Christian Community Building Regenerative Village Seeking Members

Over the last few years myself and others here on Permies have been planning a Christian community. After months of planning, fundraising, exploration and team building we're ready to announce our project!

Why?
We realized Christians community options in America usually required adherence to a particular tradition within the faith, couldn't accommodate large families, or prohibited technology, etc.
There needed to be a way to bring the modern church out of the toxic post-industrial systems that is scalable and respected individual convictions & tradition without compromising on the historic faith.

What?
We've developed a model for a modern village governed by biblical principles.

Our model is:

- Bible based.
We base our systems on scripture, not political ideology, feelings, or corporate greed.

- Omni-Denominational.
We will accommodate members of any tradition as long as we agree on the core fundamentals of the faith.

- Our model is designed for outreach.
We plan to create online publications and provide hospitality & services to the surrounding area.

- Our model is regenerative.
We will practice, permaculture and natural medicine striving for self sufficiency.

- Our model is modern.
We have the expertise to create private, secure and safe internet & eCommerce infrastructure.

- Our model is generational.
We want to uphold family values & train future generations in trade skills & home-building.

- Our model is adaptive.
We mix the best of communal living with private ownership offering opportunity regardless of economic status.

Where?
Our first village location will be on 1000 acres in the Oklahoma Ozarks. One of the most climate safe locations on Earth with plenty of water and room to grow.
There's some starting infrastructure including a cattle operation and natural health clinic. We have plans for similar settlements outside the U.S. as well.

Who?
We have a team of experts in theology, homesteading, permaculture, medicine, marketing, and construction.
Our members come from many faith backgrounds, Reformed Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Anabaptist, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.
Ranging from large families with children, to young singles coming from all corners of the nation we're all taking a leap of faith to live life together seeking Jesus.

To learn more or to get involved] please visit: https://jesusvillage.org/

You say you are interested in having families with children. Do you anticipate having a school, home schooling network or something else?

Nancy Reading wrote:You say you are interested in having families with children. Do you anticipate having a school, home schooling network or something else?

Yes. Today have around 20 children ranging from infants to teens, that number is expected to double or triple based on current number of families who may join later next year.

We'll likely build a common building in spring that will be multifunctional and could be used as a centralized school if needed. Currently most children are home or private schooled.

A trade school is planned for older children. We'll be able teach everything from permaculture to biblical greek and the usual trade skills.

Sounds really cool! Wish I could visit!

Will be open to visitors eventually, currently we're looking for people to help get things more established.

For anyone who wants to get involved please visit: https://jesusvillage.org/get-involved.html

As someone living in a christian community, your website is pretty vague.

What do your core beliefs encompass? You have 4 white men on your website, does that mean that women aren’t expected to be a part of leadership?

Including the creed is nice but it doesn’t say if you’ll welcome gay people who say they’re christians.

Do you have a rhythm of meeting and prayer or does that happen within family units?

I can purple moosage you the link to the community I’m in but I don’t particularly want to be doxxed.

James Alun wrote:
What do your core beliefs encompass? You have 4 white men on your website, does that mean that women aren’t expected to be a part of leadership?

The currently advertised community is a forming community with values based on historical bibilical beliefs. It would be considered conservative & patriarchal. There is no descrimination based on skin color.

James Alun wrote:
Including the creed is nice but it doesn’t say if you’ll welcome gay people who say they’re christians.

The community considers anyone who claims to belive the Nicene creed to be a Christian. A true Christian in relationship with Jesus Christ should want to repent from sin and strive to follow God's law. Gay Christians would be welcomed only so long as they have repented and no longer practice homosexuality. While many old testament laws have been abolished being gay is still concidered a sin since it goes against God's natural order in creation. Living in unrepentant sin is a shows a person has rejected the creed.

James Alun wrote:
Do you have a rhythm of meeting and prayer or does that happen within family units?

Both are expected.

All of those positions are fully your choice but I think it would be good to have them outlined on the website.

I’m not here to discuss theology, nor have I up or down voted your post. Thank you for your answers and I pray that your community thrives.

I genuinely love how respectful this thread is, and how the community has established some boundaries. The clearer the better.

It raises a subtle question in my mind: is permaculture the common thread, the like mindedness in faith, or a mutual respect between the two?

As a believer and follower of Christ, I would want my positions to be respected within the confines of this community.

There is no right or wrong answer to my postulating, but the answer will likely dictate the level of interest from others. Religion usually injects a dynamic that results in more of a commune. I suspect that the freedom to discover your relationship with God and your relationship with His creation, is pretty fundamental to most people.

To be blunt: How autonomous are people within your community?

Terrell Deppe wrote:

To be blunt: How autonomous are people within your community?

We use a village model so like a commune we have a commons, shared infrastructure. But we have private property.

Permaculture is encouraged and families can govern themselves & their lot how they see fit as long as the broader rules of the community are respected.

People can work off site & fellowship at other churches so long as they can reasonably keep their share of responsibility in maintaining shared infrastructure & our gatherings.