The Institution of the Counsellors is the current appointed branch in the administrative system of the Baháʼí religion. It consists of the 9 International Counsellors of the International Teaching Centre, the 90 Continental Counsellors, their Auxiliary Board Members, and assistants. The Counsellors, a respected and high-ranking position, are appointed to 5-year renewable terms, and organized into boards working on 5 continents that are coordinated by the International Teaching Centre.
The Institution of the Counsellors was created in 1968 by the Universal House of Justice to perpetuate the work done previously by the Hands of the Cause. The functions of the institution are generally "protection" from schism and "propagation", or spreading, of the religion at an international level. Members of the institution have no legislative or executive power, and do not fill the role of clergy, but they are tasked with "stimulating, counseling, and assisting" the elected institutions and Baháʼí communities generally. They fill a largely advisory and inspirational role.
The continental and international Counsellors are appointed by the Universal House of Justice, the supreme institution of the religion. Continental Counsellors appoint Auxiliary Boards, who in turn appoint assistants. When including the Hands of the Cause, the whole structure is sometimes called the 'appointed branch' of the religion, or the 'Institution of the Learned', to contrast it with the elected Spiritual Assemblies. All members of the institution, from the International Teaching Centre to Auxiliary Board members serve 5-year terms that begins on the Day of the Covenant, which falls on either November 25 or 26, except for local Assistants, whose duration of service is "left to each Continental Board to decide for itself".
There are no formal qualifications, pre-requisites, or training needed to be appointed to the Institution of the Counsellors.
International Teaching Centre
The International Teaching Centre is a board of nine Counsellors that was created in June 1973 to extend the role of the Hands of the Cause resident at the Baháʼí World Centre. It operates from a building on the Baháʼí arc next to the Universal House of Justice. The announcement of its creation outlined its duties: "co-ordinate, stimulate and direct" the Continental Counsellors and act as liaison to the House of Justice; provide reports and recommendations to the Universal House of Justice and advice to the Counsellors; be alert to opportunities for growth of the religion; and "determine and anticipate" needs for teaching and propose teaching plans.
All Hands of the Cause were initially members of the board, as well as three Counsellors. Over time, as Hands of the Cause grew older and could not be replaced, the board transitioned to four Counsellors in 1979, seven in 1983, and to the present nine in 1988.
The Counsellors of the International Teaching Centre also serve 5-year terms.
The International Teaching Centre is responsible with overseeing the security and ensuring the protection of the Baha'i faith. It must investigate all cases of Covenant-breaking with the help of the Continental Counsellors and their auxiliaries, evaluate their reports and decide whether to expel the offender from the Baha'i faith, they submit their decisions to the Universal House of Justice for its final words.
Continental Boards of Counsellors
The Continental Boards of Counsellors are responsible for protecting and propagating the Baháʼí Faith at a continental level, as well as informing the Baháʼí World Centre of developments in their area. As individuals they are known as 'Continental Counsellors'.
They were created to perpetuate the role of the Hands of the Cause, who could no longer be appointed after 1957. They outrank the National Spiritual Assemblies, though only in an advisory role since they have no administrative authority, but they are regarded as lower than the Hands. The announcement of their creation on 21 June 1968 also changed the Hands of the Cause from continental to worldwide appointments. The Counsellors took on the responsibility of directing the work of the Auxiliary Boards, appointees working closer with local communities, and one Counsellor from each board was appointed as the trustee of funds. At first the Hands resident in Haifa directed the boards of Counsellors, until the International Teaching Centre was created in 1973.
Upon their creation in 1968 there were 11 distinct boards: three each in Africa, the Americas, and Asia, and one each for Australia and Europe. In 1980 that arrangement was changed to five boards: one each in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe.