Cherub around Christ's Throne with the face of an Ox; Book of Kells. The image of our Missional Councils is Christ the Ox, an image associated with Christ leading us into enduring service to the Church and the world.
Missional Councils lead and administer the diaconal functions of equipping and releasing leaders of missional initiatives within Basileia.
Appointment
Each ecclesial jurisdiction of Basileia has its own Missional Council led and administered by Commissioned Governing Members even if its diaconal functions must initially be led and administered by one or more founding Presbyters or Deacons. When the total number of members of a Missional Council exceeds 12, then the members elect no more than 12 of their number to an Executive Team, which in turn elects one of their number as the Presiding Member of both the Executive Team and of the Missional Council as a whole.
- Alliance Missional Council. This Missional Council is automatically composed of the Missional Council Presiding Members of all Basileia Communities and Vocational Societies.
- Community Missional Council. This Missional Council is automatically composed of the Missional Council Presiding Members from its Abbey and each member Fellowship and of the Chapters of the Abbey and each Fellowship.
- Abbey Missional Council. This Missional Council is composed of the Commissioned Governing Member(s) appointed by the Abbey’s Presbyter Council and automatically by the Missional Council Presiding Members of each of the Abbey’s Chapters.
- Fellowship Missional Council. This Missional Council is composed of the Commissioned Governing Member(s) appointed by the Fellowship’s Presbyter Council and automatically by the Missional Council Presiding Members of each of that Fellowship’s Chapters.
- Society Missional Council. This Missional Council is automatically composed of the Missional Council Presiding Members of each of that particular Society’s Chapters.
- Chapter Missional Council. This Missional Council is composed of the Commissioned Governing Member(s) appointed by the Chapter’s Presbyter Council.
Functions
Missional Councils lead Basileians in their respective jurisdictions to form and engage in missional initiatives that both build the jurisdiction and extend its reach.
Specific functions of Missional Councils are as follows:
- Administrate the use of offerings for missional initiatives. Offerings are not tithes and tithes are not offerings. Members who give offerings to a jurisdiction are to designate the missional initiative the offering is for. Undesignated offerings will be administered as determined by Missional Councils.
- Fellowship Missional Councils and Abbey Missional Councils directly oversee the administration of the Community Tithe, including the selection of recipients of the Community Tithe and logistics of Community Tithe Feasts. (This function is limited to Fellowship Missional Councils and Abbey Missional Councils since only Fellowships and Abbeys collect the Community Tithe).
- Research and identify missional objectives.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of existing missional initiatives to either improve or eliminate them.
- Officially recognize or appoint a primary leader for each missional initiative of a jurisdiction.
- Equip leaders of missional initiatives as needed and especially in the skills of functioning as a team leader.
- Facilitate leaders of missional initiatives to develop unique names, brands and logos for these missional initiatives.
- Share with Basileia as a whole any innovative and improved methods and resources for equipping leaders of missional initiatives that emerge by design or spontaneously from the initiative of members.
- Maintain and enhance affective (“feeling/heart”), didactic (“knowing/head”), and sensorial (“doing/hands”) methods of equipping leaders of missional initiatives.
- Facilitate the use of personality and gift assessments for leaders of missional initiatives.
- Maintain a registry and profile of all leaders of missional initiatives.
- Present proposals to the jurisdiction’s Presbyter Council for amendments to Basileia’s Constitution in light of experience gained in the formation and administration of missional initiatives.
- Hold an annual summit with the jurisdiction’s Deacon Council to determine how membership formation can be modified or improved in light of the needs and challenges of the jurisdiction’s various missional initiatives
