“Consecrated Officers of the Cause"
The National Spiritual Assembly has, this week, shared an announcement from the Continental Board of Counsellors concerning the appointment of Auxiliary Board members in Aotearoa New Zealand for a new five-year term of service, commencing at sunset on 25 November 2026, marking the beginning of the Day of the Covenant. This announcement offers an opportunity to reflect on the distinctive role and spiritual significance of this institution within the Bahá’í Administrative Order.
The institution of the Auxiliary Boards was established by Shoghi Effendi to assist the Hands of the Cause of God in their responsibilities for the protection and propagation of the Faith. Today, Auxiliary Board members serve under the direction of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, contributing to the spiritual vitality, unity and advancement of Bahá’í communities throughout the world.
In its publication The Institution of the Counsellors, the Universal House of Justice explains that the Auxiliary Boards were established:
“to serve the work of the Hands of the Cause and to ensure that their vital influence would permeate the Bahá’í community.”
The Auxiliary Boards for Protection and Propagation fulfil distinct but closely related functions. Their work encompasses strengthening the friends' understanding of the Teachings and the Covenant, encouraging individual initiative and participation in the life of the community, fostering unity, and supporting the efforts of individuals and institutions to advance the aims of the Faith.
In a letter dated 1 October 1969, addressed to the Continental Boards of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies, the Universal House of Justice described the essential purpose of their work:
“It is the principal task of the Auxiliary Boards to assist in arousing and releasing this power.”
The power referred to is that which resides in the entire body of the believers, the capacity of individuals, working together and supported by their institutions, to contribute to the progress of the Cause.
Auxiliary Board members work closely with individuals, groups and Local Spiritual Assemblies, offering encouragement, advice and spiritual support. Their role complements that of the elected institutions, which carry responsibility for directing and administering the affairs of the community.
In this same letter, the Universal House of Justice emphasises the importance of the relationships that Auxiliary Board members cultivate with those they serve:
“Above all the Auxiliary Board members should build up a warm and loving relationship between themselves and the believers in their area so that the Local Spiritual Assemblies will spontaneously turn to them for advice and assistance.”
This spirit of loving encouragement and accompaniment lies at the heart of their service. Through personal contact, consultation and a deep understanding of local circumstances, Auxiliary Board members help the friends recognise their capacities, strengthen their efforts and participate more fully in the life of the community.
In sharing the announcement, the National Spiritual Assembly expressed its admiration and appreciation for all Auxiliary Board members, those continuing for another term, those concluding years of dedicated service, and those joining the institution for the first time. The Assembly also conveyed its heartfelt best wishes to these much-loved and devoted souls.
Friends are invited to read the announcement from the Continental Board of Counsellors, and which was shared by the National Spiritual Assembly by email to all believers in New Zealand, for details of the new Auxiliary Board appointments, at the button below.
As this new five-year term begins on the Day of the Covenant, the occasion invites the friends throughout Aotearoa to renew their appreciation for the institution of the Counsellors, through which the functions of the Hands of the Cause of God were extended into the future. The loving and capable service of the Counsellors and their Auxiliary Board members is a mainstay of the protection and propagation of our precious Faith.
For further reading, and deepening of your knowledge on this institution, the publication The Institution of the Counsellors is available in the Bahá’í Reference Library, along with the letter of 1 October 1969, to the Continental Boards of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies, which is referenced in this article.
