On our journey, we want to be taught, and we also want to teach. This is why creating opportunities to both mentor and be mentored are powerful.

This boundary should be more about making the inside space safe for insiders than about keeping outsiders out.

My friend’s church needs formal or informal gatekeepers who can be easily approached. Right now, visitors have to seek out the pastors to find out more about membership, and there are only three pastors. Gatekeepers could help give newcomers access by extending invitations as soon as visitors shared that they want more.

A large community will almost certainly create minor temples. A community can have many temples of varying importance. In other words, a single temple is not the be-all and end-all.

To Kevin, it had become clear that users desperately wanted to be part of a community that represented their identity, values, and shared interests.

Second, when those who are trapped in a crisis of belonging receive an invitation from any insider or community leader, the invitation itself becomes evidence of their belonging

Who am I? How should I act? What do I believe? I call this membership identity.

Gatekeepers are important for helping visitors across the boundary. They’re the people who can give newcomers access to the community. Whether officially or unofficially, gatekeepers evaluate whether an interested newcomer should be welcomed across the boundary and into the community. They may be the same as or different from those who can exclude.

They’ll look for something to interpret as an initiation if one isn’t offered. This may be an extemporaneous compliment from a leader, an invitation to teach other insiders, or more intimate invitations away from outer ring activities, such as a private party, an intimate conversation, or an unadvertised gathering.