(Excerpts from a message of the Universal House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, 27 December 2005)The “elements required for a concerted effort to infuse the diverse regions of the world with the spirit of Baha’u’llah's Revelation”
Over the past four and a half years, as the believers
throughout the world have striven to pursue the aim of advancing the process of
entry by troops, it has become increasingly clear that the close of the present
Five Year Plan will mark a decisive moment in the unfoldment of the historical
enterprise on which the community of the Greatest Name is embarked. The
elements required for a concerted effort to infuse the diverse regions of the
world with the spirit of Baha’u’llah's Revelation have crystallized into a
framework for action that now needs only to be exploited. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
First step in framework for action: “develop the human resources of the Cause
through a network of training institutes.”
Our 26 December 1995 message, which focused the Baha'i world
on a path of intense learning about the sustained, rapid growth of the Faith,
described in general terms the nature of the work that would have to be
undertaken in meeting the challenges ahead. As a first step, Baha'i communities
were urged to systematize their efforts to develop the human resources of the
Cause through a network of training institutes. While every national community
took measures to create institutional capacity to perform this essential
function, it was not until the outset of the Five Year Plan that the
significance of a well-conceived programme of training became widely
appreciated. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
“The introduction of the concept of the cluster” and its
benefits
The introduction of the concept of the cluster made it
possible for the friends to think about the accelerated growth of the community
on a manageable scale and to conceive of it in terms of two complementary,
reinforcing movements: the steady flow of individuals through the sequence of
institute courses and the movement of clusters from one stage of development to
the next.
Harmonization of activities into one forward movement
A discernible outcome of the emphasis on capacity building
has been a steady increase in the exercise of individual initiative-initiative
that is disciplined by an understanding of the requirements of systematic
action in advancing the process of entry by troops. Endeavours are pursued in a
humble posture of learning within the framework defined by the Plan. As a
result, activities that give expression to a diversity of talents become
harmonized into one forward movement, and the stagnation caused by endless
debate over personal preferences about approach is avoided. Commitment to
long-term action grows, putting in context the initiatives undertaken by the believers
at any particular moment. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
“…rise in individual initiative…in the field of teaching” as
an “outcome of the emphasis on capacity building”
Nowhere has the rise in individual initiative been more
clearly demonstrated than in the field of teaching. Whether in the form of
firesides or study circles, individual efforts to teach the Faith are
indisputably on the increase. Equipped with skills and methods, effective and
accessible to all, and encouraged by the response their actions elicit, the
believers are entering into closer association with people of many walks of
life, engaging them in earnest conversation on themes of spiritual import. With
greater and greater spiritual perception, they are able to sense receptivity
and recognize thirst for the vivifying waters of Baha'u'llah’s message. From
among all those they encounter-parents of neighbourhood children, peers at
school, colleagues at work, casual acquaintances-they seek out souls with whom
they can share a portion of that which He has so graciously bestowed on
humanity. Increased experience enables them to adapt their presentation to the
seeker's needs, employing direct teaching methods that draw on the Writings to
offer the message in a manner both forthcoming and inviting. (UHJ, Dec. 27,
2005)
The “stage of development of the cluster” and its general
effect on the community
The enhanced vitality that distinguishes the life of the
individual believer is equally evident in Baha'i community life. The degree to
which this vitality manifests itself depends, of course, on the stage of
development of the cluster. A cluster in an advanced stage of growth offers far
greater insight into what can be achieved than one in an earlier stage, where
the friends are still struggling to translate the provisions of the Plan into
action. It is to these more advanced clusters, then, that we must look in
analysing the accomplishments of the community, convinced that their experience
will be emulated by others as they continue to progress.
What a close examination of clusters at this threshold
confirms is that the coherence thus achieved extends to various aspects of
community life. The study and application of the teachings become a pervasive
habit, and the spirit of communal worship generated by devotional meetings
begins to permeate the community's collective endeavours. A graceful
integration of the arts into diverse activities enhances the surge of energy
that mobilizes the believers. Classes for the spiritual education of children
and junior youth serve to strengthen the roots of the Faith in the local
population. Even an act of service as simple as visiting the home of a new
believer, whether in a village in the Pacific Islands or in a vast metropolitan
area like London, reinforces ties of fellowship that bind the members of the
community together. Conceived as a means for exposing believers to the
fundamentals of the Faith, "home visits" are giving rise to an array
of deepening efforts, both individual and collective, in which the friends are
delving into the Writings and exploring their implications for their lives.
As the spiritual foundations of the community are fortified
in this way, the level of collective discourse is raised, social relations
among the friends take on new meaning, and a sense of common purpose inspires
their interactions. Little wonder, then, that a study carried out by the
International Teaching Centre shows that, in some fifty advanced clusters
surveyed, the quality of the Nineteen Day Feast has improved. Other reports
indicate that contributions to the Fund have increased as consciousness of its
spiritual significance expands and the need for material means is better
understood. Reflection meetings at the cluster level are becoming a forum for
the discussion of needs and plans, creating a collective identity and
strengthening the collective will. Where such advanced clusters are
flourishing, the influence they exert begins to spread beyond their own borders
to enrich regional events, such as summer and winter schools. (UHJ, Dec. 27,
2005)
Devotional meetings generate “communal worship”
…the spirit of communal worship generated by devotional
meetings begins to permeate the community's collective endeavours.
