Appointed arm

The phrase appointed arm or appointive arm has been used by Bahá’ís to describe a class of institutions within the administration that are filled by appointment, as opposed to election. Individuals distinguished by appointment would be more correctly referred to as part of the learned, or learned arm. The Universal House of Justice writes:

“ We have noted that the Hands, the Counselors and the Auxiliary Boards are sometimes referred to by the friends as the “appointive arm” of the Administrative Order in contradistinction to the Universal House of Justice and the National and Local Assemblies which constitute the “elective arm.” While there is truth in this description as it applies to the method used in the creation of these institutions, the friends should understand that it is not only the fact of appointment that particularly distinguishes the institutions of the Hands, Counselors and Auxiliary Boards. There are, for instance, many more believers appointed to committees in the “elective arm” than are serving in the so-called “appointive arm.” A more striking distinction is that whereas the “rulers” in the Cause function as corporate bodies, the “learned” operate primarily as individuals. ”