Who Protects the Values of Your Community?

Many people hope communities can function without anyone holding greater authority than anyone else.
That idea sounds appealing.
During my conversation with Seth Resler, we explored why healthy communities often need something different.
Someone needs the responsibility of protecting the community's values and helping it grow in the right direction.
I use the term diaconate to describe those people.
The word comes from religious traditions, where it refers to people who hold different levels of authority within a spiritual tradition.
I apply the same idea to community building.
Every healthy community benefits from people who carry greater responsibility for protecting its values, its purpose, and the way people participate together.
That responsibility exists to serve the community rather than control it.

Authority helps communities remain true to their values

Communities naturally attract people with different ideas, experiences, and motivations.
Most of that diversity strengthens the community.
Occasionally, someone introduces ideas that directly conflict with the community's purpose.
During our conversation, I offered a simple example.
Imagine someone begins promoting hateful or racist ideas during a community gathering.
If no one has the authority to say, "That isn't consistent with our values," visitors may assume those ideas represent the community.
Members may wonder the same thing.
Healthy communities need someone who can clearly communicate what the community stands for and what it does not.
That clarity protects everyone involved.

Every community already has someone with authority

Some communities describe themselves as completely egalitarian.
When I hear that, I usually ask a few questions.
Who decides when someone joins and when someone should leave?
Who has the authority to say, "That isn't how we do things here"?
Most communities already have an answer.
Sometimes that authority comes through an official role.
Other times it grows naturally through trust and experience.
Formal or informal, someone usually carries the responsibility of helping the community stay aligned with its purpose.
Recognizing that authority allows the community to use it intentionally.

The first responsibility is protecting boundaries

One of the most important responsibilities of the diaconate is protecting the community's boundaries.
Healthy boundaries preserve the shared values and shared purpose that brought people together.
Seth and I talked about a podcasting community as an example.
Imagine a group that gathers to help one another create thoughtful media.
Now imagine someone attends every meeting to sell recording equipment.
Selling equipment serves an important purpose.
It simply isn't the purpose of that gathering.
Someone in the diaconate needs the authority to kindly explain that distinction.
"This isn't the right place for what you're trying to do."
That conversation does not condemn the individual.
It protects the purpose of the community.

Clear boundaries strengthen a community

Many people hear the word "boundary" and immediately think about exclusion.
Healthy boundaries also serve something very different.
Boundaries help members recognize what the community values.
Visitors also gain a clearer understanding of whether the community reflects what matters to them.
That clarity strengthens trust.
It also protects the purpose that brought everyone together in the first place.

Rituals give important moments meaning

The second responsibility of the diaconate is officiating the rituals that shape a community.
Every mature community reaches moments worth recognizing.
Someone may move from visitor to member.
Another person may make a profound contribution to the community.
At other times, the community gathers to recognize someone's growth.
Those moments deserve recognition.
During my conversation with Seth, I explained that the ritual itself can remain simple.
Perhaps someone receives a pin.
The community may gather for a celebratory meal.
Sometimes a warm embrace says everything that needs to be said.
The form matters less than the meaning.
When someone with the proper authority recognizes that moment, the ritual carries greater significance.
The community clearly communicates, "You are one of us."
The diaconate participates in making these experiences powerful and meaningful.

Recognition teaches the community what matters

Rituals do more than celebrate individuals.
They also reinforce the values of the community.
Members see what kinds of contributions deserve recognition.
Newer participants begin understanding what the community encourages people to grow toward.
Recognition strengthens culture because it reminds everyone what the community values most.

Communities need someone to teach their values

The third responsibility of the diaconate is teaching the community's values.
People gather around shared interests for many different reasons.
Those motivations matter.
Seth and I returned to the example of podcasting.
One person may create media to share ideas that help people.
Another may chase attention by telling lies that attract an audience. 
Those two approaches lead communities in very different directions.
I shared an experience that deeply troubled me.
I attended an educational event where presenters encouraged people to take someone else's work, place their own name on it, and present it as original leadership advice.
That approach violated the values I wanted to support.
I chose not to continue participating.
Communities need people with the authority to say, "That isn't consistent with what we do."
Without that guidance, members lose sight of the values that brought them together.

Authority provides stability as communities grow

Near the end of our conversation, Seth asked whether a community could exist without a diaconate.
Perhaps a very small group could.
As communities grow, someone almost always carries authority for protecting the community's purpose.
That authority may be formal.
It may also grow naturally through trust.
Either way, healthy communities benefit from people who protect boundaries, officiate meaningful rituals, and teach shared values.
Those responsibilities provide stability while the community continues growing.
Communities flourish when people understand who carries those responsibilities and why they matter.

Get free resources on building the community you long for at www.charlesvogl.com

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