Abbey

Abbeys are the mustard seed expressions of Basileia, the founding jurisdiction of a Basileia Community, comprised of Basileians in general, Adult Communicant Members and Governing Members in particular as well as Chapters, and founded by an Abbot. The complementary governing functions of its Presbyter Council, Deacon Councils and Missional Councils enable Abbeys to create a “neighborhood” in the Ecclesial City with its own unique charism and distinctives. Furthermore, an Abbey founds a Basileia Community and is thus what some call “an apostolic team” or a “church planting team.” An Abbey serves as the community center around which a Basileia Community grows through various initiatives that in turn lead to the addition of other Fellowships. However, an Abbey may or may not choose to grow much as a Fellowship in its own right. Regardless, an Abbey perpetually serves as the home for the Community’s presiding Abbot and may also provide a home for other Abbots of Basileia and offers practical and logistical support to its respective Community Presbyter Council, Community Deacon Council and Community Missional Council. An Abbey is also the primary or initial home (thus not necessarily the only home) in a Community for members who order themselves together in new and creative forms and more intensive modes of monastic community.

Also see Elect, Mustard Seed, and Monastic.

Abbot

Abbots serve in either an appointed or in a consecrated capacity as the Presiding or Head Presbyters of an Abbey, the Basileia Alliance, Basileia Communities and Vocational Societies. In addition to or in lieu of serving in these presiding roles, Abbots may have at-large formal roles in leading Fellowships and Chapters, one or more missional initiatives and/or engage in at-large non-formal missional service.

Also see Appointed, Consecrated, Head, Presiding Abbot, and Presiding Member.

Adult Communicant Believers

Adult Communicant Believers are baptized believers who are 13 years of age and older and are welcome and invited to receive communion in all Basileia Eucharistic worship services. They may become Catechumens.

Also see Adult Communicant Members, Child Communicant Believers, and Open Communion.

Adult Communicant Members

Adult Communicant Members are Basileians who have completed the Catechumenate.

Also see Catechumen, Catechumenate, Child Communicant Members, and Communicant Members.

Advance the Kingdom

Advancing the Kingdom through our vocational callings is how we expand the Kingdom of God into every spot in the universe. Basileians are Ambassadors who, in our primary discipline of serving the Church and the world, integrate the practice of advancing the Kingdom through our vocational callings with offering hospitality to all and traveling to the edges of established expressions of Christendom.

Also see Ambassadors, and Serve.

All Areas of Thought and Life

All areas of thought and life is a phrase that includes all existing and conceivable building blocks or elements that comprise a society. Revelation 21:26 may be understood to speak of all areas of thought and life in terms of the “the glory and the honor of the nations” that the kings of earth bring into the City of God. Practically, this involves conforming areas of thought and life to the pattern of revelation revealed in creation, Scripture and the Spirit and thus bringing all things in heaven and on earth into unity with Christ.

Also see Ecclesial City, Restoration, and Transformation.

Alliance

The Alliance is the global ecclesial expression of Basileia, a member of Communio Christiana, comprised of member Basileia Communities and Vocational Societies, and was founded on December 29, 2004 upon the episcopal authority of Bishops of the Church. The governing functions of its Presbyter Council, Deacon Council and Missional Council enable Basileia to serve as global communion of the Church. Globally, Basileia is a kingdom alliance of “tribes” of Basileia Communities and Vocational Societies, thus the name of Basileia’s broadest jurisdiction, the Basileia Alliance. It is also just as correct to say that Basileia is a covenantal federation since the Hebrew idea of covenant is essentially the same as the New Testament concept of a kingdom alliance. When Jesus said to His disciples, “I bestow upon you, as my Father bestowed upon me, a kingdom” (Lk. 22:29), it would have sounded a bit novel to the disciples’ ears since the idea of bestowing a covenant was up to that point how they normally would have spoken about such things. Israel was a covenantal federation of tribes just as the Church today continues to be a covenantal federation of many “tribes.” The phrase “covenantal federation” is somewhat redundant because “federal” is derived from the Latin word for covenant, foedus. The One who is the source of authority bestows covenants and kingdoms upon chosen delegated authorities. Such “bestowing” or “assigning” of a covenant, that is, of a kingdom, happens when one who has a kingdom (say, a father of a family), lays hands on a son and blesses him even as Scripture records many of the patriarchs doing with their sons. God “lays hands on” us through His priestly representatives in Baptism and the Eucharist. Jesus, for example, uttered the words, “I bestow on you a kingdom” when He instituted the Eucharist. Thus, an alliance is most fundamentally a kingdom federation formally established through celebratory ceremonies of covenantal initiation and covenantal renewal. Furthermore, an alliance or covenantal federation may also be called a communion.