"home visits" are “conceived as a means for
exposing believers to the fundamentals of the Faith”
Conceived as a means for exposing believers to the
fundamentals of the Faith, "home visits" are giving rise to an array
of deepening efforts, both individual and collective, in which the friends are
delving into the Writings and exploring their implications for their lives. As
the spiritual foundations of the community are fortified in this way, the level
of collective discourse is raised, social relations among the friends take on
new meaning, and a sense of common purpose inspires their interactions. (UHJ,
Dec. 27, 2005)
Reflection meetings – “a forum for the discussion of needs
and plans, creating a collective identity”
Reflection meetings at the cluster level are becoming a
forum for the discussion of needs and plans, creating a collective identity and
strengthening the collective will. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
“conditions favourable for launching an intensive programme
of growth”
On several occasions we have made reference to the coherence
that is brought to the process of growth through the establishment of study
circles, devotional meetings and children's classes. The steady multiplication
of core activities, propelled by the training institute, creates a sustainable
pattern of expansion and consolidation that is at once structured and organic.
As seekers join these activities and declare their faith, individual and
collective teaching endeavours gather momentum. Through the effort made to
ensure that a percentage of the new believers enrol in the institute courses,
the pool of human resources required to carry out the work of the Faith swells.
When strenuously pursued in a cluster, all of this activity eventually brings
about conditions favourable for launching an intensive programme of growth.
(UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
“…some of the requisites of systematization that every
community must learn and internalize”
One of your primary concerns will be to strengthen
appreciation for systematic action, already heightened by the successes it has
brought. To arrive at a unified vision of growth based on a realistic
assessment of possibilities and resources, to develop strategies that lend
structure to it, to devise and implement plans of action commensurate with
capacity, to make necessary adjustments while maintaining continuity, to build
on accomplishments-these are some of the requisites of systematization that
every community must learn and internalize. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
Community: “thinking and acting at a collective level” –
“welcoming large numbers into its embrace”
By the same token, desire and willingness to open certain
aspects of community life to the wider public should be integrated into a
pattern of behaviour that attracts souls and confirms them. Much has been
achieved in this respect as the friends have adopted new ways of thinking and
acting at a collective level. In welcoming large numbers into its embrace, the
community is learning to see more readily the latent potentiality in people and
to avoid setting artificial barriers for them based on preconceived notions. A
nurturing environment is being cultivated in which each individual is encouraged
to progress at his or her own pace without the pressure of unreasonable
expectations. At the heart of such developments is a growing awareness of the
implications of the universality and comprehensiveness of the Faith. Collective
action is governed more and more by the principle that Baha'u'llah’s message
should be given liberally and unconditionally to humanity. Most gratifying are
the endeavours being made to reach receptive populations with the teachings of
the Faith. As unrelenting social and political forces continue to uproot people
from their homelands and sweep them across continents, an uncompromising
appreciation for a diversity of backgrounds and for the strength it confers on
the whole will prove crucial to the expansion and consolidation of the
community. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
Maintaining “focus” – doesn’t mean “uniformity or
exclusivity”
Perhaps the task that will occupy the attention of you and
your auxiliaries above all others is to assist the community in its effort to
maintain focus. This ability, slowly acquired through successive Plans,
represents one of its most valuable assets, hard won through discipline,
commitment and foresight as the friends and their institutions have learned to
pursue the single aim of advancing the process of entry by troops. On the one
hand, you will find it necessary to discourage the tendency to confuse focus
with uniformity or exclusivity. To maintain focus does not imply that special
needs and interests are neglected, much less that essential activities are dropped
in order to accommodate others. Clearly, there are a host of elements that
comprise Baha'i community life, shaped over the decades, which must be further
refined and developed. On the other hand, you will want to take every
opportunity to reinforce the disposition to prioritize-one which recognizes
that not all activities have the same importance at a given stage of growth,
that some must necessarily take precedence over others, that even the most
well-intentioned proposals can cause distraction, dissipate energy or impede
progress. What should be plainly acknowledged is that the time available for
the friends to serve the Faith in every community is not without limits. It is
only natural to expect that the preponderating share of this limited resource
would be expended in meeting the provisions of the Plan. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
Role of the institutions
It is heartening to see to what extent the institutions are
promoting individual initiative, channelling energies into the teaching field,
underscoring the value of systematic action, fostering the spiritual life of
the community and nurturing a welcoming environment. In helping the community
to remain focused on the aim of the Plan, they are learning in practical terms
what it means to maintain unity of vision among the friends, to put mechanisms
in place that facilitate their endeavours and to allocate resources in
accordance with priorities wisely set. These priorities include, of course,
areas of activity that require the specialized skills of individuals. Worthy of
particular mention in this category are the work of external affairs, which
National Spiritual Assemblies are following diligently, and ventures of social
and economic development, as, for example, undertaken by Baha'i-inspired organizations.
