The Art of Community

Book excerpt: This practical leadership guide offers seven timeless principles for building a supportive and inclusive community with a strong sense of purpose. Many people think of “community” as something that happens by accident or emerges naturally over time. But in The Art of Community, Charles Vogl shows that there are specific principles that leaders can use to create or strengthen communities. Drawing on three thousand years of tradition, Vogl lays out the seven enduring principles that every community of every kind—whether formal or informal—must master to be effective. Vogl describes the purpose of each principle and offers extensive hands-on tools for implementing them. He also shares ways to help communities remain healthy and life-affirming by avoiding toxic rigidity and exclusivity.