Bahá’í administrative glossary

This is a glossary of terms related to Bahá'í administration and institutions.

A

ABM

Auxiliary Board Member, i.e. a member of an Auxiliary Board.

Administration

Administrative Order

The system of institutions, ordained in the Bahá’í Writings, which together administer the affairs of the Bahá’í community. Foremost among these institutions are the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice, the latter of which was ordained by Bahá’u’lláh as the supreme body governing the system. In His Will and Testament, which is seen as the charter for the Bahá’í Administrative Order, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborated further on the system and established a framework for its implementation; from under the guidance of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, this framework was developed into a network of Spiritual Assemblies which were eventually called to elect the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

Administrative portion

See Nineteen Day Feast.

Administrative rights

The rights of a Bahá’í individual to participate in Bahá’í administration, including giving to the funds of the Faith, voting in elections, participating in the administrative portion of the Nineteen Day Feast, and serve on Bahá’í institutions, among other things.

All adult Bahá’ís in good standing have administrative rights. These rights can be temporarily withheld by a National Spiritual Assembly in certain severe cases, which generally involve individual refusal to abide by Bahá’í laws or the bringing of conspicuous disrepute upon the Bahá’í community. In such cases, rights may be restored if an individual applies for them to be restored and complies with the requirements of Bahá’í law. See also Standing.

Appointed arm

The set of Bahá’í institutions which are appointed rather than elected, ex.: Hands of the Cause, Continental Boards of Counsellors, Auxiliary Boards, etc.

Appointment

The act of designating someone to serve in some capacity, e.g. as a member of an appointed institution. See Appointed arm, Committee.

Area Teaching Committee

An agency responsible for teaching in a particular region, usually operating at the level of a cluster. See also Cluster agency.

Asia Teaching Committee

Assembly

See Spiritual Assembly.

Assistant

A person appointed to assist an Auxiliary Board Member in their work. The position was established at the direction of the Universal House of Justice in 1973.

ATC

See Area Teaching Committee.

Auxiliary Board

An institution under the direction of the Continental Boards of Counsellors responsible for overseeing the protection and propagation of the Bahá’í Faith. Auxiliary Boards were established by Shoghi Effendi in 1954 as an extension of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause.

B

Bahá’í Administration

A compilation of letters and messages from Shoghi Effendi which outline the principles of the Administrative Order of the Bahá’í Faith.

Bahá’í Center

Bahá’í Computer and Communications Association

Bahá’í Distribution Service

An organization tasked with the distribution of literature and other materials within a country or region. See also Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

Bahá’í Historical Record Survey

Bahá’í International Community

The body responsible for representing the Bahá’í community externally in major international fora such as the United Nations, the European Union, and so on. It also aims to make contributions to international policy discourse by offering insights from the Bahá’í teachings for the purpose of empowering humanity to work effectively toward spiritual and material betterment.

Bahá’í International Development Organization

Bahá’í International News Service

Bahá’í Internet Agency

A body established by the Universal House of Justice to assist Bahá’í institutions in addressing issues pertaining to the Internet.

Bahá’í Office of the Environment

Bahá’í Publishing Trust

Bahá’í Religious Education Agency (U.K.)

An arm of the Office of Public Affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom which provides support for Bahá’ís who are involved in religious education in schools, and for teachers who wish to teach about the Bahá’í Faith in schools.

Bahá’í Temple Unity

A body formed by the American Bahá'í community at its first National Convention in 1909. Its purpose was organizing and coordinating efforts to build a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (the Mother Temple of the West in Wilmette, Illinois). On the instructions of Shoghi Effendi, it was renamed the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in 1922, becoming the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada later in 1925.

Bahá’í World Centre

The administrative and spiritual headquarters of the Bahá’í Faith, located in Haifa and ‘Akká, in present-day Israel.

Bahá’í World News Service

A publicly-accessible online news service operated by the Bahá’í International Community, featuring articles, documentaries and podcasts about major events in the Bahá’í world.

BASED-UK

Bahá’í Agency for Social and Economic Development (U.K.). An organization based in the United Kingdom that facilitates the support of certain Bahá’í inspired social and economic development projects.

BDS

See Bahá’í Distribution Service.

BIC

See Bahá’í International Community.

BIDO

See Bahá’í International Development Organization.

BREA

See Bahá’í Religious Education Agency.

BWC

See Bahá’í World Centre.

BWNS

See Bahá’í World News Service.

