Concept VII

on

GB Concept VII. The Conference recognises that the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the General Service Board (Great Britain) are legal instruments: that the Trustees are thereby fully empowered to manage and conduct all of the British service affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is further understood that the Conference Charter itself is not a legal document: that it relies instead upon the force of tradition and the power of the A.A. purse for its final effectiveness.


World Service Long Form VII. The Conference recognizes that the Charter and the Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments: that the Trustees are thereby fully empowered to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is further understood that the Conference Charter itself is not a legal document: that it relies instead upon the force of tradition and the power of the A.A. purse for its final effectiveness.

World Service Short Form VII. The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments, empowering the trustees to manage and conduct world service affairs. The Conference Charter is not a legal document; it relies upon tradition and the A.A. purse for final effectiveness.

Application in AA
  • Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board: these are legal instruments
    • Legally and materially, the Board is governed by these instruments
    • It looks as though Conference has no external input or governing influence
    • It looks as though it acts as it sees fit ...
    • ... bound only by these legal instruments
    • (and the law of the land)
  • The Board is fully empowered to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs
    • In terms of
      • What it does (itself, through sub-committees, through corporations) ('policy')
      • How it spends the money / manages the finances ('finance')
  • Conference Charter
    • Under the Charter, most members of Conference are Delegates
    • Delegates represent groups
    • Conference thus represents the fellowship
  • Force of tradition + the power of the purse
    • Whilst the Board has legal power
    • Without:
      • The direction of the Conference
      • The practical support of the fellowship
      • The finances supplied by the fellowship
    • ... the Board would not be able to do anything
    • E.g.
      • If groups stop notifying changes of group details ...
      • ... the directories soon become obsolete
      • If groups stop sending volunteers ...
      • ... there is no one to answer the phone lines
      • If the groups stop sending money ...
      • ... the Board cannot pay its directors and staff
    • So, in practice, the Board is ultimately bound by the will of the fellowship
    • ... backed up by its material resources (money and volunteers)
    • This acts like an invisible force field, which becomes visible only when activated
    • And it is this which is the real framework within which the Board operates
    • Whilst the Board operates within this ...
    • ... The only framework visible is the legal framework provided by the Board's Charter and Bylaws together with the law of the land
  • The Trustees are not salaried
    • According to Bill in his essay, because they're not salaried, they would not legally contest the 'clear and sustained will of the Conference'
    • Firstly, the Board in Great Britain does on occasion oppose or reject the views or requests of the Fellowship on legal grounds
    • Secondly, it could be argued that, if the Board did have a financial interest, it would be more inclined to toe the line
  • The power of the AA purse
    • Conference cannot stop individuals, groups, intergroups, regions, etc. from sending money
    • But it can communicate the situation in which it suggests to the fellowship that funds be withheld
    • If Conference is truly respecting the views of the fellowship, the fellowship will extensively comply
    • This should be a last resort available to Conference if all else fails
    • The power of the AA purse is often exercised at other levels of the fellowship, when a group, intergroup (GB), or region (GB) loses faith in one or more layers below
  • Alternative schemes rejected for establishing the power of the fellowship over the Board
    • Conference being a legal body
      • Too cumbersome administratively, with hundreds of directors
      • There would be legal liability on the part of the directors ...
      • ... but without the requisite expertise, involvement, and authority
    • Countrywide elections of trustees
      • This would not necessarily ensure the best people get appointed
      • It could degenerate into a 'beauty contest' or political battle
      • Elections of relative unknowns in AA often comes down to how superficially attractive the personalities are
    • Conference nominating and electing trustees
      • The Delegates would not be well-enough informed to make good decisions
  • The scheme actually adopted (GB)
    • Regions nominate two candidates
    • The Board interviews them
      • The Board knows best what the Board needs
    • The successful candidate is put to Conference for ratification
    • Unless the Board is responsible for populating itself with the best people, it cannot be held accountable for the results
  • This arrangement reflects
    • Tradition II: trusted servants
    • Concept III: Right of Decision
    • Concept IX: leadership
  • Can the Board say 'no' to Conference / reject its direction?
    • In principle, yes
    • In practice, this right is used sparingly
    • When might this happen?
      • A decision is in breach of
        • The Conference Charter
        • The Board's Charter or Bylaws
      • A decision could seriously injure AA's public relations or AA as a whole
      • A plan, project, or directive turns out to be impractical or unworkable
    • How does this work?
      • The Board asks Conference to reconsider
      • If Conference will not reconsider or reconsiders and arrives at the same conclusion:
      • The Board may veto or cancel the plan, project, or directive
    • The Board's exercise of its financial veto
      • The Board may underspend
      • It may not overspend
      • Veto therefore works only in one direction, financially

