An Abbey is to a Basileia Community what a mustard seed is to a mustard tree. The former contains the genotype (the seed) that gives expression to a phenotype (the tree). In light of the phase, “Abbey and the Oak Tree,” we could slightly modify the analogy here and say that an Abbey is like a source of acorns that are then planted in a circle around the Abbey to give rise to a ring of Fellowships which in turn are encircled by another planting of acorns that gives rise to an even broader ring of Chapters. The missional initiatives that radiate outward to the world give rise to a mustard tree expression of kingdomculture.
Also see Abbey.