Ninety people in a theatre aren’t a community — they’re strangers sharing an experience. The same is true for passengers on a plane or shoppers in a store. Community is the product of shared ownership and a commitment to the common good. There are many good books on developing community, but the best portrayal I’ve found is disguised as a Western, by Louis L’Amour. It’s called Bendigo Shafter, and it features all the essentials. Here are seven takeaways.

Choice / At some point, each member of a community must decide to belong, invest in, and take ownership of what happens. Avoiding community is easier than investing in it, but doing so bypasses character development and relational depth. 

Risk / Choosing to belong and invest is often necessary before you understand the character of the group or the gravity of your situation. Members bring history, and situations are seldom simple. By prioritizing shared interests and reserving judgment until you understand what’s true, rumors and reputations will sort themselves out. 

Gifting & Affirmation / For community to survive and thrive, every member must understand what each brings to the effort. There are no spectators in a community. Though it takes work to involve those who are different or unknown, they often bring essential assets to the group. As blacksmiths know when to heat, strike, and dip the iron, learn to assess and work with each other’s strengths, interests, and challenges.

See the Good / It’s important to nurture and develop one another. To recognize and encourage each member’s gifting and character qualities strengthens everyone. 

Influence / To join a community means my contributions will shape what it becomes. Get to know every member. Understand what strengths they bring, what gaps they fill, and what assets they require. Because community grows strong and wise together, it’s crucial to enlist the strength and perspectives of the young, and to allow the seasoned to share their wisdom and experience. Both will benefit the group. 

Friction & Struggle / Every community involves tension because communities include everyone — friends, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. Tension can breed harmful interactions, but gently nurtured it can also reveal best practices. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Avoid decisions tied to emotional experience (anger, loss, panic, etc.), but don’t fear emotions. They often lend perspective.

Time / The cost of difficult investments should be measured in years. Losing a day (or even a month) for the sake of a better year is an excellent return on one’s time. When investing becomes the shared culture, there will be a mature future.