The Foundational Articles
The Public Foundational Principles Of The People's Ecclesia
The Foundational Articles set forth the public foundational principles of The People's Ecclesia. They express the Ecclesia's spiritual authority, covenant identity, stewardship commitments, governance order, public witness, companion institutions, and ecclesial recognitions. These Articles flow from the originating declaration of the Ecclesia and provide the public foundation upon which fuller Constitutional Articles, Canonical Orders, and administrative directives may be established.
Article I — Authority
The People's Ecclesia is established under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of Holy Scripture. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments serve as the supreme governing standard for all matters of faith, doctrine, order, and practice within this assembly. No human tradition, institutional policy, or temporal authority supersedes the written Word of God.
Article II — Covenant Assembly
The Ecclesia is defined not as an organization, corporation, or social institution, but as a gathered people under covenant. Members are bound by voluntary confession of faith and mutual accountability before God. Entry into the Ecclesia is through covenant commitment — a solemn undertaking to walk in faithfulness, submit to scriptural governance, and steward the responsibilities entrusted by God to His people.
Article III — Mission and Stewardship
The mission of The People's Ecclesia is rooted in the principle of entrusted dominion. All creation — life, land, authority, calling, and inheritance — originates in God and is entrusted to humanity as stewardship, not ownership. The Ecclesia exists to cultivate faithful stewardship in every domain of life: spiritual, familial, economic, and communal.
Article IV — Order and Governance
Governance is exercised through the Council Of The Order and through recognized chapters of the Ecclesia established for local ministry and administration. The Council Of The Order may also establish ecclesiastical provinces and commission Provincial Stewards for the orderly oversight, continuity, and administration of Chapters and Covenant Houses within defined territories.
Article V — Registry and Public Witness
The Ecclesia recognizes the importance of faithful public record and testimony. Ecclesial acts, covenants, and declarations may be preserved through appropriate record systems so that matters of truth remain accessible, verifiable, and preserved for future generations.
Article VI — Companion Institutions
The People's Ecclesia exists within a wider framework of companion institutions. The People's Cooperative Society of Equity (Tpcse) serves as an educational and cooperative society dedicated to principles of law, stewardship, and responsible commerce. The People's Registry operates as an independent public record system for the preservation of documentary evidence.
Article VII — Ecclesial Recognitions
Within the life of the Ecclesia, certain acts may be formally recognized as matters of covenant life and stewardship within the Order. These include the recognition of covenant membership, the recognition of covenant houses, and the commissioning of stewardship offices.