This paper describes the efforts of the rural Pioneer Mental Health Center (PMHC), Seward, Nebraska, in the development of a community-based alcohol/drug prevention program. Part I focuses on the history and development of the prevention model, which emphasizes process-oriented activities to promote community identification and ownership of the problems and solutions. The five guidelines used in working with communities (i.e., community designated goals, total community representation, ongoing community participation, multiple approaches for multiple factors, and PMHC staff as facilitators) are stated and activities of the PMHC staff in three communities are described to illustrate the use of the guidelines. In part II, the characteristics of a community development model, focusing on process rather than specific prevention techniques, are given. The effectiveness of the process-oriented community development approach is discussed from both first and second order changes. Part III discusses the implications of a process-oriented model in the areas of implementation, funding, and evaluation. The discussion on implementation specifically focuses on agency history and orientation, staff roles, and community relations. A comment on successive revolutions in mental health practice and services concludes the paper. (BL)