- For the building, see the Seat of the International Teaching Center
The International Teaching Center is an administrative institution of the Bahá’í Faith based in Haifa, Israel at the Bahá’í World Centre. It consists of nine members appointed by the Universal House of Justice for renewable five year terms and is responsible for overseeing the protection and propagation of the Bahá’í Faith at the international level particularly through directing and analyzing the activities of the Continental Boards of Counsellors.
Functions[edit]
In a 1998 letter the Universal House of Justice listed the following duties of the International Teaching Center[1]:
- To exercise full responsibility for coordinating, stimulating and directing the Continental Boards of Counselors, acting also as liaison between them and the Universal House of Justice.
- To be fully informed of the situation of the Cause in all parts of the world and, from this knowledge, to make reports and recommendations to the Universal House of Justice and give advice to the Continental Boards of Counselors.
- To watch over the security and ensure the protection of the Faith of God. To investigate all cases of incipient Covenant-breaking, employing, as necessary, the services of the Continental Counselors and their auxiliaries. To evaluate the reports rendered by the Continental Counselors and to decide whether the offender should be expelled from the Cause, submitting the decision to the Universal House of Justice for its consideration, consultation with the Hands of the Cause of God, and approval before an announcement is made. To follow a similar procedure for the reinstatement of a contrite Covenant-breaker.
- To be attentive to the spiritual health of the Bahá’í community, strengthening the believers to resist the influence of both internal and external enemies and ensuring, to this end, that the Continental Counselors assist National and Local Spiritual Assemblies in dealing with questions that cast doubt on the integrity of the Faith and its teachings.
- To be alert to possibilities for the expansion of the Faith, the consolidation of its institutions and the development of Bahá’í community life, analyzing such possibilities in the context of global plans, fostering consultation among the believers and their institutions on the nature and methods of sustained processes of growth, anticipating needs worldwide, and ensuring that the necessary resources become available to national communities. To give particular attention to the development of human resources, helping national communities increase their capacity to endow growing contingents of believers with spiritual insights, knowledge of the Faith, and skills and abilities of service.
- To administer a budget provided from the Bahá’í International Fund, allocating therefrom monies for the development of institutes, the implementation of various types of teaching projects, and the production and distribution of literature and audiovisual materials, as well as the operations of the Continental Boards of Counselors. To also administer the expenditure of the International Deputization Fund and to see to it that pioneers and traveling teachers are deployed in areas of need, with the help of the Continental Pioneer Committees, whose work it directs.
The document The Institution of the Counsellors prepared on behalf of the Universal House of Justice lists the following aspects of the bodies functioning[2]:
- In making decisions, the International Teaching Centre acts as a corporate body. However, the discharge of its duties also requires its members to travel. During their travels, the International Counsellors will at times present the views of the Teaching Centre and at others offer general advice and encouragement.
- The International Teaching Centre works principally through the Continental Counsellors in accomplishing its objectives; its advice to the Counsellors enables them and their auxiliaries to draw on its insights in their interactions with the friends. Thus its access to Spiritual Assemblies and individual Bahá’ís, apart from certain international pioneers and travelling teachers, is indirect. The Teaching Centre does not correspond with Spiritual Assemblies or Regional Councils. If it receives letters from them, or from individuals that are not concerned with pioneering or travel-teaching, it refers them to the Universal House of Justice.
- Among the structures that help facilitate the efforts of the International Teaching Centre and the Continental Counsellors in the promotion of pioneering and travel-teaching are the Continental Pioneer Committees, which work under the Teaching Centre’s direction. Their functions reinforce those of the National Spiritual Assemblies and their agencies.
- The correspondence of the International Teaching Centre with the Continental Counsellors is intended for their guidance and information and as a resource that assists them in carrying out their duties. In consulting with a National Spiritual Assembly, a Counsellor may decide to share a letter from the Teaching Centre in its entirety, or parts thereof, with the Assembly. But he or she may also choose not to do so in order, for instance, to avoid the impression that the Assembly is being induced to give greater attention to the views propounded.
