A New Monastic Covenant
Our Rule of Life
WHAT IS A RULE OF LIFE?
For centuries, monastic communities have lived by a "Rule" — not a list of restrictions, but a shared pattern of practices that shapes daily life toward God and one another.
As a New Monastic community, we draw on that ancient wisdom and live it outside the cloister — in gardens, kitchens, and around shared tables in our own neighborhood. A Rule of Life isn't about rigid rules; it's a rhythm we return to, the way a trellis gives a vine something to grow along.
It names how we want to live: attentive to God, present to our neighbors, and faithful in small, repeated practices. It is something our members choose — a commitment to be formed alongside one another, not a test anyone must pass to be welcome.
We want our common life to be inspired and led by the Holy Spirit — rooted in solidarity and hospitality, open to community, and expressed through shared rhythms.
The five rhythms
Prayer
Members commit to practicing daily reflection & meditation and contemplative prayer in addition to the Daily Office — the structured prayer that anchors our work and relationships in the presence of God. We also make time for communal prayer, honoring the need of one another when prayer is requested.
Work
We believe that tending the earth and serving alongside others is holy work. Members commit to active participation in the Good News Garden and in volunteer service with partner organizations in High Point — as neighbors showing up for one another.
Table
The table is at the center of who we are. Members commit to gathering regularly at Dinner Church and Community Meals, and to supporting our partners as they host their own tables. We believe that no one should be excluded from the feast.
Neighbor
We commit to knowing and being known by the people around us. This means cultivating relationships across differences — confronting our own privilege, listening before acting, and building the kind of trust that can only come through presence over time.
Rest
We commit to observing a weekly Sabbath — a full, intentional rest from work and striving. In a culture of constant productivity, rest is an act of faith and resistance. We trust that God provides, and we practice ceasing as a community.
We hold these values in Common
Hospitality - Solidarity - Vulnerability - Wisdom - Simplicity - Commitment
The Covenant
"I dedicate myself to this Rule of Life, on this journey of expansion, community, and understanding."
The voices that inspire us
We’re apart of a wider movement .
Our way of life draws on the New Monastic and contemplative traditions, and on teachers and communities — some of them right here in North Carolina — who light the path ahead of us.
A starting place, not a syllabus — we keep learning from many voices, ancient and new.
Communities we look to
Rutba House
Jonathan Wilson- Hargrove - Durham, NC
A New Monastic community in Durham, co-founded by writer Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, who helped name the movement — a witness to ordinary life shared in faith and hospitality.
The Simple Way
Shane Claiborne - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
An intentional community founded by author and activist Shane Claiborne, modeling faith lived among neighbors — hospitality, simplicity, and justice woven into the everyday.
Spring Forest
Dr. Elaine Heath - Hillsborough, NC
A Christian monastic farm community near Durham, co-founded by theologian Dr. Elaine Heath, that joins prayer, land, and table — a close kin to our own calling.
The Iona Community
Iona Abbey - Isle of Iona, Scotland
An ecumenical community gathered around the ancient abbey on the Isle of Iona, whose rhythms of worship, hospitality, and justice have inspired Christian communities like ours the world over.
Other Resources
Kate Bowler
Author & Historian - Durham, NC
A Duke Divinity historian and writer whose honest reflections on suffering, grace, and the limits of self-reliance remind us to hold one another with tenderness and truth.
Kinward
Community Center for Practice, Presence and Purpose - Greensboro, NC
A nearby resource and community center in Greensboro, just up the road in the Triad, whose work and resources support communities like ours seeking to live faithfully together.
Richard Rohr
Center for Action & Contemplative Prayer
A Franciscan friar and contemplative teacher whose writing on action and contemplation shapes how we hold together the inner life and the work of justice.
Pádraig ó Tuama
Poet & Theologian - Dublin, Ireland
An Irish poet and theologian, former leader of the Corrymeela reconciliation community, whose work on language, prayer, and belonging gives words to the life we hope to share.
Kendall Vanderslice
Edible Theology - Durham, NC
A baker, writer, and founder of Edible Theology, who explores how bread and shared meals form the body of Christ — a kindred vision to our own life around the table.
Thomas Keating
Centering Prayer
A Trappist monk and a founder of the modern Centering Prayer movement, whose teaching on silence and contemplative practice shapes the rhythm of prayer at the heart of our life.
The Rabbit Room
Faith, Art & Community
Founded by Andrew Peterson and inspired by the Inklings, The Rabbit Room is a fellowship of writers, musicians, and artists who believe storytelling and beauty nurture faith and community. Their books, music, and gatherings are a well we return to often.
Drawn to this way of life?
Our Fellowship is a path to take to live these rhythms for a year, in community.