression impossible with outsiders, like firefighters' dark humor that would jar those without their experiences. Understanding these fundamental aspects of community helps leaders articulate what makes their communities cohesive and identify what newcomers are seeking when they approach the group.

Chapter 4

Creating Boundaries That Protect Rather Than Exclude

The boundary principle establishes a clear demarcation between insiders and outsiders in a community. This boundary creates safety for members rather than excluding outsiders. When boundaries exist, members feel confident they share values with others inside their community. For example, a mothers' group in Lowell, Massachusetts strictly limits membership to mothers only-excluding even fathers and medical professionals-to create a judgment-free space where members can share vulnerabilities. Without boundaries, communities face an "everything-nothing conundrum" where they cannot be distinguished from non-communities. Even communities claiming to "welcome everyone" typically have implicit boundaries based on shared values. What's needed are "exploration zones" where visitors can participate in outer ring activities while inner ring activities remain for members only. Boundaries must be maintained by authorities (formal or informal) according to community values rather than personal preferences. When boundaries are poorly protected-either by being overly inclusive or exclusive-members lose trust in the community's values and leadership. Think about it: if anyone can join without demonstrating shared values, how can members trust that others in the group truly understand and support what matters most? Gatekeepers play a crucial role in helping newcomers cross boundaries. Without accessible gatekeepers, potential members have no path to join, regardless of how welcoming a community claims to be. I've seen this dynamic play out in religious communities that proclaim "all are welcome" but provide no clear way for newcomers to connect with existing members. The most welcoming statement means nothing without actual people facilitating connections. The boundary principle isn't about exclusivity for its own sake-it's about creating clarity and safety. When properly implemented, boundaries don't keep people out unnecessarily; they ensure those who enter share the community's core values, creating an environment where authentic connection can flourish.

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Chapter 5

Marking Membership Through Meaningful Initiations

Initiations officially welcome new members into a community, marking their completed journey across the boundary. After initiation, insiders gain new privileges and feel confident in their belonging with nothing more to prove. These ceremonies can be elaborate (like religious rituals) or simple (a warm letter or phone call), but must clearly communicate recognition and welcome. Without clear initiations, two problems arise: newcomers don't know how to become members, and the community lacks clarity about who belongs. In informal communities, people often look for "accidental initiations" if formal ones aren't offered-interpreting compliments from leaders or private invitations as confirmation of their acceptance. Many members, especially in elite groups, experience a "crisis of belonging" where they fear their admission was accidental and they'll be exposed as frauds. Have you ever felt like you don't truly belong somewhere, despite all evidence to the contrary? This impostor syndrome plagues even accomplished individuals in prestigious institutions. The solution is surprisingly simple: extend invitations. When we invite others, we establish ourselves as having authority to invite (regardless of formal title) and provide evidence to recipients that they truly belong. Examples of effective initiations include Peace Corps volunteers receiving pins after training, New Belgium Brewery employees becoming shareholders on their one-year anniversary, and first-time Burning Man attendees rolling in desert dust. These rituals create clear demarcation points where someone transitions from outsider to insider. The power of invitation cannot be overstated. Even unaccepted invitations can resolve the crisis of belonging by demonstrating inclusion. Think about times you've been explicitly invited into a group-didn't it immediately change how you felt about your place within it? That's the transformative power of initiation at work.

Chapter 6

The Power of Rituals in Building Community Identity

Rituals mark special times or events with meaningful actions that connect present experiences with the past and future. According to psychologist Roy Baumeister, these practices create meaningfulness by helping us understand our lives beyond the present moment, providing stability amid life's changes. Strong communities create both formal and informal rituals that often rely on special symbols and evoke emotional connections. In our casual modern era, rituals we maintain become even more special. Common examples include birthday celebrations, Thanksgiving traditions, and holiday customs-activities that would make the occasion feel less important if removed. Rituals follow recognizable patterns (like the birthday party sequence of cake, candles, singing, and presents) and can develop organically through repetition. Their intensity can be deliberately increased through elements like beginning with silence, using special places, or incorporating touch. Silence itself can be a powerful ritual component, especially during times of loss. Rites of passage-marking transitions from one status to another-are particularly important community rituals. These ceremonies acknowledge maturation and growth, helping members feel proud, worthy, and valued during important transitions. The power of these rituals is so significant that some people conflate the ceremony with the actual achievement, as demonstrated when President Obama retook his inaugural oath after a verbal mistake in the first ceremony. Creating new rituals can be deeply meaningful even without established tradition. A basic structure includes an opening (welcome, stating intention, referencing tradition, providing instructions), a body (sharing wisdom, inviting participation through symbolic activities), and a closing (acknowledging what has been completed, marking the ritual's end). Community display rituals reveal the community to itself through collective participation that demonstrates the group's scale and strength. Play rituals are equally important, with shared meals being particularly powerful. When meals are ritualized, they become feasts-like Thanksgiving, which has become a significant ritual for many American families. As communities evolve, their rituals must adapt to remain meaningful. Leaders should reflect on what rituals should mean to current members, balancing tradition with innovation. Like Thanksgiving dinners that maintain core traditions while accommodating new guests, dietary needs, and cultural influences, rituals should honor history while embracing necessary changes.

