(Above picture is an art display at Discover Green in Downtown Houston.)

A Roundtable Discussion on Community

I recently attended a round table discussion on community building at Christ Church Cathedral here in downtown Houston. Members of CoHousing Houston led the discussion. CoHousing Houston is a community under construction in the East-End of Houston, just east of downtown. Per their website, CoHousing Houston is “…a multi-generational community of people from all sorts of backgrounds who have come together to develop the first ever co-housing community in Houston, Texas.” The development, when completed, will be a 33-unit condominium where sense of community will be an amenity.

Engaging in Community

During the discussion, I ask the two members of that community leading the discussion if taking part in the community aspect was an option.  For those who buy one of the units and become a part of the community, there is an expectation of participation in the community.  For those who are considering joining the community, there is a process to decide if this is a good fit for the individual or family before committing.  So those who join, are fully on board.

To find to out more about CoHousing Houston, see their website (link) which has a blog and a podcast.  This podcast helped me understand the co-housing concept.

The Pillars of Community – Purpose, Proximity and Ritual

The conversation focused on what they consider to be the three pillars of community – purpose, proximity and ritual. Purpose and proximity were clear to me.  Ritual was less so, which is where I focused my questions during the discussion.

I had not thought much about ritual as being a part of community building.  But after the discussion, I understood.  So, what is ritual in a community?  Calling something a ritual seems to imply that it is an event occurring on a regular basis. Something you can count on.  You do not need an invitation for each event because you know it is going to happen. I will use an example of coffee with friends, 7:30 every other Thursday morning, same coffee shop. It is not rescheduled. You make it when you can.  Attend the next time if you cannot.  It is predictable and there is something comforting about that.

Ritual

Ritual helps develop and sustain one of the other pillars of building community.  That being purpose.  Ritual can mean a reoccurring event within the community. One that you know is going to happen. Individual events like parties or celebrations of a particular event are great, but they tend to come with expectations for the host.  The preparation takes on a life of its own.  Rituals are not like that. Everyone knows the routine.  There is a lower bar of expectations.  Keep It simple.

While researching this topic, I found the “LikeMinds” blog at likeminds.community had an article speaking to this very issue.  What is ritual in the context of community building. They had the following list of reasons why it is important.  As you read these, consider these in the context of the morning coffee with friends’ example.

Aspects of Ritual

Gives members a sense of discipline and habit. Reoccurs every other Thursday. Regardless with no rescheduling.

Provides a sense of belongingness. That was is clear in the example.

Improved member participation. Over time, if the ritual is successful, members not attending may hear about it and want to attend.

Structure and reliable content. The nature of the conversation develops over time.  Some ground rules may develop.

Ease of planning. There is no planning in this example which is one of the reasons it works.

In my simple example of coffee with friends every other Thursday morning, it illustrates these points.  You could apply this to a multitude of things.  Game night, morning walks, breakfast outings, recreationally activities and so on.

After thinking through this, doing some research and writing this post, I begin to understand the importance of the community pillar of ritual.  In fact, now I see it as an essential pillar to go along with proximity and purpose.

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