The author considers All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918th as a special phenomenon of the conciliar practice of the Orthodox Church. He analyses the composition and arrangement of the Council in its historical context, paying particular attention to the role of the laity and bishops. A strong representation of laity allowed to avoid the conflict between married and monastic clergy. In addition, this system of representation was the visible realization of the idea of sobornost', which the Council of 1917-1918th considered to be essential to restore. Thus, it built a balance between the principle of sobornost' and the Church as hierarchy based upon the principle of apostolicity. The latter was implemented by the special role played by the bishops' meeting, which acted as dogmatic and canonical "filter", testing the decisions, adopted at the Council. The article then explores the previsions for the future All-Russian local councils which were supposed to undergo important changes in composition and functions. Keywords: the history of Russia in the 20th century, the Russian Orthodox Church, all-Russian local Council of 1917-1918, the conciliar practice, the local and bishops' councils, the electoral Council, the laity in Christian Church. Introduction The Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917-1918 was a historic event. Its significance, as we believe, went beyond the boundaries of one local church and was relevant for the whole of Orthodoxy. The cathedral page 51It is remembered as the end of the 200-year synodal period in the history of the Russian Church and the restoration of the Patriarchate. But it should also be recalled that for the first time in the history of universal Orthodoxy, it discussed issues of the life of the Church in a modern, modernized or modernizing society, which became the subject of a long discussion in the Christian world throughout the XX century. These included questions about the church's relations with the secular state, ... Читать далее