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The theories of community described above all come from a social science perspective. The theorists take a stance as outside observers describing the community or system in objective terms. Participatory researchers, indigenous theorists and some other observers take a different approach. They aim to describe each community from an insider's point of view. Rather than working to construct a social theory that can describe all communities, or community in general, they seek to inquire into, and describe, a specific and particular community using the theories that are used and understood by the members of that community.

Most members of most communities do not write explicit theories of their own community participation But ordinary members of communities do the things they do as community members because they have knowledge and skills which are relevant to the life of the community. This may be the knowledge of how to do very ordinary everyday tasks, or it may be specialised knowledge used in community life. But this knowledge constitutes an implicit theory, called local theory or indigenous theory.