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Chapter 7

Sacred Spaces: The Temple Principle

A temple is any place where community members gather to enact their shared rituals-a sacred space set aside for particular use. While a permanent location is beneficial, any space can become a temple when the community gathers there. These spaces represent the community's strength and legitimacy, and members may long to visit them when away. Sacred spaces are simply areas set aside for special purposes. The environment profoundly impacts ritual experiences-imagine a wedding in a train station bathroom versus a cathedral. Any space can be temporarily made sacred through intentional designation and preparation. Key elements for creating sacred spaces include: boundaries that mark the special area; specific invitations to important participants; special clothing appropriate to the occasion; intentional lighting focused where attention is wanted; distinctive sounds or silence; and height variations to elevate important objects or people during ceremonies. Communities naturally develop minor temples beyond their primary gathering place. These smaller sacred spaces allow intimate gatherings where subcommunities can develop their own ritual styles while maintaining connection to the larger group. CrossFit exemplifies this with its World Games serving as a global temple, while local gyms function as minor temples with recognizable but locally interpreted rituals. Even online destinations can become community temples when members know they'll find their community and can enact meaningful rituals there. However, even the best online communities can't match the connection level of offline gatherings. Stu McLaren, founder of WishList, believes the most powerful thing an online community can do is create offline friendships, recommending at least one annual in-person event. The temple principle reminds us that physical space matters-not because we need elaborate buildings, but because humans are embodied creatures who experience belonging differently when we share physical proximity. Creating intentional spaces for gathering, whether permanent or temporary, gives community members a sense of place and belonging that transcends the everyday world.

Chapter 8

Narrative as Community Glue: The Stories Principle

Stories are humanity's most powerful learning tool and essential for community connection. They communicate a community's values and identity more effectively than mission statements. Without knowing a community's stories, outsiders cannot understand who they are or what matters to them. Every religious tradition has iconic stories that form its identity foundation. Origin stories are particularly crucial, explaining how founders were inspired to form the community, what they learned, what they did, and how they invited others to join. These stories communicate who the community serves, why it serves, and how it serves-along with core values. While ideally factual, origin stories can convey emotional or ideological truth. As communities evolve, origin stories expand or new ones emerge to explain how the community has faced and responded to new challenges. The Lowell Mothers Community exemplifies this, beginning with twelve mothers meeting in a church breastfeeding group who created supportive relationships and an online community that eventually grew to thousands of members supporting each other far beyond the original location. Communities must share stories that demonstrate their values in action and their impact on real people. These stories reveal the community's identity more effectively than anything else. New Belgium Brewing exemplifies this-when employees gave up year-end bonuses to fund wind energy for the company, it showed Katie that she works in a community willing to make hard choices aligned with their environmental values. Strong communities also share stories of vulnerability-accounts of failure, fears, and truths not meant for the whole world. Without this vulnerability, connections remain superficial. When Twitch accidentally deleted video archives for the million-user "Twitch Play Pokemon" phenomenon, director Marcus chose transparency over secrecy, personally contacting community leaders and admitting the failure. Though it took weeks to recover the videos, this honesty built lasting trust with users. Members need opportunities to share their personal stories in formal or informal settings to feel seen and understood. These stories reveal shared values and build deep connections. At Neptune Studios, when an employee's daughter was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disease, filmmakers organized an art auction that raised significant funds for research. This story showed Emily that her workplace community cares beyond profits, making her more committed every day. The communities we feel most connected to are often those where we've learned and shared personal stories. Through storytelling, we create the emotional bonds that transform a group of individuals into a true community.

