The role of reliable statistics
The Regional Bahá’í Council of the North Island has shared the following explanation to support friends in clusters across Aotearoa in strengthening their understanding of the expansion phase. The article offers practical insights drawn from the experience of clusters such as Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, and highlights simple ways every community can build greater clarity and coherence, particularly through the collection and utilisation of statistics and how thoughtful record-keeping can deepen our collective learning.
Deepening our understanding of the Expansion Phase: Reading reality through statistics
As clusters across Aotearoa continue to learn about the rhythm of the cycle of growth, the expansion phase remains a vital period for outward movement, collective teaching, and sharing the message of Bahá’u’lláh with increased intensity and joy. Yet, as our capacity to teach and accompany one another grows, so must our ability to read reality through reliable and meaningful statistics.
When reviewing the number of friends participating in the expansion phase, a recurring question emerges: What does engagement actually mean? Are we consistent in how we define and record it? Different clusters may use slightly different interpretations, leading to variations in how the same type of activity is counted. To ensure a coherent national picture, it is helpful to return to the purpose behind the data. Statistics are not an end in themselves—they are a means to better understand the condition of the community, to reflect more deeply, and to plan more effectively. This list of activities from the Hawke’s Bay cluster provides a helpful illustration of what engagement might look like during the expansion phase, if an individual undertakes any one of them, but it is not an exhaustive list:
· Saying prayers for the success of the expansion phase
· Participating in or supporting teaching activities with greater intensity
· Assisting with food or transport during outreach activities
· Visiting homes to share the Teachings
· Extending invitations to activities
· Having elevated conversations to help stimulate seekers’ receptivity to the Cause
· Hosting or participating in ‘fireside’ gatherings where warm exploration of the Teachings occurs
· Helping increase participation in core activities
· Contributing as part of a teaching project, neighbourhood campaign, or core group
Each of these represents a tangible expression of service and learning. Whether a friend is sharing prayers, offering practical support, or directly engaging in teaching, they are contributing to the collective movement of the cluster. In some areas, like intensive neighbourhoods in Auckland, systems have been developed to ensure consistency. During each day of the expansion phase, neighbourhood teams hold short reflections where they capture who participated and in what way. These figures are then shared with the Area Teaching Committee and recorded in the Statistical Report Program (SRP). This simple rhythm—daily reflection, collective learning, and timely reporting—helps ensure that the data begins to reflect the reality on the ground.
Plans for an expansion phase may be made and carried out by a group of families or even a single family. All these endeavours are contributing to the expansion phase in a cluster. Recording them will clarify the picture of the engagement of the friends in this vital phase to extend the reach of the vision of Baha’u’llah to more and more people.
Where such systems are not yet in place, this may signal an opportunity for more learning: perhaps a nucleus of friends is not yet seeing the value of record-keeping, or the process of collecting data feels too distant from the grassroots activities. Either way, the “inaccuracy” of data can itself be a learning point, revealing where deeper ownership or understanding might be nurtured.
The system of data collection works best in a bottom-up way: those at the grassroots, whether in a group of families or some other type of core group arrangement or team, keep clear records for their own planning purposes, but these are shared with their relevant cluster representative, such as an Area Teaching Committee or Cluster Coordinator, to be recorded as part of the cluster’s activities, whether in the expansion phase or at other points in the cycle of activity.
As friends develop the capacity to collect statistical data and utilise this information to expand the vision of what can be achieved and make decisions that will facilitate that development, the value of statistics becomes fully appreciated.