Also see Communion, Covenant, Fallen World System, Jurisdiction, and Kingdom.

Ambassadors

Basileians are Ambassadors who in the practice of advancing the Kingdom through our vocational callings let the light of the City on the hill shine in and through every area of thought and life. This prophetic lifestyle practice is related to our primary discipline of serving the Church and the world.

Also see Hosts, Serve, and Voluntary Exiles.

Anointing

Anointing with oil is performed in various ways: 1) by elders of the Church for healing, 2) Chrismation following Baptism, 3) during other Rites of Incorporation including the acceptance of Adult Communicant Members into membership and at ordinations, and 4) as a Rite of Purification in the Catechumenate and Novitiate.

Also see Chrismation, Confession, Exorcism, Forgiveness, Restitution, Rite of Incorporation, and Rite of Purification.

Apostolic

The Church is apostolic in the sense that she is constantly sent out by the Spirit to the edges of established expressions of Christendom to advance the Kingdom in ways no one has done before. This apostolic impulse is rooted in mankind’s original charism, which was lost in Adam but is now restored in Christ, which is to “have dominion…over all the earth” and to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:26-18). Thus any member individually or jurisdiction collectively of Basileia that fails to multiply and/or to exercise ministerial authority according to the Apostolic Rule of Faith is unsatisfactorily apostolic and requires corrective discipline and/or formative discipleship.

Also see Apostolic Rule of Faith, Appeals Court, and Charism.

Apostolic Rule of Faith

The Apostolic Rule of Faith is the self-authenticating pattern of truth and authority that is the will of the Father, incarnate in the Word, and embodied in the Church and which is revealed convergently through sacrament, in Scripture and by the Spirit.

Also see Capacity, Charism, Consensus Decision-Making, and Ministerial Authority.

Apostolic Succession

Basileia traces its lineage in the Church back 2,000 years specifically to the apostles Peter, James the Just (the brother of the Lord) and John. Humanity is hardwired with a sense that even across time and space we are somehow connected with others in a shared eternal community. Therefore, individuals, families and entire cultures keep genealogical records. The Church calls this sense of continuity the Communion of Saints. In the Liturgy, for example, we actually connect across space and time with angels and archangels and the spirits of just men made perfect. Another way this sense of connection is made real and concrete is in the practice of Apostolic Succession, which began when Christ’s original apostles appointed bishops as their successors to teach, govern and ordain. These bishops in turn appointed bishops after them and so on, creating diverse lines of bishops that lead right up to the present day. The lines that converge in Basileia pass through 2,000 years of Celtic, Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican expressions of the Church. One line, for example, begins with the Apostle John who in A.D. 97 appointed Polycarp as Bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp in turn consecrated Pothines in A.D. 136, and then sent him to Moul, France where he became the first Bishop of Lyon. After Pothines was martyred, Irenaeus succeeded him. Skipping ahead in this line, the 33rd bishop from John, Aetherius, consecrated Augustine in A.D. 597 as the first Bishop of Canterbury. Leaping forward again, on February 4, 1787 the 86th bishop from Augustine, Bishop John Moore, consecrated William White as the first Bishop of Pennsylvania in a line of bishops that lead to Bishop William Paul Mikler who, in Colorado Springs, Colorado on December 29, 2004, ordained the founders of Basileia.