- Should circumstances prevent the Universal House of Justice from making new appointments at the end of any five-year term, the International Teaching Centre will continue to function until such time as appointments can be made.
History[edit]
In 1968 the Universal House of Justice established the Continental Board of Counselors through consultation with the Hands of the Cause of God and during their consultations it was also decided that a future goal was the establishment of an international teaching center in the Holy Land.[3] The Universal House of Justice referred to forming the body again in an April 1972 message.[4]
The institution was formed in 1973 by the Universal House of Justice and held its inaugural meeting on June 14, 1973.[5] The International Teaching Center originally consisted of the seventeen living Hands of the Cause and three Counsellor members. While all Hands were technically regarded as members of the body those not residing in the Holy Land had responsibilities related to their localities as such only the Hands of the Cause serving in the Holy Land assisted the Counsellor members in directly executing the functions of the body.[6]
The number of Counsellor members was raised to four in 1979, to seven in 1983, and finally to the current nine in 1988. The Counsellor members of the International Teaching Center are appointed by the Universal House of Justice for five-year terms that begin shortly after the International Convention and election of the Universal House of Justice. Members may be appointed for more than one term.
In 1984 the International Teaching Center began using 10 Haparsim Street as its seat,[7] and it used the building until 2001 when the International Teaching Centre Building was completed and became the seat of the institution.[8]
Current Members[edit]
| Name | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Rachel Ndegwa[9] | 2003 |
| Antonella Demonte | 2013 |
| Mehranguiz Farid Tehrani | 2013 |
| Gloria Javid | 2018 |
| Navid Serrano | 2018 |
| Dinesh Kumar | 2018 |
| Holly Woodard | 2018 |
| Kanagaratnam Lakmeeharan | 2023 |
| Amir Saberin | 2023 |
Past Members[edit]
Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land[edit]
When the International Teaching Center was created the initial membership included all living Hands of the Cause and three Continental Counsellors. The initial nucleus of the membership was therefore Hooper Dunbar, Florence V. Mayberry, Aziz Yazdi and the following six Hands who were living in the Holy land.
| Name | Served |
|---|---|
| Rúḥíyyih Khánum | 1973 - 2000 |
| Abu'l-Qásim Faizi | 1973 - 1980 |
| ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan | 1973 - 2003 |
| Paul Haney | 1973 - 1982 |
| ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá | 1983 - 2007 |
| Collis Featherstone | 1983 - 1990 |
Publications[edit]
- 1984 - Bahá’í Scholarship
- 1998 - Training Institutes
- 2000 - Training Institutes and Systematic Growth
- 2003 - Building Momentum: A Coherent Approach to Growth
- 2004 - Intensive Growth
- 2007 - Message on Clusters, Institutes, and Growth
- 2008 - Attaining the Dynamics of Growth: Glimpses from Five Continents
- 2013 - Insights From the Frontiers of Learning
- 2017 - The Five Year Plan, 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning
- 2017 - Training Institutes: Attaining a Higher Level of Functioning
- 2018 - Give Me Thy Grace to Serve Thy Loved Ones: A Selection of Writings from Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá and Shoghi Effendi
- 2018 - 3 May 2018 Letter
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 10 June 1998 message from the Universal House of Justice to the International Teaching Center
- ↑ https://www.bahai.org/documents/bwc/institution-counsellors
- ↑ 21 June 1968 message from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies
- ↑ 24 April 1972 message from the Universal House of Justice to the Continental Boards of Counselors
- ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 510, Pg(s) 1. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 99. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 28. View as PDF.
- ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/131/
- ↑ "The Nakuru Regional Conference". Bahá’í World News Service. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
- ↑ "Passing of Isobel Sabri, Counselor Member of the International Teaching Center". Universal House of Justice. 18 June 1992. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Designado Centro Internacional de Ensino 2003/2008". UGA Bahá'í Association. 13 May 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- ↑ "Biography". Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Um Tributo à Memória de Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum". Bahá'ís of Brazil. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Nuova nomina del Centro Internazionale d'Insegnamento". Bahá'ís of Italy. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- ↑ "The Bangui Regional Conference". Bahá’í World News Service. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
