The Hands of the Cause appointed by Bahá'u'lláh were instructed by `Abdu'l-Bahá to gather to begin the consultations regarding the future organization of the Bahá'í community in Tihrán.
• This gathering led to the formation of the Central Spiritual Assembly of Tihrán in 1899. [BBD98, 114, 115; EB268; BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]

A local spiritual assembly called "The Consulting Assembly of Tihrán", a forerunner of the National Spiritual Assembly was established. [EB175–6; 26 November, 2007]
• Four Hands of the Cause were permanent members; nine others were elected by special electors appointed by the Hands. [EB175–6]

A council board of seven officers, a forerunner of the Local Spiritual Assembly, was established in Kenosha. [BFA1:112; GPB260]
• Those elected were not so much members of a council but rather "community officers" who carried out the decisions made at a community meeting. [BFA1p112] iiiii

One of the men, William Hoar, had been present at the reading of the paper by Henry Jessop at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1892. Shortly after he began study of the Faith with Ibrahim Khayru'llah. Later Hoar moved to New York where he continued study with Anton Haddad. Haddad had learned of the Faith in Egypt from Haji 'Abdu'l-Karim-i-Tihrani. [WMSH59]

The name of the Chicago Board of Council was changed to the House of Justice. [BFA2:48]
• `Abdu'l-Bahá requested that this name be changed a year later. [BFA2:49]

At this point there were separate Spiritual Assemblies for the Jewish and Zoroastrian Bahá'ís in Hamadán and Tihrán. [BBRSM:151; CB371; CT33]
• See BW2:275–9 for a letter from the `Israelitish' Bahá'í Assembly of Tihrán of November 1904.

The Chicago `Bahai Assembly' filed an affidavit of incorporation, the first Bahá'í community to acquire legal status. [BFA2:278]
• The incorporation is in the name of the community rather than the governing body. [BFA2:278–9]

MacNutt arrived in Chicago on August 8th. At ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s instructions, a feast was held on August 10, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Lesch, where the entire Chicago Bahá'í community was invited to be the guests of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. MacNutt delivered to the community ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s message of unity and love. The election was held the following day the 11th of August.

On Sunday evening, the 1rth of August, the Chicago Assembly selected a "Spiritual Meeling'' of nine, composed of men and women. whose service-according to the wish of Abdul-Ilahá -is, first, to propagate the teachings of the Revelation, and, second, to attend to other matters necessary lo the welfare of the assembly. [SoW Vol 3 No 9 20 August 1912 p16]

In a message to the Bahá'ís in America, Great Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and in Australia, Shoghi Effendi instructed that local assemblies must be established in localities where the number of believers, aged twenty-one and over, was nine or more and he delineated the responsibilities of those assemblies. [BA37-39]
• In the same message he directed that, in countries where conditions are favourable and the number of believers merited it, that "secondary Houses of Justice" be established. He fixed the number of electors; in America-95, the Pacific Islands-95, Germany-95 and in Great Britain-19 and specified that they be elected annually. [BA39-41]
• Local and National Funds were to be established because "the progress and execution of spiritual activities is dependent and conditioned upon material means". [BA41]

An article entitled `Bahai Organization: Its Basis in the Revealed Word' was published in Star of the West. [SW13, 12:323-8]
• The purpose of the article was to convince those who were opposed to a structured form of Bahá'í administration. [BBRSM123]

Shoghi Effendi wrote to Bahá'ís in America, Great Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and Australasia about Bahá'í administration, outlining the process for annual elections of assemblies and calling for the establishment of local and national funds. [BA34-43; PP330]
• See ER223-4 for the response of the British Bahá'ís.
• In the same letter, as a Post Script, he included a list of the best known and most current Bahá'í terms transliterated with a recommendation that this be adopted as standard for all Western Bahá'ís with a promise that the Haifa Spiritual Assembly would provide a supplement. The transliteration scheme was mostly based on a standard adopted by the Tenth International Congress of Orientalists which took place in Geneva in September 1894. [BA43; PG208-209]
• From the June 1923 issue of Star of the West, attempts were made to introduce the voting system although these are at first very patchy. The first books that appeared to be trying to put the system into use are Esslemont's Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era and Herrick's Unity Triumphant (the latter not entirely consistently), both published in 1923. Although some books appearing in 1924 did not follow the system, from this time on, books and other printed material published under Bahá'í auspices have followed it. [Transliteration by Mojan Momen]
• A list of transliterated terms appeared in BW1p131 and expanded lists appeared in subsequent volumes.

