Cherub around Christ's Throne with the face of an Eagle; Book of Kells. The image of our Presbyter Councils is Christ the Lion, a royal image of the chivalric and princely responsibilities to which Presbyters are called.
Forming jurisdictions, guarding Constitutional and Eucharistic boundaries and administering membership rites is the responsibility of Basileia’s Presbyter Councils.
Presbyter Councils of Basileia
Of the Alliance
- The Alliance Presbyter Council is comprised of all appointed Abbots and consecrated Abbots of Basileia. When the total number of Council members exceeds 12, then these Abbots in turn elect an Executive Team of not more than 12 from among their number. This Team in turn elects their own Presiding or Head Abbot from among their number.
- The Alliance Presbyter Council has two governing roles: 1) to guard the Constitution of Basileia and in line with those boundaries 2) to admit or to remove Basileia Communities and Vocational Societies.
- The Basileia Alliance Presbyter Council carries out its governing roles in three ways: By 1) serving as an appeals court for Basileia Communities and Vocational Societies 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 Abbeys and new Vocational Societies and (b) cultivate, resource and empower existing Abbeys and Societies to multiply.
Of Communities
- A Community Presbyter Council (which is hosted by the Community’s Abbey) is comprised of all the Presbyters of a Basileia Community. When the total number of Council members exceeds 12, then these Presbyters in turn elect an Executive Team of no more than 12 from among their number. This Team in turn elects from among their number their own Presiding or Head Presbyter, who must be either appointed or consecrated as an Abbot if not already an Abbot.
- A Community Presbyter Council has two governing roles: 1) to guard the Constitution of Basileia and in line with those boundaries 2) to admit or to remove Fellowships.
- Community Presbyter Councils carry out their governing roles in three ways: By 1) serving as an appeals court for its member Fellowships 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 Fellowships in order to maintain unity and order and 3) initiating missional initiatives that (a) found new Fellowships and (b) cultivate, resource and empower existing Fellowships to multiply.
Of Fellowships
- A Fellowship Presbyter Council is comprised of all the Presbyters of the Fellowship. When the total number of Council members exceeds 12, then these Presbyters in turn elect an Executive Team of no more than 12 from among their number. This Team in turn elects their own Presiding or Head Presbyter from among their number.
- A Fellowship Presbyter Council has two governing roles: 1) to guard the Constitution of Basileia and in line with those boundaries 2) to admit or to remove Communicant Members, Governing Members and Chapters, the latter in joint coordination with the respective Society Presbyter Councils.
- Fellowship Presbyter Councils carry out their governing roles in three ways: By 1) serving as an appeals court for Communicant Members, Governing Members and Chapters 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) member new Communicant Members, Governing Members and found new Chapters and (b) cultivate, resource and empower existing Communicant Members, Governing Members and Chapters to multiply.
Of Abbeys
- An Abbey Presbyter Council is comprised of all the Presbyters of the Abbey (including the presiding* Abbot of the Basileia Community). When the total number of Council members exceeds 12, then these Presbyters in turn elect an Executive Team of no more than 12 from among their number. This Team in turn elects their own Presiding or Head Presbyter from among their number. This Head Presbyter may or may not be the same person as the Abbot of the Basileia Community. An Abbot may decline to focus on matters with an Abbey Presbyter Council in order to concentrate his energies upon serving his respective Community and/or serving Basileia at-Large.
- An Abbey Presbyter Council has two governing roles: 1) to guard the Constitution of Basileia and in line with those boundaries 2) to admit or to remove Communicant Members, Governing Members and member Chapters, the latter in joint coordination with the respective Vocational Society Presbyter Councils.
- Abbey Presbyter Councils carry out their governing roles in three ways: By 1) serving as an appeals court for Communicant Members, Governing Members and Chapters 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) member new Communicant Members, Governing Members and found new Chapters and (b) cultivate, resource and empower existing Communicant Members, Governing Members and Chapters to multiply.
- A unique missional function of an Abbey’s Presbyter Council is to serve as the seat for the Abbot of a Basileia Community and host for the Community’s Presbyter Council. In regards to the Community Presbyter Council, it does not govern an Abbey and an Abbey Presbyter Council does not govern a Basileia Community. An Abbey’s Presbyter Council directly marshals the resources of its Abbey as well as the resources of its sister Fellowships to provide spiritual, financial, community and logistical support to 1) the presiding Abbot of its respective Basileia Community, 2) to any Abbots of Vocational Societies sent out by the Abbey, 3) any Abbots at-large who may have formal roles in leading one or more missional initiatives and/or who are engaged in at-large non-formal missional service.
- An Abbey is also the primary, but not exclusive, home in a Community for members who order themselves together in new and creative forms and modes of monastic community.
Of Societies
- A Society Presbyter Council is comprised of all Presbyters globally who are Chapter Heads. When the total number of Council members exceeds 12, then these Presbyters in turn elect an Executive Team of no more than 12 from among their number. This Team in turn elects their own Presiding or Head Presbyter for the Society from among their number. This Head Presbyter of the Society must be appointed or consecrated as an Abbot if not already an Abbot.
