Alma the Elder’s people built a strong religious community that emphasized five basic practices:
How do these five practices create and build a strong sense of community?
First, Alma commanded them to keep the Sabbath day holy. Why was this listed first? When the Lord is put first in our lives, a level of outward obedience is demonstrated, and that choice keeps the covenant in memory the rest of the week.
Second, keeping the Sabbath day holy leads to community building. Meeting for worship as often as possible and spending time ministering unto each other builds a strong sense of community. Partaking of the sacrament enables covenant renewal. Sabbath-keeping also builds family love. It excludes usual play or work. The children who are taught this path of righteousness eventually find it refreshing, and that feeling magnifies itself as they become parents.
Third, thanking God every day also adds to group cohesiveness. How does it do that? For one thing, sincere thanking is a way of praising, and praising others reinforces group values and the joy of belonging.
Fourth, every act of sacrifice or obedience also builds community. Sharing substance, as well as time and positive memorable experiences contribute to a sense of mutual belonging, as does also shared worship and sharing of testimonies of principles that are loving and fair.
As a small, cohesive covenant community, it was natural for Alma’s people to embrace the principle of righteously supporting the poor. Of Limhi’s administration, Mosiah 21:17 similarly says: "Now there was a great number of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded that every man should impart to the support of the widows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of the greatness of their number that had been slain." This point may well shed light on the story of their escape of the people of Limhi (chapter 22). They were blessed because they had become charitable and cohesive as a group. There were many widows, orphans, and single mothers. They put effort into preparing the logistics and worked in unity to leave no one behind.
Finally, having learned from Noah’s example of bad leadership, Alma refused to be a king (Mosiah 23:7). He admonished his people to "trust no man to be a king over you" and to "trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments" (Mosiah 23:13–14). How does it build community trust and confidence when the leaders keep God’s commandments? How does it destroy trust when a leader does not walk in God’s ways? Why is trust so important in our relationships, especially in marriage and family? What does trust have to do with being loved? When I was a freshman at BYU, one wise professor of mine stated, "It is better to be trusted than to be loved." That seemed odd to me at first, but isn’t it true that by being trusted one creates a relationship within which love can thrive.
And in the same way, leaders must be trustworthy. If there is no trust, there is nothing to bind us, politically speaking. Trust and love must be consciously built. One should work expressly at building trust.