C

Campaign

1. A co-ordinated effort to accomplish a particular purpose, e.g. a teaching campaign during which collective teaching takes place, or a prayer campaign during which prayers are said in support of some goal.

2. See Campaigning.

Campaigning

Political operations by candidates or their assistants for the purpose of convincing voters to vote for them. Shoghi Effendi has forbidden the practice of nomination in Bahá’í elections. See Election.

CBIDA

Canadian Bahá’í International Development Agency. A former organization based in Canada which facilitated the support of Bahá’í inspired social and economic development projects.

Cluster

A geographic area or region somewhere around a large metropolitan area or a state or province in size, whose boundaries are defined by "culture, language, patterns of transport, infrastructure, and the social and economic life of the inhabitants," among other factors. Activities are carried out on the level of clusters to allow plans for systematic growth to be formulated on a manageable scale.

Cluster agency

An institution focused on coordinating the efforts of the Bahá’í community in a cluster to contribute to society, with particular focus on the training institute process. Cluster agencies include Auxiliary Board members and their assistants, Area Teaching Committees, and institute boards.

Cluster Development Facilitator

Cluster Growth Committee

Cluster growth co-ordinator

Cluster Institute co-ordinator

See Institute co-ordinator.

Committee

Community

Conference

Any gathering in which people come together to "confer", or discuss/consult on something. For example, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to the deliberations of a Spiritual Assembly as a kind of conference. Most commonly, a "conference" refers to a large, purposeful gathering called and supported by Bahá’í institutions, such as the Intercontinental Conferences, the 41 Regional Conferences, or the 114 Youth Conferences.

Consent of parents

Agreement of all the living parents of a party to marriage. A requirement for marriage according to Bahá’í law.

Consolidation

Consolidation phase

One phase of a single cycle of a programme of growth, generally lasting from one to two months, during which collaborators nurture connections with new people encountered during the preceding expansion phase. Prayer, study and deepening activities are common during this time, as is participation in courses of the training institute.

Consultation

The method of consensus-building discussion described in the Bahá’í writings, and which is used in all levels of administration.

Continental Boards of Counsellors

Convention

A meeting at which Bahá'ís or their delegates come together with the purposes of electing a Bahá'í institution and discussing the affairs of the community. See also International convention, National convention, Unit convention.

Co-ordinator

A person who is appointed to co-ordinate certain activities of the Bahá’í community in an area, such as a cluster.

Core activities

Basic activities that make up the core of Baha’i community life worldwide. There are four generally recognized core activities: devotional gatherings, study circles, junior youth groups and children's classes.

Constitution of the Universal House of Justice

Counsellor

Covenant

Covenant-breaker

One who violates the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh by actively opposing the authorized head of the Bahá’í Faith or attempting to establish a sect with an alternative authoritative head while presenting oneself as a member of the Bahá’í community. See Covenant-breaking.

Covenant-breaking

Violation of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh by actively opposing the authorized head of the Bahá’í Faith or attempting to establish a sect with an alternative authoritative head while presenting oneself as a member of the Bahá’í community. Covenant-breaking is an extremely serious and rarely applied charge reserved for "actual enemies of the Cause", entailing excommunication from the Bahá’í community; this is only carried out by the Head of the Faith.

Custodians

Cycle of growth

A period of time, often lasting a few months, during which the activities of a programme of growth are carried out. These cycles are generally subdivided into phases for expansion, consolidation, and reflection and planning.

D

Declaration

An individual's expression of belief in Bahá’u’lláh and in His teachings. Individual declarations are sometimes recorded on declaration cards. See Enrolment.

Declaration card

A card that can be used as a formal declaration of enrolment in the Bahá’í community. Depending on the context of each national community, the signing of a declaration card may be mandatory or optional for new believers, or it may be completely absent from the enrolment process. See also Declaration, Enrolment, Registration.

Deepening

Delegate

A person who has the authority to undertake a certain administrative role, generally to cast votes in a Bahá’í election. Bahá’í electors delegated in this way do not "represent" those who delegated them and thus may vote according to their conscience. See also Convention, Election.

Discourse

Divine Plan

The process of the spread of the Bahá’í Faith and the establishment of its administrative institutions throughout the world, set in motion by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan.

E

EAC

See External Affairs Committee.

Education

Elected arm

Election

An event at which ballots are cast to determine those people who will be called to serve on the elected institutions of the Bahá'í Faith, including Spiritual Assemblies and the Universal House of Justice. Bahá’ís consider participating in this electoral process to be a sacred act, essential to the health of the community. Shoghi Effendi set down exacting standards for Bahá’í elections, including: the use of secret ballots; a total lack of nomination, campaigning, or electioneering; and a reverent and prayerful attitude throughout. See Campaigning, Electioneering, Nomination, Riḍván.

