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Abstract: On launching the Five-Year Plan. Notes: |
Institution of the Counsellors:
Letter to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors
2001-01-09
Dearly loved Friends,
- Five years ago, we called on the body of
Counsellors assembled in the Holy Land to aid the Bahá'í world
to understand and shoulder the challenges of systematic growth. The
brilliant achievements of the Four Year Plan testify to the wholehearted
response they made. Today, we ask for an equally great effort on your part,
this time to ensure the successful launching of the Five Year Plan.
- In your deliberations on the nature of this next
stage in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, you need to take into account
the magnitude of the changes occurring in the fortunes of the Faith. At the
World Center, the raising of the great edifices now standing in the Arc
represents a major step in the consolidation of a divinely appointed
Administrative Order. The Four Year Plan witnessed a remarkable increase in
the institutional capacity of Bahá'í communities in every
continent. The evolution of National and Local Spiritual Assemblies has
visibly accelerated, and Regional Councils, where they have been
established, have brought a new energy and effectiveness to the work of the
Cause. With the birth and efflorescence of more than 300 training
institutes, the Faith now possesses a powerful instrument for developing the
human resources needed to sustain large-scale expansion and consolidation.
Further, the ability of the Bahá'í community to influence the
course of human affairs, both through its dealings with governments and
organizations of civil society and through its endeavors in social and
economic development, has been greatly enhanced. The Cause of
Bahá'u'lláh stands at the threshold of a new epoch, at a
moment in history when, despite confusion and outbursts of fresh hostility,
the world had made real strides toward peace. One clearly sees an increasing
receptivity to His all-pervasive and resplendent Spirit.
- Advancing the process of entry by troops will
continue as the aim of the Five Year Plan — indeed the aim of the
series of Plans that will carry the community to the end of the first
century of the Formative Age. The acceleration of this vital process will be
achieved through systematic activity on the part of the three participants
in the Plan: the individual believer, the institutions, and the
community.
The Training Institute
- A searching analysis of the Four Year Plan recently
prepared for us by the International Teaching Center demonstrates that the
training institute is effective not only in enhancing the powers of the
individual, but also in vitalizing communities and institutions. The
continued development of the training institutes in the diverse countries
and territories of the world, then, must be a central feature of the new
Plan.
- Drawing on the wealth of the experience now
accumulated in this area of endeavour, institutes will have to provide their
communities with a constant stream of human resources to serve the process
of entry by troops. Elements of a system that can meet the training needs of
large numbers of believers have already been tested worldwide and have
proven themselves. Study circles, reinforced by extension courses and
special campaigns, have shown their ability to lend structure to the process
of spiritual education at the grassroots. The value of a sequence of
courses, each one following the other in a logical pattern and each one
building on the achievements of the previous ones, has become abundantly
clear. Various models are emerging that provide insight into how such
sequences can be used to create training programs. In one example the main
sequence, much like the trunk of a tree, supports courses branching out from
it, each branch dedicated to some specific area of training. In another,
several tracks of courses, each with its own focus, run parallel. Institutes
will do well to examine these elements and approaches and employ them in a
manner that responds to the opportunities before them.
- At the outset of the Twelve Month Plan we
underscored the need for Bahá'í children to be nurtured
spiritually and to be integrated into the life of the Cause. There is every
indication from the response of the friends thus far that a raised awareness
of the importance of child education will, in fact, be a hallmark of this
brief yet significant Plan. A new impetus has been given to
Bahá'í children's classes. Increased awareness has also
brought to light opportunities to offer moral and spiritual education to
children in general, as exemplified by the success of the efforts to
introduce courses on the Bahá'í Faith into programmes of
official school systems.
- That institutes are placing more and more emphasis
on the training of teachers for children's classes is a particularly
encouraging sign. Other measures are equally essential if regular classes
for every age are to be offered in Bahá'í communities
throughout the world. In some countries, national and regional committees
have been established to assist Local Spiritual Assemblies in the discharge
of their responsibility to educate children. In these, the relationship
between the committees and the training institute will steadily evolve as
experience is gained, each agency enhancing the work of the other. But there
are many countries in which the institute is the only structure developing
the capacity to organize and maintain courses in locality after locality. As
this approach is working well with youth and adults, and increasingly for
junior youth, there is no reason why the training institute should not also
shoulder similar responsibility with respect to children, where necessary.
As a general rule, institutes do not take on the administration of plans and
programs for expansion and consolidation. Conducting children's classes,
however, is a unique enterprise, of special urgency. In those countries
where the task is given to it, that institute becomes a center of learning
intensely engaged in the spiritual education of the friends from the
tenderest age though adulthood.
