[.article__paragraph--cap][.small-caps]Lakshmi Piette Walker’s[.small-caps] journey into the world of Intentional Christian Communities (ICCs) is a personal one. Becoming part of and being nourished by such a community after the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic led her into a deeper, more personal exploration of the range of communities that exist around the United Kingdom. Some of these are well known, or relatively “high profile.” Others are small, fragile, and tucked away. Walker documented her exploration through podcasts and Substack articles. She has drawn upon this raw material to create the book Dwelling Places: The Practice and Witness of Intentional Christian Communities – a guide or a sort of taxonomy of the wider scene of what she calls ICCs.[.article__paragraph--cap]

How does one describe a group of Christians who choose to live together in a way that involves shared spiritual practices, food and so on? The question is a vexed one. As Piette Walker acknowledges, some have used the term “new monasticism.” Yet she finds this term problematic because it’s not a neat fit for all the communities she documents.

However, “Intentional Christian Communities” is not a term without its own difficulties, and not only because it’s something of a mouthful. What, precisely, it means to be Christian is necessarily undefined – or perhaps better – it’s defined in multiple ways. “Community” can be something of a treacherous term too, and that’s without even beginning to explore the possibilities posed by “intentional.”

The writer makes her own intentions clear, though, and presents us with what amounts to a series of essays that bring into focus a range of “types” of community. Among others, Hospitality, Belonging, and Young Adult Fellowship are all entries on her taxonomic list. There is certainly value in this, not least for those looking, as we may be sure that some are, for a place to belong, or a means of developing an interest in community life: “Am I being drawn to a place for a short time, or for a long-term commitment? Is God leading me into a shared household, or a dispersed community?” This book will help the reader to explore these questions of calling.

Again, there are challenges around this. Piette Walker describes some communities as “Communities of Centering Prayer” for instance. These are named, she says, “after their charism for helping people place God at the center of their everyday lives (rather than the specific prayer practice).” There is, she acknowledges, a well-established meditative prayer tradition called “centering prayer” which makes this a little confusing. A bigger problem is the concept that those communities falling outside of this group do not seek to make the divine central in their life and practice.

Where the book really adds value is in the updating of lists of communities that exist around the country. I tried a similar exercise around fifteen years ago and have since seen some of those communities I spent time with collapse, while others have changed form. Still others continue relatively unchanged. Jeanne Hinton undertook a project of the same sort roughly fifteen years before me, so maybe together we’ve stumbled on a suitable time frame. Maybe, too, we have together learned that things can change very quickly in this sort of world, a reality which leaves a project like this as something of a hostage to fortune.

The author acknowledges the Roman Catholic heritage that she brings to the project, which is undoubtedly an advantage in understanding the nature of some of the communities she visits. One might venture that perhaps this leaves her with a disadvantage when it comes to understanding the niceties of some of the Protestant groups she engages with. She is right to recognize that the interest in, and desire for, Christian community transcends the divides of traditions and denominations. Where she might have strengthened this argument is by a deeper engagement with the history of community formation in the Christian tradition. This particular project is considerably more focused on the “now” of things.

Some greater depth on history and meaning would be of benefit, even in places where technical terms are employed. “Part of the deal of belonging to a community of lifelong commitment is a willingness to be obedient,” she writes, noting that this life is “about obedience to God.” I think this point would be enriched by a sense of what “obedience,” a core principle of monastic life, consists of.

The most telling point about this project is its birthing. The author’s first introduction to ICCs came during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is no small thing; since so many of the Christian experiments in community, whether long lasting or short-lived, have come in response to trauma. The period around the World Wars led to a great flourishing in intentional Christian communities, including, in the immediate aftermath of World War I, the founding of the Bruderhof. Other communities claim a similar heritage; the Iona Community was formed in 1938, for example, and L’Arche owes its existence partly to the legacy of World War II.

Lakshmi Piette Walker has produced a very helpful and most of all useful guide to the variety of ICCs as they exist in the United Kingdom today. It’s not exhaustive; such a task would be impossible, and it may already be out of date. But books like these are vital in renewing our understanding of God’s working in our time and will give hope to those looking to find a place they can belong, or people with whom they can join in their vocations.