This ministerial form of decision-making discerns the will of God revealed through sacrament, in Scripture and by the Spirit as it is first expressed by members to the best of their capacity and, which secondly, is integrated in a Council by a Presiding Member in line with the Apostolic Rule of Faith. Consensus decision-making stands in contrast to mediatorial forms of decision-making (e.g., unanimity, democracy and autocracy) that ultimately fail to discern the will of God and thus inevitably use force to impose the autonomous will of man on others. While all of Christ's sheep can hear His voice, not all have an equal capacity to restate what they hear Christ speaking, not just to them as individuals, but also to the community as a whole. Thus while no member of a covenant community has more authority than another member, some members have a more developed capacity for helping the community as a whole define and defend its confession. Thus, in Basileia, Presiding Members facilitate the general role of all members in this process, placing greater weight on the input of those with more developed capacity to restate what the Lord is saying through all and to all (Josh. 9:15-21; Acts 15:6-35; 1 Cor. 14:26-35). Once the collective wisdom of a jurisdiction has been heard, the unique role of Presiding Members on behalf of their respective Councils is then to integrate and restate it in a manner (1) consistent with the Apostolic Rule of Faith and (2) that causes the jurisdiction as a whole to say, “it seem[s] good to the Holy Spirit, and to us” (Acts 15:28). This same approach to decision making is to be used by elders of families and elders of state. The Church models what this means, not just for the Church, but also for family and state.
Also see Apostolic Rule of Faith, Capacity, Charism, Council, and Ministerial Authority.