"His letters to Bahá'í institutions and to Bahá'ís in general began almost at once, and many will be found in Bahá'í Administration, beginning January 21, 1922. Early or late, his communications were not merely writings, they were the dynamic that moved the Bahá'í world. These letters in effect built the Administrative Order, its most vital features being found there. They taught the Bahá'í Assemblies how to be, how to consult, what their duties were. The book also contains the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws drawn up by the international lawyer Mountfort Mills, carefully reviewed by Shoghi Effendi, and adopted in 1926 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, at this time under one jurisdiction. (Khan, back in America by then. Shoghi Effendi wished all National Spiritual Assemblies to adopt, with necessary local adaptations, this Declaration of Trust and ByLaws, which set forth the character and objectives of Bahá'í communities worldwide." [Cited from AY304]

The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Tokyo, consisting of journalists and other professional people, was formed.
• Owing to the situation in Japan, it was disbanded two years later. [In memoriam Barbara Sims by Universal House of Justice, Sheridan Sims, and Sandra S. Fotos]

The first Spiritual Assembly of Addis Ababa was formed. [BW6:70]
• The community was established by Sabri Elias, and Fahima Elias, pioneers from Egypt who thus earned the title Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. Later Elias was asked to return home with other foreigners. [BW6:71]
• Ethiopia was the only independent Kingdom in Africa at this date. [BW6:70]
• Wikipedia says that the Assembly was formed in "late 1934".

The persecution against the Bahá'ís in Iran continued. [BW18p389]
• Meetings in the Bahá'í Centre in Tihrán were banned.
• A number of Bahá'ís in Bandar Sháh were arrested and imprisoned.
• The secretary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Arák was arrested.
• Bahá'ís in Qazvín were arrested and harassed.
• A Bahá'í in Záhidán was arrested.

The persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran continued throughout the country. [BW18p389]
• Many Bahá'ís employed in the police force, army and government departments were dismissed.
• Six members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Ahváz were arrested.
• Bahá'ís who closed their shops on Bahá'í holy days in Bandar Sháh were arrested.
• All Bahá'í meetings in Kirmánsháh, Bírjand, Arák and other towns were prohibited by police order.
• Five Bahá'í families were attacked in their homes in Cham-tang, near Hindíyán. They were severely beaten and forced to leave the village.

In the period from the inception of the Guardianship to 1937 Shoghi Effendi laid the foundation of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh in conformity with the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Some of the major accomplishments were:
• Continued the translation work that began while he was still an assistant to 'Abdu'l-Bahá and later as a student at Oxford.
• Explained the principles and structure of the Administrative Order.
• Developed the constitutional structure of the local and national spiritual assemblies.
• Clarified the relationships of these assemblies with the community of believers and elucidate the manner of their election and operation.
• Emphasized that the Administrative Order was the channel through which the spirit of God would flow and instructed that they be ever watchful lest "the means supersede the end". [Pg209]
• Imparted the vision of the new world order through his letter which have become to be know as "The World Order Letters". [PG209-215]
  • 27 February, 1929: The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh
  • 21 March, 1930: The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh Further Considerations
  • 28 November, 1931: The Goal of the New World Order
  • 21 March, 1931: Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh
  • 21 April, 1933: America and the Most Great Peace
  • 8 February, 1934:The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh consisting of:
    • Bahá'u'lláh
    • Báb
    • Abdu'l‑Bahá
    • Administrative Order
  • 11 March, 1936: The Unfoldment of World Civilization
• 1937-04-21 —
  The First Seven Year Plan (1937-1944) was launched in North America. [BBD180; BBRSM158; BW7:17–18; MA9, 11-12, 87]
  • The Guardian's Seven Year Plan for the American Bahá'ís
  • For the role of individuals, local spiritual assemblies and the National Spiritual Assembly see MA11–12.
  • The Plan called for:
    • the completion of the exterior of the Wilmette Temple. BW7:17–18; PP385]
    • the establishment of a local spiritual assembly in each state and province of the United States and Canada. [PP385]
    • the establishment of a centre in each of the republics of Latin America. [PP385; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement)p2]

