Bruderhof members do not hold private property, but rather share everything. Members work inside the Bruderhof, and nobody receives a salary or has a bank account. Income from all businesses is pooled and used for the care of all members and for various communal outreach efforts. Every member of the organization must take a vow that he or she is willing "to put yourself completely at the disposal of the church community to the end of your life – all your faculties, the entire strength of your body and soul, and all your property, both that which you now possess and that which you may later inherit or earn." Most communities have a nursery, kindergarten, school, communal kitchen, laundry, various workshops, and offices. Bruderhof life is built around the family, though there are also many single members. Children are an important part of each community and participate in most communal gatherings. Disabled and elderly members are cared for within the community and participate in daily life and work as much as they are able.

The Bruderhof eats one meal together each day as a community. Other meals are eaten in families. Singing is a very common form of worship in the community, and members often sing before meals. The Bruderhof do not prohibit the consumption of alcohol. Numerous guests visit the Bruderhof and all communities are open to guests. The Bruderhof is estimated to have around 2,900 members worldwide. The Bruderhof has a reserved attitude to the use of technology. Bruderhof families do not watch television or use the Internet within the home but do so outside of it, with many using smartphones. Unlike the Amish, they own and drive cars and run modern businesses and factories. Some of their members run video blogs that document their life on the Bruderhof that are published online. Children grow up unburdened by the pressures of social media or consumerist society, and they learn that caring for others is more important than acquiring things for themselves.

Nobody gets paid anything, so status is pretty much not an issue. People are valued for who they are, not for how much they earn. They have a simple mode of dress to uphold Jesus’ teachings on not worrying about what to wear. It frees them up to think about things that are more important than clothes. Living together provides endless opportunities for good times: whether it’s an early morning of fishing or birding; a weekend afternoon of cycling, hiking, or playing soccer; or an evening campfire with a card game followed by folk songs. They take the Great Commission seriously and send out missionaries around the world and run a publishing house called Plough. It is a false dichotomy to say that to be salt and light, you have to ignore the teachings of Christ about the dangers of money. Not only is it possible to do both, you can’t do one without the other.