• The Anam Cara Community

  • The Anam Cara  Community takes its name from the ancient Celtic phrase anam cara, meaning “soul friend.” In the Celtic Christian tradition, the anam cara was a companion of the heart—one who shared the journey of faith, offered spiritual friendship, and reflected the presence of God through mutual care and honesty. Inspired by this heritage, the community seeks to cultivate modern expressions of that same sacred friendship, shaping communities grounded in love, simplicity, and shared spiritual practice.

    The community is post‑denominational and unaffiliated, drawing wisdom from the breadth of the Christian tradition while remaining rooted in the living Spirit rather than institutional boundaries. It welcomes people from diverse backgrounds who follow the way of Jesus and who long for authentic community beyond the limits of denomination or doctrine.

    At its heart, the Anam Cara Community is an organic, intentional Christian community committed to mutual support, personal growth, and the search for meaning. Members affirm that Christianity is best lived in relationship—in shared prayer, honest conversation, and acts of compassion. The Community emphasizes equality and participation, recognizing that each person bears the gifts of the Spirit and the responsibility to nurture others.

    The Community follows a home‑based model, gathering regularly in living rooms, around tables, or outdoors to share life and faith. Meetings include time for social connection, Scripture reading, reflection, and the celebration of the Eucharist as a sign of unity and grace. Together, members nourish one another—spiritually, emotionally, and practically—seeking to embody the early church’s pattern of community and the Celtic vision of God’s presence in all creation. Through this simple rhythm of life, the Anam Cara Community becomes a living expression of the Gospel: friends of God, friends to one another, and friends to the world.

Communal Vision

  • Anam Cara affirms the intellectual integrity and freedom of all.

    We do not require adherence to creeds or statements and we do not seek theological conformity. Our unity is rooted in love, following Jesus as each sees fit and proper, and in a spirit of openness and tolerance.

    The Circle has grown organically from roots in certain Christian forms and traditions. We do not impose those on anyone.

    We are confident that those who seek to participate with us will self-select and do so freely.

  • Anam Cara seeks a Christianity that takes shape through small groups and intimate gatherings rather than through large congregations.

    We aim to resemble the early Christian house churches—dynamic spaces of mutual care, shared meals, honest prayer, and patient discernment that sustained the Gospel without the need for grandeur or hierarchy. Such communities form around friendships, neighborhoods, and shared purposes.

    Our cohesion will come from trust and mutual support rather than membership rolls or financial structure. Members will know one another’s stories, share one another’s burdens, and celebrate one another’s joys.

    Our gatherings take place around tables, in homes, or outdoors, rather than in sanctuaries designed for performance. In these settings, prayer sounds less like recitation and more like conversation.

  • Anam Cara is dedicated to developing a DIY Christianity.

    As traditional church institutions recede and the number of clergy declines, Christianity will inevitably turn toward a more self-organizing and participatory form. Many already sense this shift: spiritual life increasingly unfolds outside of formal oversight, and Christians are reclaiming direct responsibility for their spirituality.

    This do-it-yourself Christianity will touch nearly every part of spiritual practice. Baptisms may take place in rivers and lakes, led by friends or family rather than ordained ministers.

    Formation and education will grow through small study circles, online communities, and mentorship rather than seminary instruction.

    Eucharistic meals will consist of shared bread and wine in homes, understood as the restoration of Jesus' open table ministry.

    In this emerging landscape, marriage and funeral rites will also return to the people's hands. These moments will become more intimate, shaped by relationships and storytelling rather than institutional formality.

    This decentralized Christianity may appear unruly to traditional eyes, but it carries within it the seed of renewal. It expresses the conviction that the sacred does not depend on institutional mediation. The Spirit, long assumed to operate through hierarchy, will once again be recognized as moving freely among all who gather in Jesus’ name.

  • As the institutional structures of Christianity wane, denominational divisions will also lose their meaning. The boundaries that once separated Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox believers are already blurring.

    Declining membership, intermarriage, and mass media have rendered these distinctions less visible and less compelling. For many, the denominational label no longer defines their Christianity. Instead, the central concern has become how a community embodies love, justice, and compassion in daily life.

    This fading of denominational identity is not a loss to be mourned but a liberation to be welcomed.

    Theologians and believers alike are rediscovering that the essence of Christianity is not contained in creeds or confessions but in the living presence of Jesus shared among people.

    The divisions that arose from historical disputes now appear secondary to the shared vocation of following Jesus’ way of life.

    What emerges in their place is a post-denominational Christianity—networked, dialogical, and grounded in shared practice rather than inherited structure.

    The communities of the future will emphasize relational authenticity, ethical commitment, and spiritual depth over institutional identity. In this sense, the fading of denominational rivalry may prove to be one of the most hopeful developments in modern Christian history.

  • The wider culture will not be drawn to Christianity through spectacle, nostalgia, or argument. It will pay attention only when the Church speaks clearly to the human search for meaning.

    In an age that prizes distraction over depth, we must become once again guides toward significance—a community where life is interpreted rather than escaped.

    When Christianity recovers its vocation to interpret existence, it becomes compelling again.

    Theology that stays in the clouds of abstraction dries into dust. It may interest scholars, but it feeds no one.

    People are not yearning for fantasy, visions, or slogans; they are searching for coherence—a sense that their lives matter and that love endures.

    When Christianity demonstrates that its message encompasses these things, it will no longer need to demand attention. Meaning itself will do the convincing.