While tending to needs of this kind, the institutions find themselves
increasingly capable of directing the thrust of the effort exerted by the
generality of the believers towards the prosecution of the central tasks of the
Plan. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
Intensive Programmes of Growth – its cycles and phases
As currently conceived, an intensive programme of growth is
straightforward, simple and effective, but implies a level of exertion that
tests the resolve of the friends. Conforming well to the vision we presented
five years ago, it employs a few measures that have proven to be indispensable
to large-scale expansion and consolidation. It consists of cycles of activity,
in general of three months' duration each, which proceed according to distinct
phases of expansion, consolidation, reflection and planning.
[Expansion Phase]
The expansion phase, often a period of two weeks, demands
the highest level of intensity. Its objective is to widen the circle of those
interested in the Faith, to find receptive souls and to teach them. Although
this phase might include some element of proclamation, it should not be seen as
a time to hold a few events for this purpose or to undertake a set of
activities that merely convey information. Experience suggests that the more
closely teaching approaches and methods are aligned with the capacity acquired
from the study of the institute courses the more rewarding the results.
Plans being devised for this phase invariably involve the
implementation of carefully designed teaching projects and campaigns of home
visits and firesides, often through the mobilization of teaching teams. The
pattern of expansion that unfolds, however, varies from cluster to cluster…
[Consolidation Phase]
One of the primary
objectives of this next phase is to bring a percentage of the new believers
into the institute process so that an adequate pool of human resources will be
available in future cycles to sustain growth. Those not participating in study
circles are nurtured through a series of home visits, and all are invited to
devotional meetings, to the celebration of the Nineteen Day Feast and to Holy
Day observances and are gradually introduced to the patterns of community life.
Not infrequently, the consolidation phase gives rise to further enrolments as
the family members and friends of new declarants accept the Faith…
… the consolidation phase, which largely involves nurturing
the interest of seekers and accompanying them in their spiritual search until
they are confirmed in their faith.
[Reflection phase]
Key to the progress of an intensive programme of growth is
the phase dedicated to reflection, in which the lessons learned in action are
articulated and incorporated into plans for the next cycle of activity. Its
principal feature is the reflection meeting-as much a time of joyous
celebration as it is of serious consultation. Careful analysis of experience,
through participatory discussions rather than overly complex and elaborate
presentations, serves to maintain unity of vision, sharpen clarity of thought
and heighten enthusiasm.
[Planning Phase]
Central to such an analysis is the review of vital
statistics that suggest the next set of goals to be adopted. Plans are made
that take into account increased capacity in terms of the human resources
available at the end of the cycle to perform various tasks, on the one hand,
and accumulated knowledge about the receptivity of the population and the
dynamics of teaching, on the other. When human resources increase in a manner
proportionate to the rise in the overall Baha'i population from cycle to cycle,
it is possible not only to sustain but to accelerate growth. (UHJ, Dec. 27,
2005)
“Pay close attention to children and junior youth
everywhere” in the cluster
Whatever the nature of the cluster, it is imperative to pay
close attention to children and junior youth everywhere. Concern for the moral
and spiritual education of young people is asserting itself forcefully on the
consciousness of humanity, and no attempt at community building can afford to
ignore it. What has become especially apparent during the current Five Year
Plan is the efficacy of educational programmes aimed at the spiritual
empowerment of junior youth. When accompanied for three years through a
programme that enhances their spiritual perception, and encouraged to enter the
main sequence of institute courses at the age of fifteen, they represent a vast
reservoir of energy and talent that can be devoted to the advancement of
spiritual and material civilization. So impressed are we by the results already
achieved, and so compelling is the need, that we will urge all National
Assemblies to consider the junior youth groups formed through programmes
implemented by their training institutes a fourth core activity in its own
right and to promote its wide-scale multiplication. (UHJ, Dec. 27, 2005)
“…support lent to a cluster through an influx of pioneers”
Equally important will be the support lent to a cluster
through an influx of pioneers. The desire to pioneer arises naturally from deep
within the heart of the individual believer as a response to the Divine
summons. Whosoever forsakes his or her home for the purpose of teaching the
Cause joins the ranks of those noble souls whose achievements down the decades
have illumined the annals of Baha'i pioneering. We cherish the hope that many
will be moved to render this meritorious service during the next Plan, whether
on the home front or in the international field-an act that, in itself,
attracts untold blessings. The institutions, in tum, will have to exercise
sound judgement to ensure that such friends are strategically placed. Priority
should be given to settling short-term and long-term pioneers in those clusters
that are the focus of systematic attention, whether as a means of reinforcing
endeavours to lay the groundwork for accelerated growth or stabilizing cycles
of activity under way. It is not unreasonable to assume that a concerted effort
to build on strength will result in the eventual outflow of pioneers from such
clusters to areas destined to become the theatre of future conquests. (UHJ, Dec.
27, 2005)