      This date, the inception of the First Seven Year Plan of the North American Bahá'í community, marked the opening of the First Epoch of the Divine Plan. This epoch concluded with the successful completion of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963. [Epochs of the Formative Age by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice]

• 1938-00-00 —
  Shoghi Effendi disbanded the Haifa Spiritual Assembly which had been in operation since 1922, and sent the local community away. The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine made local conditions dangerous with the Arab nationalist contending with the threat of the apparent open-ended Jewish immigration and land purchases and the stated goal of establishing a "Jewish National Home". Perhaps another factor in his decision was the impending war in Europe. [PP348]
  • The disbanding of the spiritual assembly apparently did not mean the end to the publication of the "Haifa News Letter" in which news from the World Centre had been forwarded to all the Bahá'í centres in the East in Persian with an English translation of the publication distributed in the West. The last known mention of the Haifa News Letter was in letter dated the 6th of March, 1946 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to Britain. UD182 refers. [PP50, 282,348]
• 1938-02-05 —
  Bahá'ís in the Soviet Union were persecuted by the authorities. [BBR473, BW8p87-90, 179-81, BW14p479-481, SETPE1p155; YS6]
  • Five hundred Bahá'í men were imprisoned in Turkistán. [Bw8p89]
  • Many Persian Bahá'ís living in various cities of the Soviet Union were arrested, some are sent to Siberia, others to Pavladar in northern Kazakhstan and yet others to Iran. [BW8p87, 179, 184]
  • Six hundred Bahá'í refugees-women, girls, children and a few old men, went to Iran, most to Mashhad. [BW8p89]
  • The Bahá'í Temple in Ishqábád (now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan) was confiscated and turned into an art gallery. [BDD122, BW8p89]
  • The Bahá'í schools were ordered closed. [BW8p89]
  • Spiritual Assemblies and all other administrative institutions in the Caucasus were ordered dissolved. [BW8p89]
  • Shoghi Effendi included all these territories in his Ten Year Plan, unveiled in 1953, as follows:
    • The National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria was made responsible for opening Albania, Estonia, Finno—Karelia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (Moldova), Romania and White Russia (Belarus) and for consolidating Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (S.F.S.R.), and Yugoslavia.
    • The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of lran was made responsible for opening Kirgizia (later named Kyrgyzstan), Mongolia, Tajikistan (Tadzhikistan) and Uzbekistan, and for consolidating Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Turkmenistan.
    • The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States was responsible for opening Kazakhstan, Sakhalin, and the Ukraine. [BW20p196-197]
• 1938-04-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in the whole of Latin America was formed in Mexico City. [bahai.org;Wikipedia]
• 1939-04-21 —
  The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Budapest was elected. There were about 14 believers in the community, mostly of Jewish ancestry. This caused difficulty for the community in the Nazi persecutions that followed. [Rebirth: Memoirs of Renée Szanto-Felbermann p108]

        According to the description of Renée Szántó-Felbermann, they could not even meet in Budapest: „It was at their (the Sugárs) house in Alag (today part of Budakeszi) that we elected the first Spiritual Assembly in the history of Hungary, Ridvan 1939. When we boarded the train for Alag, in order to avoid suspicion, we Bahá'ís did not remain together, but went by twos and threes. The same procedure was repeated on our arrival to Alag. It was a memorable, unforgettable evening, that Feast of Ridván in the small house at Alag fragrant with spring flowers. We were all deeply moved. And our dear Bertha Matthiesen was radiant. … Jenő Sugár was elected chairman, Mária Kleinberger became treasurer and I continued as secretary." [www.bahai.hu]

