"The Simple Way." A practical theology of new monasticism

Abstract

Inspired by the Iona tradition, a group of people in the northern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Friesland, tries to establish a monastic commu-nity embedded in the Frisian culture and identity. The project, called Nijkleas-ter, ‘New Convent’, started in 2009. The neighboring Protestant congregation agreed to incorporate this project, and, in 2011, the ‘missionary and church growth’ department of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands made this project into one of their ‘protestant pioneer places’, supporting it with financial guarantees, guidance, and publicity. The intention is to create something ‘new’, an alternative to the regular congregation. It will be a place of hospitality for pilgrims, and for people of different confessional traditions who do not feel at home in their own church or congregation, but also for spiritual seekers and those who perceive themselves as ‘solo-religious’.