26 December 1995
To the Conference of the Continental Boards of
Counsellors
Beloved Friends,
The Four Year Plan
1. Our deliberations on the Four Year Plan
have benefited enormously from the analysis the International Teaching Centre
prepared for us of conditions in the Baháfí world, based on its constant
interaction with the Counsellors in the field, and from our subsequent
consultations with that body. It gives us great pleasure to share with you at
the outset of this conference the general features of the Plan. We invite you
to turn your attention in the coming days to issues related to implementation,
drawing on the insights and knowledge gained from decades of experience around
the world.
. . .
2. At the close of this conference, we intend
to announce to the Baháfí world our decision to launch a Four Year Plan at Riḍván
1996. The formulation of national plans is to begin in each country after Riḍván,
allowing the friends to concentrate their energies in the intervening months on
bringing the Three Year Plan to a successful conclusion.
3. The ideas expressed in the initial
announcement will be elaborated further in the forthcoming Riḍván message.
Moreover, we have decided to address messages to the believers in each
continent of the globe, or parts thereof, exploring the implications of the
Four Year Plan in the light of the particular conditions of their countries.
Following Riḍván, it should be feasible to hold consultative meetings among the
institutions and with active supporters of the Faith in every country and to
formulate national plans within a period of a few months. Once consultations
between the Counsellors and a National Spiritual Assembly on the provisions of
a plan have reached fruition, its implementation can begin. Approval of these
plans from the Baháfí World Centre will not be necessary; copies should, nonetheless,
be forwarded to it.
. . .
4. During the Nine Year Plan, the Universal
House of Justice called upon National Spiritual Assemblies in countries where
large-scale expansion was taking place to establish teaching institutes to meet
the deepening needs of the thousands who were entering the Faith. At that time,
the emphasis was on acquiring a physical facility to which group after group of
newly enrolled believers would be invited to attend deepening courses. Over the
years, in conjunction with these institutes, and often independent of them, a
number of courses—referred to, for example, as weekend institutes, five-day
institutes, and nine-day institutes—were developed for the purpose of helping
the friends gain an understanding of the fundamental verities of the Faith and
arise to serve it. These efforts have contributed significantly to the
enriching of the spiritual life of the believers and will undoubtedly continue
in the future.
5. With the growth in the number of
enrollments, it has become apparent that such occasional courses of instruction
and the informal activities of community life, though important, are not
sufficient as a means of human resource development, for they have resulted in
only a relatively small band of active supporters of the Cause. These
believers, no matter how dedicated, no matter how willing to make sacrifices,
cannot attend to the needs of hundreds, much less thousands, of fledgling local
communities. Systematic attention has to be given by Baháfí institutions to
training a significant number of believers and assisting them in serving the
Cause according to their God-given talents and capacities.
6. The development of human resources on a
large scale requires that the establishment of institutes be viewed in a new
light. In many regions, it has become imperative to create institutes as
organizational structures dedicated to systematic training. The purpose of such
training is to endow ever-growing contingents of believers with the spiritual
insights, the knowledge, and the skills needed to carry out the many tasks of
accelerated expansion and consolidation, including the teaching and deepening
of a large number of people—adults, youth and children. This purpose can best
be achieved through well-organized, formal programs consisting of courses that
follow appropriately designed curricula.
7. As an agency of the National Spiritual
Assembly, the training institute should be charged with the task of developing
human resources in all or part of a country. The requirements of expansion and
consolidation in the country or region will dictate the complexity of its
organization. In some instances, the institute may consist of a group of
dedicated believers with a well-defined program and some administrative
arrangement that enables it to offer regular training courses. In many cases,
in addition to a group of teachers associated with it, the institute will
require part- and full-time staff, for whom assistance from the funds of the
Faith may be necessary. The institute needs access to some physical facilities
in which it can conduct courses and, at some stage of its development, may
require a building of its own. Irrespective of whether or not an institute has
its own physical facilities, its teachers must offer courses both at a central location
and in the villages and towns so that an appreciable number of believers can
enter its programs. The complexity and number of courses offered by an
institute, as well as the size of its staff and the pool of teachers from which
it draws, may call for the appointment of a board to direct its affairs. When
the region under the influence of an institute is large, it may have branches
serving specific areas, each with its own administration.
8. For the new thrust in the establishment of
institutes to succeed, the active involvement of the Counsellors and Auxiliary
Board members in their operation is essential. Such involvement will help the
Counsellors to kindle gthe Fire of the Love of God in the very hearts and souls
of His servants,h gto diffuse the Divine Fragrances,h gto edify the souls of
men,h gto promote learning,h and gto improve the character of all men.h These
institutes will provide the Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members with
immediate access to a formal means of educating the believers, in addition to
other avenues available to them such as conferences, summer schools, and
meetings with the friends. Institutes should be regarded as centers of
learning, and since their character harmonizes with, and provides scope for the
exercise of, the educational responsibilities of the Auxiliary Board members,
we have decided that intimate involvement in institute operations should now
become a part of the evolving functions of these officers of the Faith. The
Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies will need to consult on the
details of the collaboration between the two arms of the Administrative Order
in overseeing the budget and functioning of an institute and in planning
program content, developing curricula, and delivering courses. If a board of
directors is named, its membership should be decided upon by the National
Spiritual Assembly in consultation with the Counsellors and with their full
support; Auxiliary Board members may serve on these bodies.
9. In addition to having a working relationship
with Auxiliary Board members, the institute must necessarily collaborate
closely with Local Assemblies and committees in charge of administering plans
and projects of expansion and consolidation. This will ensure that the
institutefs programs are designed to help raise up individuals who can
contribute effectively to such plans. However, even if these administrative
bodies have not yet developed the capacity to utilize the talents of those
being trained, the programs of the institute should be regularly carried out.
After all, the strengthening of the institutions in a region depends, as do all
other matters, on skilled and confirmed supporters of the Faith.
10. In developing its programs, the institute
should draw on the talents of a growing number of believers and should also
take advantage of its institutional links to have access to resources
worldwide. A newly established institute will often utilize materials created
by institutes in other parts of the world. Gradually, those designing and
delivering courses will learn how these materials might be supplemented to
better suit their specific needs and will decide what new ones should be
created. The curriculum of the institute at any given time, then, may well use
a combination of materials created locally and those that have proven
successful elsewhere. As institutes begin to flourish, a wide variety of
curricula will be developed for various training needs. We hope that, with the
assistance of the International Teaching Centre, you will be able to assess the
materials available from time to time and help the institutes in the
communities you serve to select those most appropriate for their needs.
. . .
[signed: The Universal House of Justice]