In this essay the author develops the theme of councils as living ecclesiology, as a manifestation of the reality of the Church. The meaning of councils is not limited to their agenda. The primary source of their charisma is the fact of assembly as such. The conciliar assembly manifests the essential relationships on which the Church is founded. One of the author’s chief concerns is to describe how councils help to shape the dynamics of leadership in the Christian Church. The orientation of conciliar leadership is horizontal and inclusive, not vertical and elitist.