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Hierarchy and Decision-making
65
in dioceses as primates, pastors, teachers,
and preachers.
All executive bodies are accountable to
the assemblies that elect them. They may
appoint specialized ad-hoc committees to
deal with specific matters or projects.
The catholicos on the global level, the
primate on the diocesan level, and the
pastor on the parish level are ex-officio
presidents of all decision-making structures.
The sequence of accountability, both for
clergy and laity, goes from the parish (the
pastor), to the diocese (the primate), and,
finally, to the catholicosate (the catholicos).
From the very beginning, in spite of its
diverse politico-religious context, the Ar-
menian Church has been characterized by
democratic concepts and practices and con-
ciliar forms of decision-making. The structure
of the Church's authority is not pyramidal,
but collegial, and its decision-making is not
autocratic, but democratic. The participatory
character of the Armenian Church is one of
its salient features. In fact, all members of the
Armenian Church, the clergy and the laity,
irrespective of gender or age, take an active
role, in all spheres and at all levels, in the
decision-making of the Church (see Appendix
C for decision-making structures).