Also see the 47-page document, “The Apostolic Succession of William Paul Mikler,” and Communion of Saints.

Appeals Court

While each member of the Church individually and collectively is called and authorized to be self-governing, at times they may be unwilling and/or unable. Thus when a matter of corrective discipline or formative discipleship exceeds the capacity of Basileians to resolve, they may appeal to the proper Council, depending on the issue at hand. If this Council does not have the capacity to come to consensus on the matter, then an appeal in turn may be made to the Council of the next broader jurisdiction and so on until the matter is resolved. Furthermore, while each jurisdiction of Basileia is a court that its respective members may initiate an appeal to, each jurisdiction may also initiate corrective discipline or formative discipleship of its members 1) within its respective Constitutional boundaries in order to maintain unity and order in the Church and 2) through various missional initiatives to empower members in their charism in general and to multiply in particular.

Also see Apostolic, Capacity, Charism, Consensus Decision-Making, Council and Ministerial Authority.

Appointed

A Presbyter made an Abbot without episcopal authority to ordain is “appointed” in contrast to a Presbyter “consecrated” as an Abbot with episcopal authority to ordain.

Also see Abbot, and Consecrated.

Assemble

Assemble is an element of the second of the five primary disciplines of our Basileian way of life – journey, assemble, listen, govern and serve. In parallel fashion, “assemble” is also an element in the second movement of the Liturgy by which worshipers assemble as the Church according to their equally valuable but different delegated roles in the community. The day called “the day of the assembly” (Deut. 9:10; 10:4; 18:16) marked the end of the consecration period after Israel was delivered from Egypt and the beginning of her existence as a holy nation. For it was on this day that the Lord formally forged “the congregation in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38) into a holy nation. The people of God in both the Old and New Covenant eras commemorate this “day of the assembly” every year exactly fifty days after the Sabbath of Passover week (Lev. 23:4-7, 15-16). It is called the “Feast of Weeks” in the Old Testament (Deut. 16:10) and the “Day of Pentecost” (literally meaning “Fiftieth Day”) in the New Testament (Acts 2:1). Just as the “mixed multitude” (Ex. 12:38) that came out of Egypt were made a holy nation on “the day of the assembly,” so after Jesus' resurrection, the “multitude” from “every nation under heaven” gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost received the Holy Spirit and were baptized (Acts 2:39, 41). From this we understand that the Lord assembles or congregates His people to hear His voice so that they may respond in covenantal obedience in order to be made into a holy nation. The word ekklesia is used in the Septuagint (i.e., the Greek translation of the Old Testament by seventy Jewish scholars in the third century BC) to translate the Hebrew word qahal, which means “congregation” or “assembly.” Qahal is derived from qol, which means voice. God's people are a holy nation constantly being summoned by the voice of God to assemble before Him. To be a member of the people of God is to be called to assemble with the whole covenant community before the Lord. This was the preeminent and permanent feature of Israel’s identity as the covenant community of God, and so it is with the people of God in the New Covenant era.

Also see Delegated Authority, and Primary Disciplines.

Autonomous

The word “autonomous” means “self law,” from auto (self) and nomos (law). In contrast to Sola Scriptura, “Solo” Scriptura is the autonomous interpretation of the Word by individuals while Qualified Infallibility is the form that the autonomous interpretation of the Word takes with collectives. Covenantally speaking, autonomy manifests when a delegated authority makes himself or herself the source of authority, which God alone is able to be. Autonomy is the essence of sin, which is lawlessness (1 Jn. 3:4). Thus theonomy (God’s law) is the kingdomcultural alternative to autonomy (self law).

Also see Covenant, Qualified Infallibility, Sola Scriptura, “Solo” Scriptura, and Theonomy.