Electioneering

Enrolment

The process of individuals expressing their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and asking to be regarded or recognized as Bahá’ís. The process of enrolment can be divided into two main parts: the individual's expression of belief (declaration), and the recognition of the individual's belief by the Bahá’í community and its institutions (registration).

Entry by troops

The phenomenon of large numbers of people in a specific region becoming Bahá’ís, e.g., entire families or villages at a time. Anticipated in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, it is viewed as a gradual process which will accelerate as social decline increases. The Universal House of Justice has stated that entry by troops is currently taking place in localities throughout the world, serving as a prelude to the eventual mass conversion of the majority of the world to the Bahá’í Faith. The House of Justice has encouraged the Bahá’í community to begin viewing entry by troops in a systematic and sustainable way, preparing for and promoting the process through the strengthening of institutions, commitment to teaching, supporting the work of the Divine Plan, and relating Bahá’í teachings to current social and humanitarian issues. See also Mass conversion.

Expansion

Expansion phase

One phase of a single cycle of a programme of growth, generally lasting around two weeks, during which collaborators make every effort to reach out to new people and enlarge the network of people involved in community activities.

External Affairs Committee

F

Feast

See Nineteen Day Feast.

Five Year Plans

A series of plans that took place from 2001 until 2021 under the leadership of the Universal House of Justice.

Fund

FUNDAEC

Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias (Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences).

G

Goal

1. One of the desired results of a plan or process. See milestone.

2. A place or area which is designated as an area of particular focus for the duration of some kind of effort, such as a Plan, a cycle of growth, an expansion phase, etc.

Group

A local Bahá’í community whose numbers are insufficient to form a Local Spiritual Assembly, i.e. fewer than nine members.

Guardian

Shoghi Effendi, the appointed successor of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who served as Head of the Faith from 1922 until his passing in 1957. As the Guardian, he was granted infallibility in interpreting Bahá’í scripture, and his Writings and correspondence remain as part of the bedrock upon which the Universal House of Justice carries out legislation on any matters not explicitly covered in Bahá’í texts. See also Guardianship.

Guardianship

A hereditary office that was held by Shoghi Effendi for 35 years until his passing in 1957. As he had no qualified heirs, the office of the Guardianship remains unfilled and, per the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cannot be claimed "ere the expiration of a thousand years"; this possibility was anticipated by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Notwithstanding the absence of a living Guardian, the office of the Guardianship retains its significance as the source of authoritative interpretation towards which the Universal House of Justice turns during the course of its duties.

H

Hands of the Cause

Hazira

See Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.

Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds

AR: حضرة القدس ( pronunciation), The Sacred Fold.

A building that acts as the center of Bahá'í administrative activity on a local, regional, or national level.

House of Justice

1. The permanent name for the institution of the Local Spiritual Assembly according to the text of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, in which Bahá’u’lláh states that "in every city a House of Justice be established..."

2. Abbreviation of Universal House of Justice.

House of Worship

See Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.

Ḥuqúq

See Ḥuqúqu’lláh.

Ḥuqúqu’lláh

AR: حقوق الله ( pronunciation, or alternate  pronunciation), The Right of God.

A law and spiritual obligation enjoined on Bahá’ís in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, for the purification of their material wealth through the voluntary giving of 19% of their profit, i.e. wealth in excess of their needs. Bahá’u’lláh confirms the voluntary nature of the law and specifies that it must be offered freely and with love and may not be enforced through pressure or intimidation.

Payments of Ḥuqúqu’lláh are received by the institution of the Trustees of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, through a worldwide network of boards. Funds received are disbursed at the discretion of the Head of the Faith, to be used for "relief of the poor, the disabled, the needy, and the orphans, and for other vital needs of the Cause of God", "on teaching the Cause of God in countries throughout the East and the West, establishing institutions, building Bahá’í Temples and promoting benevolent undertakings and the general weal".

I

Individual

Individual initiative

Infallibility

Institute

Institute co-ordinator

Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity

Institute process

Institution

International Archives

International Bahá’í Bureau

International Bahá’í Council

International Bahá’í Library

International Convention

International Environment Forum

International Teaching Center

Iranian National Bahá'í Archives

J

Junior youth group

Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Programme

L

Law

A binding rule or commandment. Bahá’u’lláh states that the ordinances of his book of laws were the best method for the maintenance of world order and security, that Baháʼís should obey the laws with "joy and gladness", and that true liberty could be obtained through obedience to God's laws.

