What We Ask
Bedrock learns from the communities that came before it.
Ask little of people, and communities don’t last. Ask more than an ordinary life can give, and only a few can stay. So Bedrock aims to strike a balance: a few real, liveable expectations, with things you can count on in return.
Come once a month
To one core gathering.
Exceptions are granted liberally for illness, disability and other life circumstances.
What you can count on: somewhere that’s simply there, with people you can count on being there. It’s on the calendar, and you don’t have to plan it, pay for an outing, or wait to be invited.
If you really can’t make it
Give some time. Service within the community, like checking in on an elder member or planning an event.
Or chip in instead. A financial contribution that’s meaningful to you, in lieu of being there: something more than you’d chip in if you showed up.
Why once a month? It’s what turns an audience into a community.
Many of the secular congregations before us drew real crowds, but asked so little of anyone that they stayed audiences rather than communities, and quietly faded. The research that inspired Bedrock kept pointing the same way: the communities that last, faith communities among them, ask something real of their people.
Once a month is the smallest commitment we think can do that. It’s enough for faces to become familiar, for people to notice when someone’s missing, and for everyone to trust that if they show up, others will too. It definitely doesn’t mean perfect attendance: exceptions are granted liberally, and anyone who can’t make it can give some time or chip in instead. It means that showing up is part of what we promise each other, and that’s what fundamentally makes this a community that can be counted on.
Other expectations
What we ask of each otherWhat you can count on
- Chip in toward the cost, as you’re able.
- Gatherings that have what they need, and you won’t be priced out when money’s tight.
- Make an effort to contribute, as you’re able. A committee, a dish, a workshop, a skill, the board, or whatever fits for you.
- You’ll have a role, a growing culture that you’re part of, and a place that doesn’t burn out on a few people’s energy.
- Help hold the values. Take them seriously, while leaving room to live them in your own way.
- You’ll have a place of strength for people who share them, and practical ways to practice and celebrate them together.
- Show up for people, as you’re able.
What does that mean?
Looking out for each other through the hard stretches: a meal when someone’s sick, a visit, a ride, a call to check in. Exactly what that looks like is something Bedrock will grow into together. For now, at a minimum, it means making an effort as you’re able, and trusting that others will do the same for you.
- You can count on others making the same effort when you need it.
- Agree to a one-page code of conduct. How we treat each other, the community, and the organization.
- You’ll have clear expectations, ways to avoid problems, and ways to work past them when they come up.
- Engage in democratic processes.
- You’ll be part of an organization that’s truly shaped by its members, and keeps getting better over time. How it’s governed →
The time it takes
1 to 3 hours a month
on top of one gathering, from everyone who’s able
It doesn’t have to be the priority. But it probably should be a priority.
For some, that may sound like a lot, and that’s completely fair. Our sincere hope is that Bedrock ends up saving most people time. As you make connections, and maybe as folks from your own circle join, there will hopefully be a lot less running around and planning just to see the people you care about. They’ll already be on the calendar, twice a month.