Congregations are comprised of Lay Followers. Congregations are groups (often referred to as ‘flocks’, ‘packs’, etc.) of other followers which the faithful leader is responsible for. The faithful embodies all that is right and true about the faith and they are looked to lead the congregation in all things, directing it as a community. Ultimately, what happens to a congregation is the burden of the follower. The power of faith derives from the shared experience and belief; hence congregations can act as powerful forces in the lives of the faithful and a powerful conduit of faith power – the larger the congregation, the greater the solidarity and power of the faith is reflected. The leader must have a CHA greater than their faith aptitude – as a leader, the must have the strength of not only their faith, but their personal magnetism must be powerful enough to attract and direct their congregation to such a degree that the leader’s belief is theirs; it is not simply a blind following of the tenets they teach. All followers in a congregation must be at least indoctrinated. All must have the Shared Litany feature.
Losing Control, Disbanding, or Reducing a congregation: All benefits are lost immediately if dissolved completely or control is lost.
An institutional congregation, also known as a ‘parish’ (and other terms), is a large congregation centered at a place of worship (holy ground). The leader must lead the congregation in at least half their sessions of worship together in order to continue being seen as the leader in the eyes of the deity and institution. This is on an annual basis. The institution will provide a substitute or the leader’s second will fill in when they are gone. Extended periods of absence can be tolerated if the absence is specific to a mission or directive of the institution, in which case part of the worship ceremonies must be specifically to pray for the congregation’s normal leader, the success of their acts, and their safe return. The specific size of the congregation will depend on the individual faith, its prevalence in the local area and needs of the institution in regards to their mission.
Management and Benefits: Congregational leadership is important, as it involves management of both people and places, as well as providing political direction and movement, goals and attainment of the temporal aspects to satisfy those needs. Institution members move through the hierarchies and in doing so are typically moved to where they are needed. Thus knowledge of different languages, cultures, places, and skills to better serve communicating and converting more to the faith. Additionally they must recruit, possess themselves, or have management clergy which covers the abilities of tallying donations, tracking members, and communicating with the offices of the institution they must report to. It is very important for the leader of congregations to illicit donations from their flock, as well as local community leaders and organizations as befits their size and standing. In return, leaders often drive their congregation to patronize or favor these people and/or organizations. In addition to the common benefits of any congregation, the leader is provided with several benefits as befits their station, that they may keep or use without specific instructions from a higher institutional authority.