Basileia uses three types of councils in the joyful adventure of heavenizing earth.
A council in Scripture is a circle of the Lord's own friends who join Him around a Table to discuss what His Word means and how it should be applied to new situations that no one has ever faced before.
When consensus is reached in the the Lord's council, it can be imagined that after the decision is written down by scribes, the Lord then takes his signet ring and stamps the legislation as approved, authorizing its implementation on earth. The Hebrew word for this is sode, which is often translated into English as “secret,” or “secret counsel” or even “friendship.” The equivalent New Testament word is mysterion, which is the origin of the English word “mystery.” The equivalent Latin word is sacramentum, from which we get the English word sacrament. Thus this concept of a council is foundational to a proper understanding of what sacraments are, what prayer meetings are, what sitting at Christ’s Table in Eucharistic worship as His friends is really about and so on. This concept of the Lord's Council is fundamental to the whole of Basileia’s charism and thus what we do.
Each of Basileia's various expressions uses three kinds of Councils: Deacon, Presbyter and Missional.
Deacon Councils
Basileia’s Deacon Councils lead and administer the diaconal functions of member formation in general and of the Catechumenate and of the Novitiate in particular.
- Each jurisdiction has its own Deacon Council.
- Deacon Councils administer the mentoring of friends and guests of Basileia and of all Basileians in general, training of Soul Friends, catechizing Adult Communicant Members and equipping Governing Members.
- The responsibilities of Deacon Councils include 1) equipping practitioners of Godly Play for children, 2) presenting Catechumens to a jurisdiction’s Presbyter Council for approval as Adult Communicant Members, 3) presenting Candidates in the Novitiate to a jurisdiction’s Presbyter Council for approval as Governing Members, 4) maintaining a registry of members, and 5) coordinating the logistics of membership ceremonies.
Presbyter Councils
Basileia’s Presbyter Councils lead in the formation of jurisdictions, guard Constitutional and Eucharistic boundaries and administer membership rites.
- Each jurisdiction has its own Presbyter Council.
- Every Presbyter Council carries out their leadership roles in three ways: By 1) serving as an appeals court for members who have matters of corrective discipline or formative discipleship that have exceeded their capacity to resolve, 2) initiating corrective discipline or formative discipleship of its members in order to maintain unity and order and 3) initiating missional initiatives that (a) found new Basileian jurisdictions and (b) cultivate, resource and empower jurisdictions to multiply.
- The responsibilities of Presbyter Councils include leading Basileians in 1) implementing and amending the Constitution, 2) naming jurisdictions, 3) the proper use of the Basileia logo, 4) administrating Festival Tithes, and 5) assuring that proper financial protocols are followed within their respective jurisdictions.
Missional Councils
Basileia’s Missional Councils lead and administer the diaconal functions of equipping and releasing leaders of missional initiatives.
- Each jurisdiction has its own Missional Council.
- Missional Councils lead Basileians in their respective jurisdictions to form and engage in missional initiatives that both build the jurisdiction and extend its reach.
- The responsibilities of Missional Councils include 1) administrating the use of offerings for missional initiatives, 2) administrating of Community Tithes (by Fellowship Missional Councils) and 3) equipping missional initiative leaders.