Baptism

Baptism is the covenantal rite of public initiation into the Church as ordained by God in Christ for the People of God in the New Covenant era. In the Old Covenant era, circumcision served as the rite of initiation into membership in the covenant. All baptized believers, including infants and children, may receive communion in any Basileia Eucharistic worship service. Thus Basileia regards Baptism performed in any jurisdiction of the Church in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as ultimately a work of the Holy Spirit that makes the person a member of the Church. In regards to nations, Jesus’ command to baptize entire nations indicates that Baptism has a broader application than just in relation to individuals. In relation to collectives Baptism is the means of initiating them into obedience to the covenant that they also, like individuals, may be dwelling places of God in the Spirit. Thus Baptism, both for individuals and collectives, is a public rite of initiation into the covenant. And obedience to the covenant is the condition God requires for Him to come and dwell in us by the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:12). Therefore, all Baptisms are also a Baptism in the Spirit, which is why Basileia performs Chrismation immediately upon the baptism of any individual. Baptism is not just about having the guilt of one’s sins washed away, but because of the Incarnation, Baptism also reverses the corruption of God’s image in us as a result of the Fall. This in turn restores us to be temples in which the Spirit comes and dwells. Thus Baptism and Chrismation go hand in hand.

Also see Chrismation, Infant Baptism, and Restoration.

Baptized Believers

All baptized believers are members of the “priesthood of all believers,” which signifies that they are holders of an office of rulership in the Kingdom of God. Upon all Baptized Believers Jesus bestows His Kingdom and invites them to His Table in His Kingdom to judge (rule). The office of the Baptized Believer is not of lesser authority, but is of a different kind of authority than the offices of ordained Presbyters, Deacons and consecrated Bishops and Abbots. In Basileia, all Baptized Believers are welcome at the Table of any Basileia Eucharistic service indicating that they are members of the priesthood of all believers. Furthermore, in regards to Baptized Believers who have completed the Novitiate to become Commissioned Governing Members, Basileia recognizes that they have a kind of governing authority to lead and administrate Missional Councils. This kind of governing authority is of equal value but different in function to that exercised by Presbyters, Deacons, Bishops and consecrated Abbots.

Also see Baptism, Infant Baptism, Missional Councils and Priesthood of all Believers.

Basileia

Basileia (pronounced boss-eh-LAY-a) is the Greek word for kingdom and is used to designate Basileia (spelled in small caps), an ecclesial expression of the Church in communion with Communio Christiana. Thus the designation “Basileia,” while it can be thought of organizationally, is more fundamentally a culture, a worldview, a charism, a mindset, a way of doing the Christian faith given by Christ to the members of Basileia. While Basileia has distinctive ways defined in its Constitution for making visible the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, it affirms that kingdomculture is the true culture of all believers individually and of the Body of Christ collectively. Kingdomculture is therefore destined to be the culture of heaven and earth ultimately. It is within that vision of things that Basileia therefore describes itself not as the kingdomcultural alternative, but as a kingdomcultural alternative – an alternative in unity with all other ecclesial kingdomcultural alternatives to all subcultural and countercultural forms of the faith captive and conformed to the pattern of the fallen world.

Also see kingdomculture.

Basileian

Generally, any individual or collective who is kingdomcultural is Basileian. In this sense, there are many believers who are Basileian in their orientation who are not specifically related to or members of Basileia. However, some guests or participants in Basileia’s mode of worship, way of life and manner of governance become Basileians of Basileia at the point that they begin to relate to a Soul Friend. Thus some Basileians may not be professing believers. While all Basileians belong in order to believe and are called to cultivate a kingdomcultural lifestyle with us in whatever ways they choose, some also enter the Catechumenate to become members of Basileia in a formal way in which they become accountable to the ecclesiastical authority of Basileia in living a kingdomcultural lifestyle. Basileia’s Constitution officially expresses what it means to be Basileian in a way that is particular to Basileia.

Also see Basileia, Belong in Order to Believe, Charism, Member, and Soul Friend.