Bahá’í laws are mainly given in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, which is supplemented by other texts written by Baháʼu'lláh, as well as further interpretations by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, and legislation by the Universal House of Justice.

Learned arm

See Appointed arm.

Lights of Guidance

Local Spiritual Assembly

A nine-member administrative body tasked with overseeing the affairs of a Bahá’í community of a particular locality, usually a city, town or village.

LSA

See Local Spiritual Assembly.

M

Marriage

The material and spiritual union of a man and a woman for the purpose of fostering harmony, fellowship and unity between them and to bring forth children who will grow up to serve God. Bahá’í teachings on marriage call it a fortress for well-being and salvation and place marriage and the family as the foundation of the structure of human society.

Bahá’í marriages are registered by whichever Spiritual Assembly has jurisdiction in the area where a ceremony takes place. Bahá’í wedding ceremonies require only a minimum of ritual, including the recital of a verse of scripture by bride and groom, and the signature of an officiant and two witnesses. Certain laws apply to marriage outside of the ceremony, including the consent of all living parents. See also Consent of parents, Engagement, Wedding, Divorce.

Mashriqu’l-Adhkár

AR: مشرق اﻻذكار.

Mass conversion

The anticipated conversion of a majority of the world to the Bahá’í Faith; an event alluded to by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, linked to a future, world-embracing crisis. Shoghi Effendi explained that mass conversion would be the "direct result of a chain of events, momentous and possibly catastrophic in nature" which would "suddenly revolutionize the fortunes of the Faith, derange the equilibrium of the world, and reinforce a thousandfold the numerical strength as well as the material power and the spiritual authority of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh". See also Entry by troops.

Mass teaching

N

National Spiritual Assembly

A nine-member administrative body tasked with overseeing the affairs of the Bahá’í community of a particular country. See also Regional Spiritual Assembly.

Neighbourhood

A geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members, in which residents seek to socialise and realise common values.

A neighbourhood is generally the smallest division used in the planning of collective action, for example, in a program of growth. A small village in a rural area might share the same characteristics as a neighbourhood; larger or sparser villages might comprise several neighbourhoods.

Nineteen Day Feast

Regular community gatherings, occurring nineteen days apart on the first day of each month of the Bahá’í calendar. Each Feast consists of devotional, administrative, and social part. As an administrative meeting, the Feast provides an opportunity for the community to report news, or other salient items of interest to the community, and allows for communication and consultation between the community and the Local Spiritual Assembly.

Nomination

1. The act of naming someone as a potential candidate for an elected position. Shoghi Effendi has forbidden the practice of nomination in Bahá’í elections. See Election.

2. The act of appointing someone to an office. See Appointment.

NSA

See National Spiritual Assembly.

P

Partisan politics

Pioneer

Plan

1. An outline of steps to be taken to achieve some outcome in a systematic way. See also Teaching plan.

2. An individual part of the Divine Plan with a limited duration of one or more years, with a specified set of goals to be met by its protagonists under the guidance of the Head of the Faith.

Politics

Programme of growth

R

RBC

See Regional Bahá’í Council.

Regional Bahá’í Council

An institution between the local and national levels, established at the discretion of the Universal House of Justice in countries where the condition and size of the Bahá’í community warrant. As its purpose is to decentralize the work of the National Spiritual Assembly, its responsibilities, prerogatives and geographical scope are determined by the National Spiritual Assembly.

Regional Spiritual Assembly

An institution identical in function to the National Spiritual Assembly but including a number of countries or regions in its jurisdiction, often established as a precursor to the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly in each of the countries it encompasses.

Regional Teaching Committee

Regional Training Institute

Registration

The recognition of an individual's belief in Bahá’u’lláh by the Bahá’í community and its institutions. Registration allows a Bahá’í individual to participate in the life of the Bahá’í community where they live. Registration is sometimes formalized through the signing of a declaration card. See also Declaration, Enrollment.

Riḍván

AR: رضوان ( pronunciation), paradise.

The most holy Bahá’í festival, known as the "Most Great Festival" or the "King of Festivals", marking the 1863 declaration of Bahá’u’lláh in the Garden of Riḍván in Baghdad. The festival lasts for twelve days, with the first, ninth and twelfth days set aside as holy days.

