6 March 1997
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada
Dear Baha’i Friends,
We have been asked by the Universal House of Justice to respond as follows to your email message of 14 February 1997 on the subject of “Clarification on role of Continental Counselors in international pioneering and traveling teaching.”
As was indicated in the 27 June 1993 letter from the House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, reference to which was made in your own letter, the launching of the Three Year Plan marked the beginning of a new stage in the administration of the international pioneering work. The implications were spelled out further in a letter of 30 June 1993, written on behalf of the House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies:
“As the friends respond to the pioneer call, the National Spiritual Assemblies and their appropriate agencies will, of course, exert their utmost to offer the administrative support to facilitate their move. However, the approach adopted for the Three Year Plan should free the institutions from the pressure of filling specific goals and allow them to focus their energies on the spiritual preparation of the friends for this vital field of service.”
Accordingly, a Bahá’í is entirely free to arise for pioneer or travel-teacher service wherever and for whatever term he or she considers best. In reaching such a decision, the individual is free to consult with his or her National Spiritual Assembly and its executive agencies or with a Counselor or Auxiliary Board member. Any of these agencies are similarly free to initiate such consultation, including the suggesting of possible goals, leaving the final decision in the matter to the individual concerned. Alternatively, a prospective pioneer may be moved to write directly to the Continental Pioneer Committee of the region which interests him or her.
All of this, of course, represents a major advance from the
earlier stage when National Spiritual Assemblies were obliged to place pioneers
in specified goal areas. It was to this earlier period that the letters
excerpted in paragraph four of your recent message referred. . . .
We trust that this responds to the questions which concern you and have been asked by the House of Justice to assure you of its fervent prayers in the Holy Shrines for the confirmation of the greatly appreciated efforts you are making to promote the vital pioneer work of the Plan.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)
