Commonplace Communities

Startup Process

We’ve designed our resources to be as useful to you as possible in your journey of creating Catholic community wherever you’re at. Each step is designed to make sure that you have exactly what you need for where you’re at.

Friends playing cards around a coffee table in a living room, a toddler at their feet.

Start here

  1. 01Sign up on our website. Fill out the form and we’ll reach out to get you started.
  2. 02Join an onboarding call. With a member of our staff, we’ll chat with you about your particular community and what it needs.
  3. 03Hold a kickoff retreat. Meet with your group over a weekend for teaching, training, and experience in life together.
  4. 04Start gathering monthly. We’ll help you shape what this should look like.
  5. 05Use the resource library as you grow. New material is added as we make it, and you have it as soon as it lands.

Get started

Next steps at a glance

Step People Meeting Subscribers What’s added
OneExploring common life 3 or more Monthly 1 Resource library, onboarding plan, monthly leaders’ call
TwoFinding a rhythm 5 or more Every two weeks 2 In-depth strategic plan, six-month check-in
ThreeBeing rooted for the long haul 6 or more Weekly 3 Monthly strategy call
NetworkFor organizations Several communities Varies Organizational rate Ecosystem plan, dedicated staff contact

  • Step One

    Exploring Common Life

    A community of at least three people, meeting once a month.

    What you receive

    • Full access to the resource library
    • An onboarding plan built out of your staff call
    • A seat on the monthly community leaders Zoom call

    What it looks like

    • At least three people
    • Meeting at least monthly

    How it’s sustained. One member of the community subscribed on Substack: $10 a month, or $100 for the year.

  • Step Two

    Finding a rhythm

    At least five people, meeting every second week, often enough that the community starts to have a life of its own between gatherings.

    What you receive

    • Everything in Level One
    • An in-depth strategic plan, worked out with staff
    • A six-month check-in call

    What it looks like

    • At least five people
    • Meeting at least every two weeks

    How it’s sustained. Two members of the community subscribed on Substack.

  • Step Three

    Being Rooted for the Long Haul

    At least six people meeting weekly, building a communal rule of life together.

    What you receive

    • Everything in Level Two
    • A monthly strategy call with a staff member

    What it looks like

    • At least six people
    • Meeting weekly
    • Developing a communal rule of life

    How it’s sustained. Three members of the community subscribed on Substack.

  • Network Level

    For organizations

    A parish, campus, diocese or movement running several communities at once, with a rule of life held in common across the whole organization.

    What you receive

    • Resource library access for every one of your groups
    • A Community Ecosystem Plan developed with our staff
    • A monthly check-in call with a dedicated staff member
    • Reasonable email access to staff between calls

    What it looks like

    • Running the Commonplace Cohort with multiple groups at least once a year
    • A communal rule of life developed across the organization

    How it’s sustained. Giving at an organizational rate of $250 a month or more, plus $10 a month for each group beyond the first five with library access.

A note on the subscription

We don’t use Substack subscriptions as a “fee for entry”

It just helps us cover what it costs for us to do this work with you. We’ve deliberately set it low: $10 a month, or $100 a year, in US dollars and it’s designed to scale based on what you need (so that if you’re just getting started, the cost isn’t too much for a new group to bear).

If the subscription is making it difficult or impossible to get started, contact catherine@commonplaceformation.org and we’ll work with you to find a way to make things more achievable.

Glossary of key terms

Resource library
A collection of tools and resources to support small communities: gathering plans, liturgical living resources, assessments, and more. It grows as we make things in response to the needs of our communities.
Kickoff retreat
A weekend retreat to get your community off the ground.
Communal rule of life
The disciplines and rhythms a community commits to together, in order to be formed into a particular vision of Christlikeness.
Commonplace Cohort
A larger version of the kickoff retreat, run by networks that want several groups to go through it at the same time.