I get asked this question a lot. When some people hear this phrase, their mind immediately goes to the medieval period. They assume that “new monasticism” means “a return to medieval monasticism.” Others hear “new monasticism” and they think of a particular community–like the Northumbria Community or the Simple Way or Rutba House. Still others read one of the few books about it and think that the description contained therein captures the movement.

All of these definitions of “new monasticism” (and also the ones floating around the internet) are insufficient. Why? Because a list of 12 Marks (fyi: the 12 Marks of a New Monasticism should never be seen as a litmus test. Not all communities fit the description…and many communities weren’t a part of drafting these 12 Marks) or a quotation from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who was exploring the monastic impulse in the midsts of 20th Century Nazi Germany) or the experiences of one community (just like one church shouldn’t define all churches) cannot capture the movement, which is much broader than most folks seem to recognize. There isn’t just one face to this movement…one voice…or one spokesperson.

For some reason, human beings tend to use words to limit, rather than to inspire. When someone utters the words “new monasticism,” folks immediately attempt to define what the movement is…to understand it in its totality. This is unfortunate, because the word “new” was placed in front of “monasticism” to inspire–to invite someone into reimagination.

New monasticism isn’t primarily about nostalgia (as though merely appropriating old stuff into our context will bring about transformation) it is about quickening the prophetic imagination to wonder about what it could look like to embody the Gospel in our day. The phrase conjures up images of monks and abbeys, to be sure, but it doesn’t invite us to stay there. Instead, it asks: what if we, in our day, attempted a similar project as Benedict or Francis did in their day? What if we, on the fringes of Empire, sought a communal incarnational spiritual life in a way that sought to embody the teachings of Jesus Christ?

New Monasticism learns from the old, but it doesn’t seek to re-create it. It is an imaginative movement inspired by the past but open to new possibilities.

This is why there are so many different communities–each with a unique charism. While there is often some reoccurring themes, communities tend to have unique strengths. It seems to me that new monastic communities enter into this movement through one of several ways:

• They start as activistic communities that share housing (in the long tradition of the activist communal experiments) .
• They begin with a desire to be a place of recovery or healing.
• They flow out of a set of relationships–it seems a natural step for a group of friends or family to share resources and serve out of those relationships.
• They begin as a ministry team that decides to become an intentional community as well.
• They are a house church that desires to go deeper.
• They start as an artist’s cooperative.
• They begin with a desire for a greener, simpler, life.
• They begin as an experiment in spiritual practices.

The new monasticism is as diverse as the old. Missio Dei started as a network of three house churches with a missional impulse. The more we pursued that missional impulse, the more monastic we’ve become. We pursue simplicity and prayer, but we are best at things like hospitality and feel like we are growing in our capacity to offer creative resistance to the Empire.

But what IS new monasticism? At the very least, I think almost every community can agree on the following:

1. New monasticism has a strong focus on orthopraxy.
2. New monasticism learns (but isn’t necessarily limited by) traditional monasticism.
3. New monasticism places the teachings of Jesus at the center of the Gospel.
4. New monasticism is attempting to reconnect to the ancient practice of hospitality.
5. New monasticism is USUALLY practiced in proximity, and OFTEN in share living.
6. New monasticism is USUALLY interested in embracing simplicity.
7. New monasticism fosters spirituality through rhythms rather than events (in other words, it is about a way of life rather than a series of weekly, or bi-weekly, events).
8. Almost all new monastic communities recognize that the larger culture is corrosive to the way of Jesus and seeks a community that helps them live out that way.

Beyond this, as far as I can tell, each community is different. So, if you’re exploring new monasticism, don’t be confined or limited by a book that you read. Publishing companies have a different agenda that the Spirit of God. Don’t feel like you suck because you’re not as awesome as Shane Claiborne. Don’t feel intimidated because your not as creative as Seven in San Francisco or as contemplative as Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove or as intellectual as so-and-so.Instead, gather together your friends and start serving a neighborhood and discern together where it leads. Obey the Gospels. Learn from some good books. But in all things let the Holy Spirit animate your endeavors so that you can be the community God wants you to be.

About Mark Van Steenwyk

Mark Van Steenwyk is a member of Missio Dei. He is a speaker, writer, educator, and grassroots organizer. With the support of the Central Plains Mennonite Conference, he travels to radical and intentional communities around the country to help network and offer support.