Answer: Traditionally the community form of Hindu monastic life is of three kinds: the Ashrama, the Math and the Akhada. The Ashrama is a temporary institution meant for a small group of people. It is normally without any permanent arrangement for worship. The Ashrama form of life is meant not only for monks but also for householders. The ancient Rishis who lived in Ashramas were married people.
The Math is a permanent institution with permanent arrangement for worship, started by Shankaracharya. Following him, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya also founded Maths. The Math is meant for a single monk, spreading Dharma among the people.
The Akhada is a semi-permanent institution in which worship does not play an important role. It consists of a loosely-knit community of very large number of monks who do not follow a written rule. This kind of monastic institution was founded by Madhusudan Saraswati in 16th Century.

But, the Ramakrishna Order does not conform to any of the patterns of monastic life mentioned above although it includes the good aspects of all of them. The truth is, the lifestyle of the members of the Ramakrishna Order is a new way of life, which is based on the lives and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and other Direct Disciples, and the vision of Vedic Rishis with a modern outlook. They live with a motto as taught by Swami Vivekananda, “For one’s own salvation and for the good of the world”, through renunciation and service.