“The administrative aspect of the Bahá’í Cause is in reality no mere set of external regulations but the very fruit of its universal spirit. Bahá’í administration is nothing less than a worldwide ethics, the special characteristic of which is to transform subjective to positive cooperative action–unifying the whole being of each believer through his unity with his spiritual brother. Its unbreakable foundation is the principle of consultation, which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared to be the fulfillment of individual conscience in this new age.

“Bahá’í administration, indeed, proceeds from the text of Bahá’u’lláh; the contribution made by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was to define and expound the principles established by Bahá’u’lláh, as the contribution of the Guardian of the Cause is to apply them to the Bahá’í community throughout the world. This latter fact is made clear not only by the contents of the letters of Shoghi Effendi which constitute the body of this volume [Bahá’í Administration], but also by circumstances under which the successive letters were issued.” (Horace Holley, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, 30 November 1927)

The course will study Shoghi Effendi’s selected messages (1922-1932) to the North American Bahá’í Community entitled BAHA’I ADMINSTRATION. These messages define “the essential principles on which the local and national institutions of the Bahá’í Faith are based. Written during the first ten years of the Formative Age of the Faith, the messages also offer insight into the Faith’s growth and illustrate poignantly the great burden Shoghi Effendi shouldered as the Guardian of the Cause of God while guiding the fledgling Bahá’í community. As part of the Faith’s primary literature, these messages form the fundamental text and crucial guide to understanding and implementing Bahá’í Administration.”