BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — The Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors commenced this morning at the International Teaching Centre Building.
The gathering of the senior officers of the Bahá’í Faith opened with the reading of a message from the Universal House of Justice addressed to the conference. The message reflects on the notable progress being made in the worldwide Bahá’í community’s collective efforts toward social betterment and draws attention to the urgent requirements of the work that lies ahead.
The message points to the remarkable energy with which these efforts have gained momentum over the past several years and to the strengthening capacities now emerging in many places. It notes that progress is not the product of rigid formulas, but of communities learning together, drawing on insights gained through action, reflection, and consultation, and adapting approaches to the realities of each setting. As the message explains, “growth is an organic process, not a mechanical one,” sustained by the ability to read evolving conditions and to respond with clarity of purpose.
Turning attention to what is becoming visible in neighborhoods and villages where progress is consolidating, the message describes how an increasing “community spirit” is being felt among all those participating in a shared pattern of activity. This spirit, it observes, is often expressed as “a feeling of belonging” and “a sense of common endeavor and mutual support,” giving rise to collaborative arrangements—among families, youth, women, educators, and others—that help communities steer the trajectory of their “own development with creativity and ingenuity” in light of the principle of the Bahá’í teachings.
Every five years, the Universal House of Justice appoints 90 Counsellors worldwide, who coordinate their efforts through five Continental Boards.
The Counsellors work to support elected Bahá’í Spiritual Assemblies by fostering learning in the Bahá’í community and encouraging the emergence of a vibrant pattern of community life. Through the institution of the Counsellors, the Bahá’í community has a system through which the lessons learned in the remotest spots on the globe can benefit the worldwide Bahá’í community in its efforts to apply the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