Application in life
  • Relationship between major decisions and practical implementation
    • Per Concept VI:
      • Mind / individual consciousness (= Conference) makes major decisions of policy and finance
      • Body / physical brain (= Board) plans and executes
    • Per Concept VII:
      • Mind is in control
      • But there must be autonomy at a practical level
        • No decision made at the level of mind ...
        • ... can be implemented 100% as foreseen at a practical level
        • All decisions are complicated by:
          • Unforeseen factors
          • Complicating details of implementation
          • The involvement of third parties
        • We are bound by the manifest laws of the material world
          • This is the correlate of the Charter and Bylaws of the Board
        • In practice, there must be flexibility and adaptation
        • This is an embodiment of Tradition IX: not being over-organised
  • Empowerment
    • As the Board is empowered:
      • By its Charters and Bylaws: 'legally'
      • By the inspiration of the fellowship: 'traditionally'
      • By the resources of the fellowship: 'financially'
    • I am empowered
      • By the manifest laws of the material world: I have physical aptitudes and aptitudes of the physical brain
      • By the higher forces for the realm of the Spirit: through Step Eleven (page 86):
        • Inspiration
        • Intuitive thoughts (of the mind which uses the physical brain as a receiver, medium, vessel, vector, channel, or seed crystal)
        • Decisions
      • By the practical resources provided by God through various means
  • Relationship with God
    • God directs
      • either directly (through our consciousness)
      • or through the group conscience (the group, the family, an employer, another authority, another authority figure)
    • We obey
    • Yet we have autonomy and responsibility in the material world in our obedience
    • We are not directly punished or curtailed by God
    • But:
      • God can exert traditional authority
        • Through our conscience
        • Through the censure, redirection, reorganisation, or replacement of others
        • Forms:
          • Negative emotional reactions of others
          • Complaint, criticism, objection
          • Non-compliance
          • Withdrawal
          • Rejection
          • Suggestion
        • Not all negativity from others represents God's feedback
          • If one person takes issue with you, you may be at fault
          • If everyone is taking issue with you, you're probably at fault
          • But even then, sometimes a minority of one is right
        • Accessing this traditional authority requires:
          • Awareness
          • Personal contemplation
          • Seeking the counsel of others
          • Discussion with others
      • God can exercise the power of the purse
        • The supply of spiritual power is cut off
          • I become filled will negativity
          • I start acting out / wanting to act out
        • The supply of money or other resources is cut off
          • We are dumped
          • We are sacked
          • We are not hired
          • Others do not want us around
          • The world keeps saying 'no'
          • We are not invited to participate
    • Therefore:
      • Whilst we are autonomous ...
      • ... if we exercise that autonomy recklessly
      • ... there will be consequences
    • There is absolute freedom at the level of decision and action
    • But that freedom does not extend to include freedom from consequences
      • 'Well, well, well: if it isn't the consequences of my own actions!'
    • Link between traditional authority and the power of the purse
      • Whilst I remain dedicated in my cheerful submission to the traditional authority
        • To remain spiritually awakened
        • To carry the message of AA
        • To practise the 36 sets of principles in all my affairs
      • My 'purse' remains full, in order to do this
      • If I act against this traditional authority ...
      • ... or am AWOL (absent without leave), pursuing money, property, or prestige
      • The purse will empty
      • The 'purse' is everything I need to do God's will ...
      • ... and thereby to be 'OK' on the material plane
  • The Board's veto and my veto
    • Whilst the Board may legitimately veto Conference, because Conference could be misinformed etc. ...
    • And I may veto what God tells me through Step Eleven
    • My veto is not because I'm right ...
    • ... but because I'm not ready
    • ... or I have misread what I think God's will is
    • I can temporise almost indefinitely
    • But, provided my temporisation does not kill me,
    • I will always come back to God's 'Plan A'
  • Who are the Board members?
    • Board members are members of the worldwide fellowship of AA as a whole
    • My material existence is a temporary vehicle: it is merely 'my turn' to do some work on the material plane
    • I come from a higher plane
    • I will return to that higher plane
    • The actions of the material plane are not on their own account but in the service of a higher purpose
  • The invisible force field
    • The Board appears to be governed only by material laws
    • We appear to be governed only by material laws
    • In truth, there is a higher authority / higher system of laws
      • In the Board's case: Conference, representing the fellowship
      • In our case: spiritual laws
    • As with the 'laws' of Conference:
      • Spiritual laws are invisible
      • If they are broken, this is not immediately visible
      • But the results are ultimately devastating
      • We are kept in line not by material laws but by spiritual laws
      • Hence: voluntary obedience of spiritual principles
Labels: