How do you know if you're called to community?

This week we're reading through Chapter 12, 'Life's Task', from the book 'Called to Community' (www.plough.com/en/topics/comm.... This chapter is taken from a transcript of a meeting held by Eberhard Arnold on March 18,1932
Please leave your thoughts and questions in the comments!
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About our LIFE TOGETHER series
In this series, we take an in-depth look at a topic from a variety of perspectives across several videos. Topics will draw from experiences and challenges that the Bruderhof has learned from over the last 100 years, discussing both our experiences and answering your questions.
Our first series covered Intentional Community: • What Is Intentional Co...
Interested in a specific topic for the future? Have a question about the current topic? Let us know in the comments or by email.
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What is the Bruderhof?
The Bruderhof is an intentional Christian community of people living in radical discipleship in the spirit of the first church in Jerusalem. We gladly renounce private property and share everything in common. Our vocation is a life of service to God, each other, and you. Learn more by subscribing to our channel: → kzbin.info...
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[@ruthlaurie-hopper3489]

Thank you. I understand and I question myself but I feel I am being pushed towards you by something much greater than me. My life out here is a struggle but OK. The world is in turmoil but it always has been. I don't want comfort but I feel god and jesus are leading me. I feel my whole life experience is pushing me towards a life with bruderhof and that is my calling. I hope that doesn't sound too dramatic in anyway but I've had strong spiritual experiences which I will express with Lenor and Jesse on a more personal level.

[@thomasnabors8164]

This was a great chapter and video. Thanks. I think Eberhard Arnold nails it in the last paragraph on page 80, which continues on page 81, when he explains what our motivation for living in community should be. Seeking a relationship with God only so that we can receive His gifts will not do. Only by making Him our first concern will our hearts align with His will so that our “hearts beat for the cause of justice and peace for all nations, for the brotherhood of all social classes, and for the welfare of all people in all parts of the world….”

[@Bruderhof]

Thank you Thomas. Yes it's a thought provoking chapter

[@cynthiaconrad6145]

My first impression is that I find the whole idea of what our motivation should be is very scary. I don't know if motivation would be right, because a part of me would expect some benefit to myself. I have always thought it would be nice to be in a place where everyone is trying to follow God. This video has really made me think.

[@UnPoquitoDeSal]

Questioning ones motivation is all a part of the process (and a constant part of the process). I think everyone has desires and self-interest which can influence their motivations at times, and we are not going to be completely free from that, however, that is where the need for a faithful practice of self-examination and making sure we are weeding out those inferior motivations is so important - it is that self-examination, that "bringing every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ" that will help us purify our motivations, and our souls. But it does have to be a continual thing.

[@michaelgibbs3147]

There's been countless communities that tried to copy your community and initially succeeded but in the long run fail. The main reasons for these failures appear to be similar across the board ie; a power structure where some are more valued than others, a poor plan on how to deal with conflict, most of all failure of individuals to sacrifice for their fellow members! I wonder in the very beginning if the Bruderhof had any of these issues? Great video Doreen, you as well Rich! :-)

[@GreenJack451]

AFAIK there was trouble from inside. Good read: The Life of J. Heinrich Arnold By Peter Mommsen (Book); Emmy Arnold: Torches Together (book)

[@Bruderhof]

Thanks Michael!

[@melfros7100]

