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(Introduction) 0123 The
Training Institute 4567 Individual
Initiative in Teaching 89 Systematic
Patterns of Growth 101112131415161718 A
Spiritual Enterprise 1920
9 January 2001
from THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
To
the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors
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.