On 18th April, high-ranking representatives of the Order of Malta, the Johanniterorden, the Venerable Order of St John, the Johanniter Orde in Nederland and the Johanniterorden i Sverige came to Berlin for the annual meeting of the “Co-Operation Group”. True to the motto “strength through unity”, the governing bodies of the Five Orders of St John are committed to improving the conditions requested for closer cooperation among the Orders.
Representatives of the Five Orders of St John, including the Prelates, just after the ecumenical church service.
Following an ecumenical church service, a new and clear structure has been adopted (see diagram below), replacing the historical structure which had become too complex. The aim is to improve efficiency and reduce costs, as well as to get the message across all members of the Five Orders that collaboration is desired. Collaboration should start ‘on the ground’ and not from a top-down approach. The message is also to encourage every member of an Order to find out about the other Orders and to identify collaboration opportunities.
“Perhaps the greatest deterrent to inter-Order co-operation is ignorance – ignorance on the part of the members of any one of the Orders about the other Orders”. This was already the unanimous conclusion reached by the governing bodies of the Five Orders at the 2019 “Joint Meeting” in Potsdam, at the invitation of the Herrenmeister.
The diagram is discribed below:
The diagram shows the organisational structure of the Five Orders of St John, with different groups and committees arranged in a hierarchy.
In the first row a central box (first out of 6) shows: “Council of the Five Orders of St John”
This council meets every 3 years.It consists of the heads of all five Orders.Leadership rotates between the Orders.
Under the Council is: “Co-Operation Group”
This group meets every year. Leadership rotates among the Orders’ Chancellors, who represent their respective Orders. Working Groups / Committees
Below the Co-Operation Group, the structure branches into four parallel groups:
- Committee on the Orders of St John
- Charity Cooperation Group
- Young Members Cooperation Group
- Prelates Cooperation Group
How These Groups Work:
They meet regularly (some monthly, others quarterly). At least one in-person meeting per year is held. Members are appointed by each Order and are qualified representatives.