May I shine my light? I’d like to address Doreen, Rich and other *younger members* who are the public voice of the Bruderhof. I am a product of the Bruderhof though, sadly, I no longer identify as “Christian”. I have known the face of joy; known the face of religion-induced suffering. I’d like to provide insight, not to discourage anyone from joining the Bruderhof, but rather to point out what may not be so obvious to Bruderhof members and people interested in joining their community. The Bruderhof is modeled on the foundational principal of Unity. The quest for Unity is the glue that holds the Bruderhof together. To use current language, Unity is the default position of the Bruderhof. The absence of Unity implies that members are not hearing the Spirit *correctly*. Something is wrong. Years ago a member explained it like this: "It doesn't matter if we are right or wrong, as long as we do it together." A minister put it like this: “When we all surrender to the common goal, God speaks with the same voice to all of us.” To which a brother added, “I don’t mean we don’t make mistakes, but then we’ve made them together.“ Think about it for a moment. Is this congruent with the teachings of Jesus? Recent Bruderhof history (the 90’s come to mind) shows that the Hof’s default position of Unity has caused mindless and needless suffering. Members who summed the courage to speak up, who challenged leadership, were severely church-disciplined or told to leave. The Inner Voice, the Light that resides in every human heart, is forced into silence. The consequences for speaking up can be severe! Unity degrades into uniformity. The will of the few rules the day. Those who disagree are accused of spiritual pride! Dissenting views are crushed, and the quest for Unity degrades into uniformity. Fear has cast its ugly shadow across Bruderhof history. And still the danger lurks. What can be done? I encourage Bruderhof members and anyone wishing to join them to first and foremost respect each member’s Moral Compass! We are not all at the same place in our spiritual walk! Each member must be trusted to seek the Spirit in their own unique way. There must be no coercion, no brow-beating, no threat of any kind! The absence of Unity is humbly accepted as *the will of God at that particular moment*. And Unity, when it happens, is gratefully accepted as a GIFT.

[@GreenJack451]

@@melfros7100 Thank you for sharing. An opinion, a desire/design for life that deviates strongly from the average of the masses or the rulers was and is endangered. That was the case in ancient times and it is still the case today. The Bruderhof community experienced it first hand in Nazi Germany. This is how minorities and individuals experience it. I do not have a simple solution to see the special first as an enrichment and not as a danger. I think that the message of the Gospel has the potential to improve things. I also think that it is a sign of self-confidence and strength to be mindful of the strange and the unknown. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[@melfros7100]

@@GreenJack451 Hallo, Ulrich, I wish I could read your original German post! I would be happy to render an English translation. I’m trying hard to make sense of your translated version. My reply here may not capture the essence of what you are trying to convey, but I will try. I agree that any time a group of people orders life around a principal that differs from the status quo, the group risks being regarded with suspicion. That was the Bruderhof’s case in Nazi Germany (my mother was one of the pioneering German members). Here is the States, unlike Nazi Germany, religion/religious groups have Constitutional protection. The point I raised is not about group acceptance by wider society, but about the in-house dangers a religious group encounters when, as you say, it is mindful of the strange and the unknown. The point I try to highlight is that *God speaks in mysterious ways*. To give you a biblical example, Paul talks about the potential for disagreement between the meat-eater and the vegetarian. I know it is a crude example, but hopefully you get my point. In my years at the Bruderhof, there WERE moments of joy-filled unity! And there were many other moments of coerced unity. I saw and experienced it with my own eyes. And I knew it was wrong. I was powerless to do anything, so I let me action speak: I left! I am writing not because I have anything against the Bruderhof, but because I want to caution everyone, Rich, Doreen and Seekers, to please respect the moral compass of each individual. That, in my mind, is the key towards unity. Unity is an *unexpected gift*. TRANSLATION: Hallo, Ulrich, ich wünschte, ich könnte deinen deutschen Originalbeitrag lesen! Gerne erstelle ich eine englische Übersetzung. Ich bemühe mich sehr, Ihre übersetzte Version zu verstehen. Meine Antwort hier trifft vielleicht nicht die Essenz dessen, was Sie zu vermitteln versuchen, aber ich werde es versuchen. Ich stimme zu, dass jedes Mal, wenn eine Gruppe von Menschen das Leben um ein Prinzip herum anordnet, das vom Status quo abweicht, die Gruppe Gefahr läuft, mit Argwohn betrachtet zu werden. Das war der Fall des Bruderhofs in Nazi-Deutschland (meine Mutter war eines der wegweisenden deutschen Mitglieder). Hier haben die Staaten, anders als Nazi-Deutschland, Religion/religiöse Gruppen Verfassungsschutz. Der Punkt, den ich angesprochen habe, betrifft nicht die Gruppenakzeptanz durch die breitere Gesellschaft, sondern die internen Gefahren, denen eine religiöse Gruppe ausgesetzt ist, wenn sie sich, wie Sie sagen, des Fremden und Unbekannten bewusst ist. Der Punkt, den ich hervorzuheben versuche, ist, dass *Gott auf mysteriöse Weise spricht*. Um Ihnen ein biblisches Beispiel zu geben, spricht Paulus über die Möglichkeit von Meinungsverschiedenheiten zwischen Fleischessern und Vegetariern. Ich weiß, es ist ein grobes Beispiel, aber ich hoffe, Sie verstehen, was ich meine. In meinen Jahren auf dem Bruderhof gab es Momente freudiger Einigkeit! Und es gab viele andere Momente erzwungener Einheit. Ich habe es mit eigenen Augen gesehen und erlebt. Und ich wusste, dass es falsch war. Ich war machtlos, etwas zu tun, also ließ ich Taten sprechen: Ich ging! Ich schreibe nicht, weil ich etwas gegen den Bruderhof habe, sondern weil ich jeden, Rich, Doreen und Seekers, warnen möchte, den moralischen Kompass jedes Einzelnen zu respektieren. Das ist meiner Meinung nach der Schlüssel zur Einheit. Einheit ist ein *unerwartetes Geschenk*.