Individual Initiative in Teaching
- With the work of the institutes growing in
strength, attention has now to be given everywhere to systematizing teaching
efforts. In the document "The Institution of the Counsellors" just issued, we emphasize the role that the Auxiliary Board members and
their assistants play in helping the friends to meet this challenge, both at
the level of individual initiative and of collective volition. As
individuals progress through institute courses, they deepen their knowledge
of the Faith, gain insights, and acquire skills of service. Some of the
courses devoted to teaching will no doubt treat the subject in general
terms. Others will focus on various means of sharing
Bahá'u'lláh's message with specific segments of society,
incorporating the wisdom gleaned from the teaching endeavors of the friends.
This combined process of action, learning and training will endow
communities with an ever-increasing number of capable and eager teachers of
the Cause.
- Training alone, of course, does not necessarily
lead to an upsurge in teaching activity. In every avenue of service, the
friends need sustained encouragement. Our expectation is that the Auxiliary
Board members, together with their assistants, will give special thought to
how individual initiative can be cultivated, particularly as it relates to
teaching. When training and encouragement are effective, a culture of growth
is nourished in which the believers see their duty to teach as a natural
consequence of having accepted Bahá'u'lláh. They "raise high
the sacred torch of faith," as was 'Abdu'l-Bahá's wish, "labor
ceaselessly, by day and by night," and "consecrate every fleeting moment of
their lives to the diffusion of the divine fragrance and the exaltation of
God's holy Word." So enkindled do their hearts become with the fire of the
love of God that whosoever approaches them feels its warmth. They strive to
be channels of the spirit, pure of heart, selfless and humble, possessing
certitude and the courage that stems from reliance on God. In such a
culture, teaching is the dominating passion of the lives of the believers.
Fear of failure finds no place. Mutual support, commitment to learning, and
appreciation of diversity of action are the prevailing norms.
Systematic Programs of Growth
- During the coming months, you will be helping
national communities, whose circumstances differ widely, to formulate plans
for systematic growth. There are many countries where increased
institutional capacity, particularly at the level of the region, now makes
it possible to focus attention on smaller geographical areas. Most of these
will consist of a cluster of villages and towns, but sometimes, a large city
and its suburbs may constitute an area of this kind. Among the factors that
determine the boundaries of a cluster are culture, language, patterns of
transport, infrastructure, and the social and economic life of the
inhabitants. The areas into which a region divides will fall into various
categories of development. Some will not yet be open to the Faith, while
others will contain a few isolated localities and groups; in some,
established communities will be gaining strength through a vigorous
institute process; in a few, strong communities of deepened believers will
be in a position to take on the challenges of systematic and accelerated
expansion and consolidation.
- Once the appropriate categories have been
identified, national plans in these countries will need to make provision
for the progressive opening of virgin areas through the settlement of
homefront pioneers. Such goals can be met with relative ease if pioneers are
experienced in institute programs and are able to use their methods and
materials in raising up a group of dedicated believers who can carry the
work of the Faith forward in the area. Precious indeed will be the privilege
of those who, in the remaining years of the first century of the Formative
Age, place their trust in God and arise with fervor to take the lead in
carrying the light of Divine guidance to every part of their countries. It
is our hope that this call for homefront pioneers will generate great
enthusiasm among the friends and open before their eyes a new vista of
possibilities to serve the Faith.
- According to this scheme, national plans also need
to include provision for the strengthening of other areas which, although
open to the Faith, have yet to reach the level of development that prepares
them for intensive activity. In those areas where strong communities with a
corps of deepened believers exist, systematic programs for the expansion and
consolidation of the Faith should be established forthwith. We have already
indicated that the International Teaching Center has identified certain
patterns of growth appropriate for relatively small geographical areas.
Since then, it has analyzed several pilot projects in various parts of the
world, and its findings are highly encouraging. The lessons learned now
provide a body of experience for the launching of programs for systematic
growth in area after area. As you consult on this matter with National
Spiritual Assemblies and Regional Councils, you will want to keep the
Teaching Center informed.
