The way of the disciple is not a solitary one. We all need community and the support of other travellers. The resources below provide additional options for making meaningful connections with other Christians in addition to your local church community.
There are many ways to participate in Christian community – from being part of a local church to joining a monastic order. Those who make an intentional commitment to community, in general, do so because they see that their own spiritual journey is bound to a common way of living – a sharing of belonging and identity with others that supports them in their witness to the Gospel. This commitment can encompass the physical joining of a community or it can be ‘living in community’ in daily life – living by a common rule of life that informs how they live in the world as they go about lives as electricians, doctors, nurses, solicitors, students.
- The Community of St Anselm was established by the Archbishop of Canterbury to draw young Christians aged 20-35 from all over the world together for one year of prayer, theological reflection and service in local communities. The community will be based at Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London.
- The Northumbria Community is a hugely diverse network of people from different backgrounds, streams and edges of the Christian faith united in a desire to embrace and express an ongoing exploration into a new way for living Christianly. The Community is inspired by, draws from and lives in the spiritual tradition of monasticism.
- The Iona Community is a dispersed Christian ecumenical community working for peace and social justice, rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship.
- Contemplative Fire is a movement, a community and an adventure, celebrating life in all its fullness on the Way of Christ.
- The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries, ‘England’s Nazareth.’
- Renovaré exists to inspire and support in the development of an integrated and fulfilled life as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
- Community of the Gospel is a Christian community formed according to the Canons of the Episcopal Church (USA).
- Third Order, Society of Saint Francis is the present day expression of the Order of Penitents, founded by St Francis of Assisi in the early 13th Century. The Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order make a lifelong Commitment to Christ and bear witness to the Gospel of Life in their homes and in the occupations to which they believe God has called them.
- The Order of Mission is a covenant community of pioneering people from Sheffield simply called to tell others about Jesus.
- The Eden Network is a network of Christians who seek to partner with local churches to form volunteer teams within communities suffering high levels of deprivation in order to accelerate the transformation of the neighbourhood. Eden team members come from all sorts of backgrounds and share a common set of vision and values. They all live in the neighbourhood and give at least six hours a week as volunteers.