Shoghi Effendi fixed the First Day of Riḍván as the day for the election of Local Spiritual Assemblies, and in normal circumstances every National Spiritual Assemblies and the Universal House of Justice are elected at National and International Conventions held during the festival. See also Riḍván message, Election.

Riḍván message

An annual message issued by the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world on the occasion of the First Day of Riḍván, directing the attention of the worldwide Bahá’í community towards important issues, major development plans, and areas for study.

RSA

See Regional Spiritual Assembly.

RTC

See Regional Teaching Committee.

RTI

See Regional Training Institute.

S

SAT

Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (System for Tutorial Learning).

SCT

See Sector Co-ordination Team.

Sector

A sub-division of a cluster that may be used where administrative work in a cluster requires further decentralization. For example, if a cluster corresponds to a state or province, a sector might correspond to a district or county; a cluster that encompasses a large city might encompass one of the city's boroughs.

Sector Co-ordination Team

Spiritual Assembly

An elected, 9-member body whose purpose is to administer the affairs of the community. See Local Spiritual Assembly, National Spiritual Assembly, Regional Spiritual Assembly.

Standing

The status of an individual within the Bahá’í community with respect to administrative activities. An adult Bahá’í in good standing has full right to participate in Bahá’í elections, participate in the administrative portion of the Nineteen Day Feast, and serve on Bahá’í institutions.

Temporary loss of standing may result from a refusal to abide by Bahá’í laws or the bringing of conspicuous disrepute upon the Bahá’í community. In such cases, standing may be restored if an individual applies for it to be restored and complies with the requirements of Bahá’í law. Bahá’ís are free to associate with individuals who have lost good standing, as long as they have not also been declared Covenant-breakers. See also Administrative rights.

T

Tax

Teaching

The act of spreading awareness and understanding of God's Will for humanity, as revealed by His Manifestations. Bahá'u'lláh enjoined on all His followers the "sacred obligation" to spread the Cause of God (i.e. the Bahá’í Faith). See also Teaching plan, Travel teaching.

Teaching may be carried out individually (i.e. one to one or "heart to heart"), or collectively; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notably calls on believers to carry out the duty to teach "in serried lines", that is, supporting one another. All Bahá’í institutions must concern themselves with teaching; some, such as the Area Teaching Committee, do so at the exclusion of all else. See also International Teaching Centre.

Teaching campaign

Teaching plan

A plan to facilitate teaching, i.e. spreading awareness of the Cause of God, in a systematic manner.

Teaching team

Tithe

Three protagonists

Travel teacher

A Bahá’í who engages in travel teaching, i.e. travelling to different places (generally far from one's home) to teach the Cause of God. Well-known examples of travel teachers are Martha Root, who travelled around the world and was the first person to teach the Bahá’í Faith in many countries; and Rúḥíyyih Khánum, who made many trips throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas to visit believers and teach the Cause. See also Travel teaching, Pioneer.

Travel teaching

The act of travelling to a different place or places (generally far from one's home) in order to teach the Cause of God. Travel teaching is distinguished from pioneering in that travel teaching generally does not involve taking up residence in the place where one teaches. See also Travel teacher, Pioneering.

Travelling teacher

See Travel teacher.

Treasurer

Treasury

U

UHJ

See Universal House of Justice.

Universal House of Justice

The supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith. It is an elected body consisting of nine members who are elected for five year terms with members of every National Spiritual Assembly casting votes at an International Convention. Its function within the Bahá’í Faith is legislative and it has the authority and responsibility to supplement and apply the Bahá’í laws revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and also serves as a judicial body as the Head of the Bahá’í Administrative Order. It is also responsible for guiding, organizing, and coordinating the activities of the international Bahá’í community, answering questions from the community, and resolving points of disagreement on Bahá’í matters causing disunity within the community. Its messages and statements are authoritative guidance to the Bahá’í community and its legislative decisions are infallible although they may be amended by the Universal House of Justice itself.

Usury

V

Virgin territory

An area or region where teaching has not yet taken place, or where there are currently no Bahá’ís. See also Goal, Pioneer.

Voting rights

See Administrative rights.

W

World Centre

See Bahá’í World Centre.

References

Bibliography

• Smith, Peter (2000). "A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith". Oxford: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 9781851681846.

• Smith, Todd (2022). "The Bahá'í Administrative Order". The World of the Bahá'í Faith (1 ed.). Routledge. pp. 426–441. ISBN 978-0-429-02777-2. Retrieved 13 April 2025.

• Marzieh Gail (1955). Bahá'í Glossary. United States: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States.