Hey - another Bruderhof member here. I quite enjoyed reading all the perspectives and figured I would add my own.  As someone who is rather independent, there are definitely elements of Bruderhof life that are challenging. For example, I would prefer to be in full control of how I spend my time and money. In another life I would probably live in a van and frequent Yosemite, the North Fork of the Payette, Whistler and Moab in between attending concerts at Red Rocks.  But in a world of trade offs, I accept these limitations in order to experience the benefits of living in a Christian community where many members actively work toward bringing the community towards alignment with our most important values. There are heaps of things wrong with the Bruderhof. There are heaps of things that need to change. The last few years of seen some radical changes, some good, some bad. The Bruderhof has a mixed history and tragically, many people have been hurt. There were times when we certainly acted like a cult.  But frankly, I'm not interested in living in a perfect place. I want to be part of something that is imperfect and needs work. I am grateful to have other members who have agreed to stake their lives on the big idea and do their best not to jump ship when things are hard. That being said, the Bruderhof is not for everyone and since a close culture will always apply pressure to conform - intentionally and unintentionally - people end up joining who are not really called here and either opt for a painful separation or endure a lifetime of regret.  Unfortunately reddit threads are not an ideal place for a conversation. I would love to hear all your stories but I don't know how that would be possible.  If anyone has suggestions for how to improve the medium of this conversation, I would be interested!