- A Society Presbyter Council has two governing roles: 1) to guard the Constitution of Basileia and in line with those boundaries 2) jointly to admit or to remove Chapters in coordination with the respective Abbey Presbyter Councils or Fellowship Presbyter Councils.
- Society Presbyter Councils carry out their governing roles in three ways (which are always implemented in joint coordination with the respective Abbey Presbyter Councils or Fellowship Presbyter Councils): By 1) serving as an appeals court for its own Chapters 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 Chapters in order to maintain unity and order and 3) initiating missional initiatives that (a) found new Chapters and (b) cultivate, resource and empower existing Chapters to multiply.
Of Chapters
- A Chapter Presbyter Council is comprised of all the Presbyters of the Chapter. When the total number of Council members exceeds 12, then these Presbyters in turn elect an Executive Team of no more than 12 from among their number. This Team in turn elects their own Presiding or Head from among the Presbyters in their number.
- A Chapter Presbyter Council has two governing roles: 1) to guard the Constitution of Basileia and in line with those boundaries 2) to admit or to remove Communicant Members and Governing Members of the Chapter.
- Chapter Presbyter Councils carry out their governing roles in three ways: By 1) serving as an appeals court for Communicant Members and Governing 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) member new Communicant Members and Governing Members and (b) cultivate, resource and empower existing Communicant Members and Governing Members to multiply both themselves and new Chapters.
General Responsibilities of Presbyter Councils
All of Basileia’s Presbyter Councils are charged to lead their respective jurisdictions to abide by the following:
Implementing and Amending the Constitution
- Develop or approve the development of whatever liturgical customaries, catechetical curriculums and canonical handbooks, guidebooks, policies and procedures, and civil entities that are helpful in following Basileia’s Constitution that do not effectively contradict, nullify or amend any part of the Constitution.
- Presbyter Councils are finally responsible to see that in their respective jurisdictions the ministerial functions of Deacon Councils and Missional Councils are fulfilled until Deacons and Commissioned Governing Members, respectively, are appointed to lead and administrate those functions.
- Presbyter Councils are finally responsible to see that ministerial coordination happens between their fellow Deacon Councils and Missional Councils.
- Presbyter Councils are finally responsible for facilitating the consensus decision-making process in regards to amending the Constitution.
Naming Jurisdictions
- Basileia Communities are named as “Basileia Community of…” as, for example, Basileia Community of St. John and Basileia Community of Wales.
- Abbeys are designated in same way as the Communities they found. For example, the name of the Abbey that founds the Basileia Community of St. John is the Basileia Abbey of St. John.
- Fellowships are all named as “Basileia Fellowship of…” Unlike Abbeys, Fellowships are not required to name themselves in a similar way as their respective Communities. For example, a member Fellowship of the Basileia Community of St. John could be named, “Basileia Fellowship of St. Brendan.”
- Societies are named as “Society of…” as, for example, "Society of Educators.” Because a Society is a jurisdiction composed of members, not an initiative focused on a function, the emphasis in the name of Societies is upon designating the people called as members of the Society according to their vocation (e.g., “educators”), not the focus of their calling (e.g., “education”).
- Chapters combine the name of the Fellowship or Abbey they are membered to with the name of the Society to which they belong. For example, a Chapter of Educators membered to the Basileia Fellowship of St. Brendan would be named the Basileia Educators of St. Brendan. Furthermore, since the Basileia Fellowship of St. Brendan could conceivably have multiple Chapters of educators globally, further distinctions can be used as in, for example, Basileia Educators of St. Brendan in Fountain, indicating this Chapter is based in Fountain, Colorado.
- Jurisdictions may abbreviate their full, official names in non-formal conversation. For example, members of the Basileia Fellowship of St. Brendan may in everyday conversation simply speak of the “Fellowship of St. Brendan” or just “St. Brendan.”
Use of the Basileia Logo
- When the Basileia Logo is used in relation to a jurisdiction’s official name the specific part of that jurisdiction’s official name goes on the line below “Basileia.”
- When the Logo is used in relation to Basileia in general it may be used with or without the name Basileia.
- The official color of the Basileia Logo is “Oxblood,” the liturgical color of the Great Three Days of Holy Week.
Tithes
- Basileians in general are called and Adult Communicate Members and Governing Members in particular are accountable to submit their tithes as follows: 1) Festival Tithes to their home Fellowship, 2) if they are also members of one or more Chapters, then their Vocational Tithes to the Chapter or Chapters proportionally, or if they are not members of one or more Chapters, then their Vocational Tithes to one or more selected Chapters of their home Fellowship and 3) Community Tithes to their home Fellowship.
- Until amended, it is the policy of Basileia that all Presbyters designate half of their Festival Tithe to the Primate’s office of Communio Christiana.
Finances
- Until amended, it is the policy of Fellowships to designate 10% of their total monthly Festival Tithes to the Primate’s office of Communio Christiana.
- Fellowships designate 10% of their total monthly Festival Tithes to their home Community.
- Chapters designate 10% of their total monthly Vocational Tithes to their Society.
- Communities and Societies designate 10% of their total monthly income from Tithes received to the Basileia Alliance.