  • See www.bahai.hu for a list of community members.
  • Ms Bertha Matthiesen spent a lot of time in Hungary between 1937 and 1939 when most declarations took place and the first spiritual assembly was formed. [www.bahai.hu]
  • Mr Emeric Sala (Imre Szalavetz) a Canadian Bahá'í who was born in Hungary visited Budapest in 1933 and in 1937. [www.bahai.hu]
  • Canadian travel teacher Ms Lorol Schopflocher visited Budapest in March-April 1937. [www.bahai.hu]
• 1939-12-12 — The Bahá'ís of Caracas, Venezuela, held their first Nineteen Day Feast and afterwards elected a 'Provisional Assembly'.
• 1940-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Bolivia was established in La Paz. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1940-05-10 — The first local spiritual assembly of Argentina was established in Buenos Aires. This Assembly, and that of Bahia, Brazil were the first two Baha'i assemblies in South America. [BWNS709; The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1942-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Honduras was established in Tegucigalpa. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America:Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1942-04-21 — The first local assembly in El Salvador was established in San Salvador. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America:Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1942-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Haiti was established in Port-au-Prince.
• 1942-06-00 — The Spiritual Assembly of San José, Costa Rica, was legally registered with the government, the first local assembly to be incorporated in Latin America. [BW11:46]
• 1943-00-00 — The first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Jamaica. [BWNS233]
• 1943-00-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in Colombia was established in Bogotá. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1943-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Puerto Rico was established in San Juan. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1943-09-04 — The first local spiritual assembly in Alaska was established at Anchorage.
• 1944-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Jamaica was established in Kingston.
• 1944-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Peru was established in Lima. [Heroes of God: History of the Bahá'í Faith in Ecuador, 1940-1979 p10; The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1944-05-00 —
  The British at their national convention, decided to ask the Guardian for their own Six Year Plan. [UDXVI]
  • He responded immediately by setting them the task of forming 19 assemblies spread over England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire. [UD173]
  • Shoghi Effendi described this as 'their first collective enterprise'. [UDXVI, 173–4]
  • See also BBRSM158, 185.
• 1944-11-00 —
  The Local Spiritual Assembly of Bogotá, Colombia, was disbanded.
  • It was not reformed until April 1946.
• 1945-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Ecuador was established in Guayaquil. The founding members were: Eduardo Gonzalez Lopez, Luis Guillermo Molina DeFranc, Emilio Minervini, Jorge Sarco, Jorge Jalón Fer, Juan Luis Aguirre Tarpeau, Mme. Marie Constantine Claudet de Thomas, Else Jorgensen, and Lauro Sánchez. [Heroes of God: History of the Bahá'í Faith in Ecuador, 1940-1979 p17, 84]
• 1945-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Dominican Republic was established in Santo Domingo then called Ciudad Trujillo (Ciudad Trujillo was the official name given to the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 8 January 1936, in honour of President Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. On 21 November 1961, almost six months after Trujillo's assassination, the city was renamed Santo Domingo, as it had been called since its founding in 1496).

  There were nine indigenous believers in the city. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]

• 1945-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Venezuela was established in Caracas. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances by Artemus Lamb]
• 1945-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Panama was established Panama City. [The Beginnings of the Bahá'í Faith in Latin America: Some Remembrances]
• 1945-06-00 —
  The 20 Bahá'ís in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, were a sufficient number for the local spiritual assembly to gain legal recognition for the Bahá'í Faith as a religion.
  • It was registered as a cultural, religious and social organization on 5 August 1946.
• 1946-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Brazil was established in Rio de Janeiro.
• 1947-04-21 — The Tokyo Spiritual Assembly, suspended during the war, was re-established.
• 1948-04-19 —
  The Havana Bahá'ís incorporated as an 'assembly', meaning 'group'.
  • It was incorporated as a local spiritual assembly in 1949.
• 1948-04-20 —
  The formation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Amsterdam, the first in the Netherlands. [BQYM204; BW11p654]
  • See BQYM205 for a picture of the Assembly members.
• 1948-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Belgium was established in Brussels. [BW11p727]
• 1948-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Afghanistan was established in Kabul.
• 1948-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Ireland was established in Dublin.
• 1948-04-21 —
  The first All-Native Bahá'í Assembly was established on the Omaha Reservation in Macy, Nebraska. [BW13:837; CF72]
  • See BW11:536 for a picture.
  • For the role of Amelia Collins in establishing this Assembly see PSBW88.
• 1948-04-21 —
  The first local spiritual assembly in Sweden was established in Stockholm. [BW11:689]
  • For picture see BW11p689.
• 1948-04-21 — The Local Spiritual Assembly of Budapest reformed. The Assembly was forced to dissolve again near the end of 1950 under the new regime. Most Bahá'ís fled the country during or after the Revolution in 1956. [www.bahai.hu].
• 1948-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Spain was established in Madrid. [BN #586 Janurary 1980 p4]
• 1948-04-21 —
  The first Bahá'í institution in Italy, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Rome was elected.
  • See picture.
• 1948-04-21 — The formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Cardiff. See CG9 for a picture.
• 1948-04-21 — The first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Oslo. [BQYM201]
• 1948-04-21 — The first local assembly was established in Bern, Switzerland. [BQYM201
• 1948-04-21 — The first local assembly was established in Geneva, Switzerland. [BQYM201]
• 1949-04-20 — The first local spiritual assembly in Portugal was established in Lisbon.
• 1949-04-21 —
  The first local spiritual assembly of Denmark was established in Copenhagen.
  • During the years 1948 to 1951 thirty-eight people became Bahá'ís. [SBBR14p243]
• 1951-00-07 —
  Bahá'í women in Egypt were extended the right of membership on local spiritual assemblies. [MBW12]
  • Shoghi Effendi called this 'a notable step in the progress of Bahá'í women of the Middle East'. [MBW12]
• 1952-04-21 —
  The first local spiritual assembly of Uganda was established in Kampala.
  • Enoch Olinga was a member.
• 1952-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Tanganyika was established in Dar-es-Salaam. Jalal Nakhjavani, Hassan Sabri, Isobel Sabri, Leslie Matola, Khanum Darakshandeh Nakhjavani, Dudley Denis-Smith Kutendele, Eustace Mwalimu, and Naimi Frahang Nayer Gopalkrishnan were among its members; Matola belonged to the Yao tribe, while Mwalimu belonged to another. [History of the Bahá'í Faith in Tanzania]
• 1952-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Singapore City was established. [BW12:573; PH58, 67]
• 1953-04-01 — The first local spiritual assembly in Finland was established in Helsinki.
• 1953-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Kenya was established in Nairobi.
• 1954-04-00 —
  Bahá'í women in Iran were accorded full rights to participate in membership of both national and local Bahá'í assemblies. [MBW65]
  • This removed the 'last remaining obstacle to the enjoyment of complete equality of rights in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Persian Bahá'í Community'. [MBW65]
• 1954-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Malay Peninsula was established in Seremban.
• 1954-04-21 — The first all African local spiritual assembly in Tanganyika was formed in Bukoba.
• 1954-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly was formed in British Cameroons.
• 1954-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly was formed in in Usumbura (later Bujumbura, Burundi) and it composed entirely of Congolese. At that time the area was called Ruanda-Urundi. In 1962 Ruanda-Urundi became the two independent states of Rwanda and Burundi. [A Remarkable Response Film 26:55]
• 1954-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Algeria was formed in Algiers. [BWIM114]
• 1955-04-21 — The first five local assemblies in Bechuanaland (Botswana) were formed in Seqonoka, Maseru, Mafeteng, Maphohloane and Sephapos' Gate.
• 1955-04-21 — The first four local spiritual assemblies in The Gambia were formed in Bathurst (Banjul), Serrekunda, Lamin and Brikama.
• 1955-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) was formed in Salisbury (Harare). [CG21]
• 1955-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of French Togoland (Togo) formed at Lomé.
• 1955-04-21 — The first local spiritual in Mozambique was established in Lourenço Marques. [BW13:290]
• 1955-04-21 — The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Italian Somalia was formed in Mogadishu. [KoB50]
• 1955-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Madagascar was formed in Tananarive (Antananarivo).
• 1955-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Seychelles was formed in Victoria.
• 1955-04-21 —
  The first local spiritual assembly in the Bahamas was formed in Nassau.
  • For a phono see Worldwide Community of Bahá'u'lláh.
• 1955-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Réunion was formed.
• 1956-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly was formed in Morocco (International Zone).
• 1956-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Bermuda was formed.
• 1956-04-21 — The first local spiritual assemblies in Korea were formed at Seoul and at Kwangju.
• 1956-04-21 — With the enrolment of the first Micronesian Bahá'í, the first local spiritual assembly of Guam was formed.
• 1956-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Hong Kong was formed.
• 1956-04-21 — Formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Guam.
• 1956-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Taiwan was formed in Tainan. [The Taiwan Bahá'í Chronicle by Barbara R. Sims p15]
• 1956-05-02 — After the annual reports were received from the 12 National Conventions Shoghi Effendi compiled a list of achievements made up to and including the two years since the start of the Ten Year Crusade. [MBW p76-86]

  There were now 3,700 localities opened to the Faith over the surface of the entire planet
  - 237 Sovereign States and Chief Dependencies where the Bahá'í Faith was present
  - 900 Local Spiritual Assemblies
  - All the countries listed as pioneering goals were now opened to the Faith except for those in the Soviet Union
  - Over 70 islands in the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans, were opened except for 6, bringing the total to 98 islands worldwide
  - 40 territories were opened to the Faith in the Pacific, with 170 Bahá'í localities
  - Bahá'í literature was now translated into 190 languages including 34 not included in the original plan
  - In over 60 territories, the number of those who have become Bahá'ís has surpassed the number originally anticipated
  - In a considerable proportion of these territories, Bahá'í membership has far exceeded the number required for the formation of local Assemblies, such as Gambia, for example, with 300 Bahá'ís
  - There were 3,000 Bahá'ís in Africa
  - 58 territories and islands were opened in Africa, with 400 Bahá'í localities
  - 140 African tribes were now represented in the Bahá'í community
  - 120 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Africa were functioning
  - Bahá'í literature was now published in 50 African languages
  - There were 43 National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds—National Bahá'í Centres
  - 168 incorporated Local and National Spiritual Assemblies
  - Land for 10 Temple Sites was acquired
  - The value of National Bahá'í endowments in 51 countries exceeded $100,000—$1.1 million in today’s currency—and now included the Maxwell Home in Montreal
  - The design for the House of Worship in Iran was approved
  - Plans for three additional Houses of Worship in Europe, Africa, and Australia had begun
  - In the Holy Land, the Covenant-breakers suffered defeat after defeat and Mírzá Majdi’d-Dín, the last survivor of the original Covenant-breakers from the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá finally died
  - In more positive news, 52 pillars of the International Bahá'í Archives had been raised and 450 tons of stone safely arrived in Haifa
  - The contract was signed with the same factory in Utrecht who provided the golden tiles of the Shrine of the Báb for the green tiles of the Archives building
  - The Monument Gardens were extended
  - Several properties were acquired in Bahjí and on Mount Carmel
  - The Temple Land on Mount Carmel was in the process of being purchased
  - In the United States the Bahá'ís were invited by the San Francisco Council of Churches to attend a prayer meeting for the United Nations
  - At this inter-religious gathering, the voice of the Bahá'í representative was the first to be raised, reciting a prayer revealed by Bahá'u'lláh
  - A prayer revealed by `Abdu'l-Bahá for America was presented by the elected national representatives of the United States Bahá'í Community to President Eisenhower, who acknowledged its receipt in warm terms and above his own signature.
  - A Bahá'í Publishing Trust was established in India
  - 30 new centers and 15 assemblies were formed in India, Pakistan and Burma
  - In Edirne, Bahá'ís were able to purchase sites blessed by the footsteps of Bahá'u'lláh
  - The very first Bahá'í Summer School in Central Africa was held in Kobuka, Uganda, with 100 attendees
  - The first All-France Teaching Conference was convened
  - The Bahá'ís of Tripoli, Libya and the Capital of Tanganyika both identified plots to serve as future Bahá'í cemeteries
  - In Iraq, the Bahá'ís purchased land for a Bahá'í Summer School in Iraq
  - The women of Egypt were granted the right to be elected to the Egyptian National Spiritual Assembly and participate as delegates at National Convention
  - In the Mentawai Islands, a plot of land was purchased supplementing the National Bahá'í Endowment of Indonesia
  - The northernmost outpost of the Faith in Alaska was pushed beyond the Arctic Circle
  - The Seychelles and the Sudan both initiated plans for the propagation of the Faith
  - The worldwide Bahá'í communities appealed with over 1,000 messages to the United Nations after the massacres of the Bahá'ís in Iran in 1955, subjected to the severest persecutions in decades.
  - The Bahá'ís also contacted the Sháh of Iran, Government, the Majlis and the Senate
  - Publicity was given on radio, in the world’s leading newspapers, protests were voiced by scholars, statesmen, government envoys and people of eminence such as Pandit Nehru, Eleanor Roosevelt, Professor Gilbert Murray and Professor A. Toynbee
  - A written memorandum listing the atrocities was submitted to the Secretary General of the United Nations, who appointed a commission of United Nations officers, headed by the High Commissioner for Refugees, instructing its members to contact the Persian Foreign Minister and urge him to obtain from his government in Tihrán a formal assurance that the rights of the Bahá'í minority in that land would be protected. [Utterance Project part 20]