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Chapter 9

Inner Rings: Creating Paths for Growth and Contribution

Everyone desires to be special and valued, often through belonging to prestigious "inner rings"-both formal and informal exclusive groups. This universal longing drives us to seek new ways to participate and contribute, rarely satisfied with the rings we already inhabit. In Tibetan Buddhism, community structure resembles a mandala with progression from outer to inner to secret parts-from interested seekers to students, members, practitioners, lay vowed, acolytes, monastics, and finally mystics and sages. The endless pursuit of increasingly exclusive inner rings creates a dangerous trap, as C.S. Lewis warned in his 1944 speech. "You are trying to peel an onion: if you succeed there will be nothing left." This insatiable desire leads to perpetual dissatisfaction-from elite school admission to the cool kids' group to student leaders to accomplished alumni. Even becoming president reveals yet another ring of Nobel Prize winners. Communities must offer clear paths to personal growth based on shared values to avoid creating meaningless, unattainable inner rings. The most mature communities have what I call a diaconate-people with more authority whose opinions are more valued because members believe they embody community values. The diaconate has informal or formal authority in protecting boundaries, officiating at rituals, and teaching community values. Problems arise without a diaconate-strict egalitarianism may work initially but eventually fails as communities grow. Without recognized leadership, visitors can't distinguish between valuable contributors and crackpots, nor can the community enforce boundaries against those promoting conflicting values. Strong, mature communities give members opportunities to learn and grow in ways they couldn't achieve alone. This growth might be toward managing life holistically or developing specific skills. The community provides access to a body of knowledge and wisdom through informal interactions or formal education. If members no longer believe the community can teach them to succeed, or don't understand how to access its wisdom, their commitment will weaken. Communities offer both external skills and internal growth. While external skills like meditation techniques or scout knots can be learned, the true value comes from internal development that happens through relationships. Strong communities teach two types of insider knowledge: "data" (information shared only with trusted members) and "perception" (understanding things differently than outsiders). By creating clear paths for deeper involvement and contribution, communities satisfy the human desire for growth and recognition while avoiding the trap of endless, meaningless status-seeking.

Chapter 10

Building Healthy Communities in a Digital Age

In today's interconnected world, community builders must understand how to apply timeless principles across both physical and digital spaces. The most effective leaders recognize different kinds of success orientation that affect leadership potential. Community Maximizing Success seekers prioritize group outcomes over personal gain, willing to sacrifice for collective benefit. These leaders inspire others and build authentic communities that sustain members through difficult times, unlike Relative Success seekers who aim to outperform others or Personal Maximizing Success seekers who cooperate only when it benefits them directly. Online communities apply the seven principles differently but still depend on them for success. These communities offer unique strengths in overcoming geography and time constraints, protecting offline identities when needed, scaling easily without physical limitations, and creating permanent records of experiences. However, they struggle to match the emotional intimacy of in-person connection that people crave during life's most challenging moments. The seven principles adapt effectively to online settings. Boundaries can be established through paywalls or required questions about joining motivations. Initiation involves welcome routines that quickly integrate newcomers and connect them with existing members. Online rituals celebrate milestones like sales achievements or health improvements. Websites themselves become temples where members gather around shared values. Stories shared through blogs and videos reveal community values. Symbols emerge as badges representing accomplishments and commitment levels, reinforcing members' identity with each visit. Inner rings are easily created online by inviting members to exclusive groups based on experience, location, or achievement. Different privileges can be granted, such as leading discussions, special posting rights, and mentoring opportunities. Twitch demonstrates multiple levels of inner rings, both formal and informal, from casual viewers to partners with subscription buttons to global moderators enforcing community standards. For sustainable community management, Nobel Prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom identified eight essential features: clear group identity with understood boundaries; proportional benefits and costs that reward contribution; participatory decision-making perceived as fair; effective monitoring of rule violators; graduated sanctions for rule-breaking; accessible conflict resolution mechanisms; recognized rights to organize; and appropriate coordination between groups of different sizes. By understanding these principles and adapting them thoughtfully to both physical and digital contexts, leaders can create communities that provide genuine belonging in our increasingly disconnected world.

