Page 18 - C.A.L.L. #23 - Spring 2004

Decision-Making and Governance

There are many ways by which intentional communities govern themselves. Some have focused or concentrated
power, with one person (or a small clique) making decisions for everyone, while other groups have diffused or

shared power with everyone taking part in decision-making. Focused-power decision-making can have theocratic
or charismatic leadership, while diffused-power groups can employ majority-rule, democratic voting, or consensus
decision-making. In some ways, these four are quite different although in practice they often overlap and

complement each other. Many intentional communities follow different decision-making methods at different
stages of their lifespan, and some groups use aspects of several methods for resolving one major issue.

Focused Power Decision-Making

Theocracy: Many religiously-oriented intentional communities

have theocratic governance in which, while everyone is equal on
one level, not everyone is seen to be at the same point in her/his
relationship with the Divine. Because members of such
intentional communities are, by definition, interested in following

the selected religious model it makes perfect sense to follow the
leadership of those who demonstrate the greatest spiritual
progress. The Bruderhof, Hare Krishna communes, and most
religious orders follow this theocratic model, generally combining

it with a degree of consensus-building.

This is an efficient system of governance until people either lose

their faith or cannot agree on who is more religiously/spiritually
advanced. At that point, such groups generally change to
democratic voting or charismatic decision-making. Historically,
some intentional communities have followed theocratic

governance for several generations with no particular problems.
Theocratic leaders do not automatically become despots
although the risk is always there.

Charismatic Leadership: This is where an intentional community is led by someone operating through strength of
personality, the ability to lead and inspire without people feeling dominated, and an ability to magnetically attract
the affection, respect and perhaps adoration of other members.

Charismatic leadership is efficient for making decisions because there is no need for time-consuming discussions,
voting, etc. It is assumed that the leader is closer to the heart of the community and its ethos than is anyone else,

so when she/he makes a decision it is obviously for the good of all. This efficiency is not only because decisions can
be made quickly but also because the leader provides the collective spirit or ethos, and then embodies and
represents this through decisions. While charismatic leadership is, in general, an efficient form of governance when
developing an intentional community, it is the worst form to help it endure because ordinary members have no

chance to develop leadership skills for when their leader dies or leaves.

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