• 1957-00-00 — Nagoya, Japan, became the only spiritual assembly to be made up entirely of Japanese believers.
• 1957-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Cape Verde was formed in Praia.
• 1957-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Nyasaland was formed at Lilongwe.
• 1957-04-21 — The formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canberra, the last capital city in Australia to form.
• 1957-04-21 — The first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Apia, Western Samoa was formed. The members were: Lilian Ala'i, Ghodsieh Ala'i, Nemat Ala'i, To'alima Sa'ialala, Lotoa Rock, Emanuel Rock, William I Laing, Sa'ialala Tamasese, and Suhayl A Ala'i. [CBN No99 April, 1958 p5]
• 1957-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Brunei had already been formed. [BW 13:302]
• 1958-00-00 —
  The first local spiritual assembly of Nepal was formed in Kathmandu.
  • Prof. Anil Sarwal says it was 1960-1961
  • The first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in the capital city Kathmandu in 1961. [Yellow Place]
• 1958-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Kingdom of Tonga was formed at Nuku'alofa.
• 1958-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Macau was formed.
• 1958-04-21 — The formation of the first local spiritual assembly of Taipei. [The Taiwan Bahá'í Chronicle by Barbara R. Sims p25]
• 1958-05-00 —
  The first local spiritual assembly in Papua New Guinea was formed in Madina Village, in New Ireland.
  • This was the first all-indigenous local spiritual assembly in the South Pacific.
• 1959-03-01 —
  A number of Bahá'ís, members of the local spiritual assembly, were arrested in Ankara, Turkey. [MC306]
  • The incident received wide coverage in the press and the Bahá'ís were eventually released from prison. [MC306]
  • A court case was subsequently brought against the Bahá'ís by the public prosecutor, who claimed that the Faith is a 'Tarighat', a sect forbidden by the law of the land, and lengthy litigation followed. [MC306–7]
• 1959-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Grenada was formed in St George's Parish.
• 1959-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Cambodia was formed in Phnom Penh.
• 1960-00-06 —
  The first local spiritual assembly in the Cocos Islands was formed on West Island.
  • For picture see BW13:1052.
• 1961-01-01 —
  Hand of the Cause of God Dr Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir traveled to India and demonstrated the principle of mass teaching. [DM172–84; SBBH2:165–7]
  • Mass teaching began in the rural area of Madhya Pradesh among the Hindu population. In 1961 there were 850 Bahá'ís; in 1963 87,000; by 1973 nearly 400,000; and by 1987 about two million. In 1983 45 per cent of all local spiritual assemblies were in India. [BBRSM195; BW13:299]
• 1962-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of the Loyalty Islands was formed in Nouméa.
• 1962-12-27 — The Custodians asked national and local spiritual assemblies to write to the Moroccan ambassador in their respective countries pleading for justice and religious freedom. [MoC398–9]
• 1962-12-31 — The first indigenous local spiritual assembly in Venezuela was formed among the Yaruro Indians of Apure state in the village of Agua Linda.
• 1963-01-01 — The Custodians ask all national and local spiritual assemblies to cable the King of Morocco appealing for justice for the Bahá'ís under sentence of death and imprisoned for life in his country. [BW14:97; MoC19]
• 1966-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Senegal was formed in Dakar.
• 1966-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Suriname was formed in Paramaribo.
• 1966-11-07 — The first local spiritual assembly in Niger was formed in Niamey.
• 1968-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in French Guiana was formed at Cayenne.
• 1968-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of the Cayman Islands was formed in George Town.
• 1968-04-21 — The first local spiritual assemblies of Equatorial Guinea were formed in Bata and Santa Isabel.
