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.