- It is important that national communities not rush
into establishing intensive programs in an area before conditions are
propitious. These conditions include: a high level of enthusiasm among a
sizable group of devoted and capable believers who understand the
prerequisites for sustainable growth and can take the ownership of the
program; some basic experience on the part of a few communities in the
cluster in holding classes for spiritual education of children, devotional
meetings, and the Nineteen Day Feast; the existence of a reasonable degree
of administrative capacity in at least a few Local Spiritual Assemblies; the
active involvement of several assistants to Auxiliary Board members in
promoting community life; a pronounced spirit of collaboration among the
various institutions working in the area; and above all, the strong presence
of the training institutes with a scheme of coordination that supports the
systematic multiplication of study circles.
- Programs initiated in such areas should aim at
fostering sustainable growth by building the necessary capacity at the
levels of the individual, the institution, and the community. Far from
requiring grandiose and elaborate plans, these programs should focus on a
few measures that have proven over the years to be indispensable to
large-scale expansion and consolidation. Success will depend on the manner
in which lines of action are integrated and on the attitude of learning that
is adopted. The implementation of such a program will require the close
collaboration of the institute, the Auxiliary Board members and their
assistants, and an Area Teaching Committee.
- At the core of the program must lie a sound and
steady process of expansion, matched by an equally strong process of human
resource development. A range of teaching efforts needs to be carried out,
involving both activities undertaken by the individual and campaigns
promoted by the institutions. As the number of believers in an area rises, a
significant percentage should receive training from the institute, and their
capabilities be directed towards the development of local
communities.
- Our message of 26 December 1995 delineating the
features of the Four Year Plan made reference to the stages through which a
community passes as it develops. The experience that has been gained in the
ensuing years in working with communities at various stages will prove
valuable to programs of growth. One of the first steps in implementing the
program may well be a survey to determine the condition of each locality in
the area. Among the initial goals for every community should be the
establishment of study circles, children's classes, and devotional meetings,
open to all the inhabitants of the locality. The observance of the Nineteen
Day Feast has to be given due weight, and consistent effort should be made
to strengthen the Local Spiritual Assemblies. Once communities are able to
sustain the basic activities of Bahá'í life, a natural way to
further their consolidation is to introduce small projects of social and
economic development — for example, a literacy project, a project for
the advancement of women or environmental preservation, or even a village
school. As strength builds, the responsibility for increasing numbers of
lines of action is to be devolved onto the Local Spiritual
Assemblies.
- Throughout the endeavor, periodic meetings of
consultation in the area need to reflect on issues, consider adjustments,
and maintain enthusiasm and unity of thought. The best approach is to
formulate plans for a few months at a time, beginning with one or two lines
of action and gradually growing in complexity. Those who are actively
involved in the implementation of plans, whether members of the institutions
or not, should be encouraged to participate fully in the consultations.
Other area-wide gatherings will also be necessary. Some of these will
provide opportunity for the sharing of experience and further training.
Others will focus on the use of the arts and the enrichment of culture.
Together, such gatherings will support an intense process of action,
consultation and learning.
- The friends who participate in these intensive
programs of growth should bear in mind that the purpose is to ensure that
the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh reaches the masses of humanity
and enables them to achieve spiritual and material progress through the
application of the Teachings. Vast numbers among the peoples of the world
are ready, indeed yearn, for the bounties that Bahá'u'lláh
alone can bestow upon them once they have committed themselves to building
the new society He has envisioned. In learning to systematize their
large-scale teaching work, Bahá'í communities are becoming
better equipped to respond to this longing. They cannot withhold whatever
effort, whatever sacrifice, may be called for.
A Spiritual Enterprise
- Clearly, the scheme described here, while suitable
to many national communities, cannot be applied in every situation. We count
on the ability of the Bahá'í institutions to create plans
which, if not reflecting the total scheme above, will incorporate elements
of its vision, according to the circumstances of each national community.
Bahá'í communities are, of course, engaged in a range of
indispensable endeavors such as public information activity, proclamation
efforts, external affairs work, production of literature, and complex social
and economic development projects. Most certainly, as plans are devised,
they will also address these challenges.
- The nature of the planning process with which you
will be helping the friends is in many ways unique. At its core it is a
spiritual process in which communities and institutions strive to align
their pursuits with the Will of God. The Major Plan of God is at work and
the forces it generates impel humanity towards its destiny. In their own
plans of action, the institutions of the Faith must seek to gain insight
into the operation of these great forces, explore the potentialities of the
people they serve, measure the resources and strengths of their communities,
and take practical steps to enlist the unreserved participation of the
believers. The nurturing of this process is the sacred mission entrusted to
you. We have every confidence in your ability to achieve it. May
Bahá'u'lláh bless and sustain you through His unfailing grace
and mighty confirmations.
[SIGNED: The Universal House of Justice]
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