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Chapter 11

The Ongoing Journey of Community Building

Communities can naturally end without representing failure. When a community concludes, relationships often continue, which itself constitutes success. Film production teams exemplify this-they form tight communities during projects, then disband when work completes, with members carrying relationships forward to new projects. The community fulfilled its purpose rather than failed. Creating belonging begins with acknowledging others' importance in your life. A simple practice of calling people who've made a difference to tell them they matter strengthens community bonds. Though it might feel unusual, this practice creates appreciation and deeper connection: "I'm calling because I'm noticing who makes my life better. I thought of you. I want you to know that I notice and appreciate that you... This matters to me." The principles outlined throughout this book aren't rigid rules but rather foundational concepts to apply or refine according to your community's unique needs and values. Building community isn't always easy, but it represents how "the best parts of our lives are created." As Dorothy Day wisely noted, "We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community." In our increasingly isolated society, the work of creating genuine belonging has never been more important. By implementing these seven principles-boundaries, initiation, rituals, temples, stories, symbols, and inner rings-we can defeat loneliness and create the belonging our world desperately needs. Whether you're leading a tech startup, religious congregation, neighborhood association, or simply gathering friends for regular dinners, these principles provide a roadmap for creating communities where people truly belong. The journey of community building is ongoing, evolving with each new member and changing circumstance. What remains constant is the human need for connection and the transformative power of belonging. By consciously crafting communities that serve their members while contributing to the broader world, we create spaces where people can become their best selves-together.

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Key Themes in The Art of Community

authentic belonging
shared values
social connection
community building
membership identity

Quotes from The Art of Community

People now want connection more than material things.
Communities form around shared values-what we cherish and disdain.
Communities reveal their true values by where members put their warm bodies.
The boundary principle isn't about exclusivity for its own sake-it's about creating clarity and safety.

Characters in The Art of Community

Charles VoglAuthor and community builder at Yale University
Robert PutnamSocial scientist who explains group dynamics

About the Author

Charles Vogl, international bestselling author of The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging, is a leadership consultant and speaker specializing in culture-building and organizational belonging.

Drawing on his Yale divinity studies and two decades advising Google, Airbnb, and the U.S. Army, Vogl merges spiritual traditions with modern leadership practices to address loneliness in disconnected workplaces. His work has been recognized with a Nautilus Silver Award for Business and Leadership, while his follow-up book Building Brand Communities (co-authored with Carrie Melissa Jones) earned an Axiom Business Book Gold Medal.

A former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and Amnesty International award-winning documentary filmmaker, Vogl founded Broken English Productions, creating PBS content on social justice. His community-building frameworks are implemented across Google’s leadership programs for 20,000+ managers and featured in talks at institutions like Yale.

Translated into 12 languages, The Art of Community remains required reading in corporate training programs and university courses worldwide.

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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

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Chapter 10

The Art of Community

OverviewOverview of The Art of Community

One book. Many ways to hear it.

The Invisible Threads That Bind Us Together

The Hunger for Belonging in a Disconnected Age

See every word as you hear it

What Makes a Community More Than Just a Group

Creating Boundaries That Protect Rather Than Exclude

Get more out of The Art of Community

Marking Membership Through Meaningful Initiations

The Power of Rituals in Building Community Identity

See every word as you hear it

Sacred Spaces: The Temple Principle

Narrative as Community Glue: The Stories Principle

Get more out of The Art of Community

Inner Rings: Creating Paths for Growth and Contribution

Building Healthy Communities in a Digital Age

See every word as you hear it

The Ongoing Journey of Community Building

You made it to the end of The Art of Community

Key Themes in The Art of Community

Quotes from The Art of Community

Characters in The Art of Community

About the Author

Download Summary of The Art of Community

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FAQs About This Book

What is The Art of Community by Charles Vogl about?

Who should read The Art of Community?

Is The Art of Community worth reading?

What are the 7 principles of community-building in the book?

Part of a Learning Plan

find my tribe, build my own family

Discover more

1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

One book. Many ways to hear it.

The Invisible Threads That Bind Us Together

The Hunger for Belonging in a Disconnected Age

See every word as you hear it

What Makes a Community More Than Just a Group

Creating Boundaries That Protect Rather Than Exclude

Get more out of The Art of Community

Marking Membership Through Meaningful Initiations

The Power of Rituals in Building Community Identity

See every word as you hear it

Sacred Spaces: The Temple Principle

Narrative as Community Glue: The Stories Principle

Get more out of The Art of Community

Inner Rings: Creating Paths for Growth and Contribution

Building Healthy Communities in a Digital Age

See every word as you hear it

The Ongoing Journey of Community Building

You made it to the end of The Art of Community

Users also liked

Part of a Learning Plan

find my tribe, build my own family

Discover more

Overview of The Art of Community