[@Ralfrobot]

What about inner spiritual life - that’s being expressed outwardly in community life ? When we have a relationship with God interiorly and are building that up in our inner commitment to God , nourished and then able to find its deep expression from within , toward how we be in community and how we discern ourselves ?

[@peterdesmier6165]

This is one of the topics I meet with daily. I continually ask myself what could I contribute to a community such as yours that I could not contribute to my own faith community? What could Bruderhof provide for me that my faith community couldn’t? Definitely I will have to visit a few of your communities and see for myself. At present I’m following your readings and have also joined a zoom group discussion on the book “The Call.” I’m confident that the Holy Spirit will guide and us in this journey.

[@MurmilloTV1]

Community is good, but some individual freedom necessary.

[@sassy3923]

I don't understand how someone who is not committed to Christ can become part of the Bruderhof community as suggested by Eberhard Arnold. If the call comes from the Holy Spirit, how can such a person fit in?

[@melfros7100]

Christoph Blumhard's writings are considered foundational to the Bhof's understanding of what it means to follow Christ. Blumhard believed the Light of creation (God) resides in every human being. A Bhof pastor recently told me that, in essence, all humans are "children of God". I can think of a passionate socialist who joined the Bhof. A British joiner was committed to social justice issues, but did not consider himself Christian. Whether these men eventually *became Christian* (whatever it means) I do not know. Today, if one wishes to become a member, one has to profess belief in certain statements of faith. See Foundations of Our Faith and Calling for more information.

[@sassy3923]

@@melfros7100 Good to hear from you again, Mel....and thanks for the info.

[@safehaven2763]

Interesting and Eberhard was a fascinating person. Before you were all called community, you all were obviously in a "not called" stage. Did you all pray and ask God to call or did you pray to help you get to a mindset where you put others ahead of you or did a feeling wash over you?

[@Bruderhof]

That's a good question! We'll try and answer in an upcoming video

[@julieholt2864]

I have the desire to be used as they body of Christ and truly be part of the body, part of a community to give God the glory. Would love to know if this might be a community for my husband and I.

[@Bruderhof]

Hi Julie if you'd like to meet some Bruderhof folks via zoom there's a couple weekly options for that www.bruderhof.com/en/visit-us/zoom. Or you could visit one of our communities. Thanks for responding! Rich

[@louiehostetler3016]

What about the Sabbath issue do you keep the seventh day Sabbath?

[@Bruderhof]

Yes we take Sunday as a day of rest.

[@matiasvargas8048]

How can I have the book

[@Bruderhof]

You can get it here www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/called-to-community

[@marynevel6015]

This is the most confusing conversation to me. And I do know that God is not the author of confusion. The intellectual component is so far over my head. I greatly admire those of you who have chosen or been called to the Bruderhof.

[@Bruderhof]

Sorry it was confusing! We'll keep trying to be more simple and clear. Rich