• 1969-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Upper Volta was formed in Ouagadougou.
• 1969-08-02 —
  The Bahá'í Faith was legally recognized in Lebanon when the Local Spiritual Assembly of Beirut was incorporated. [BW15:173]
  • This was the first time any Arab government has granted the Faith recognition. [BW15:173]
• 1970-04-21 — The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Nouakchott, Mauritania was formed.
• 1971-00-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in Mali was formed in Bamako.
• 1971-00-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in Ciskei was formed in Mdantsane.
• 1971-04-21 — The first local spiritual assemblies in Guam were formed in Dededo, Inarajan, Mangilao and Tamuning.
• 1972-04-21 — The Spiritual Assembly of Phuntsholing town was formed. It was the first assembly of Bhutan. [Bahá'í Collections]
• 1972-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Republic of San Marino was formed.
• 1972-09-07 — The first local spiritual assembly in Malta was formed.
• 1972-10-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Falkland Islands was formed. [BW15:650]
• 1973-00-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in St Helena was formed.
• 1974-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly of Kotzebue, an Iñupiat Eskimo community situated north of the Arctic Circle, was formed.
• 1974-08-01 — The first local spiritual assembly in Andorra was formed at Andorra la Vella.
• 1975-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly to be elected among the Meo tribes, Laotian refugees in northern Thailand, was formed. [BW16:262]
• 1976-01-10 — The most northerly-located local spiritual assembly in the world was formed in the Iñupiat community of Barrow, Alaska.
• 1976-12-27 — The first local spiritual assembly in Dominica was formed in St George.
• 1977-09-16 —
  In Uganda, 27 religious organizations were banned, including the Bahá'í Faith, and the Bahá'í House of Worship was closed. [BW17:81]
  • The national spiritual assembly and all 1,550 local assemblies were dissolved. [BW17:141]
  • The Assembly was able to re-form in 1981. [The Achievements of the Seven Year Plan p2]
• 1978-00-00 —
  The first local spiritual assembly in Bonaire was formed.
  • It never functioned and was dissolved in 1989.
  • See also West, Letters From Bonaire.
• 1978-04-21 — The first local assembly in the British Virgin Islands was formed on Tortola.
• 1979-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Lapland was formed in Kemi, Finland.
• 1980-00-01 — The first local spiritual assemblies in Guinea were formed.
• 1986-00-00 — The first local spiritual assembly of San Salvador Island, mentioned in the Tablets of the Divine Plan as Watling Island, was formed.
• 1987-00-07 — The first Pygmy local spiritual assembly in the Central African Republic was formed. [BINS173:1]
• 1987-04-21 — A reorganization of the areas of jurisdiction of local spiritual assemblies in India resulted in the loss of 5,000 assemblies, substantially reducing the overall number of local assemblies in the world.
• 1987-10-00 — The first local spiritual assembly on the island of São Tomé was formed at São Tomé.
• 1988-01-00 — A teaching campaign was launched in Chad, resulting in 1,340 new Bahá'ís and 33 new local spiritual assemblies. [BINS187:1]
• 1988-10-01 — In the State of Orissa, India, 2,600 people became Bahá'ís and 16 new local spiritual assemblies were formed in 15 days.
• 1988-11-02 —
  More than 2,500 people enrolled in Bangladesh. [BINS190:5]
  • A later report indicated that over 5,000 people had become Bahá'ís and 108 new local spiritual assemblies formed. [BINS192:1]
• 1989-04-21 — The Local Spiritual Assembly of 'Ishqábád (now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan) was re-formed after a lapse of 61 years, the first local assembly to be formed in the Soviet Union. [AWH73; VV111]
• 1990-01-00 — The first local spiritual assembly comprised entirely of newly enrolled Bahá'ís of Ahmadiyyah background is formed in Chak No. 8P Katta, Pakistan. [BINS219:5]
• 1990-03-21 — The first local spiritual assembly formed in Eastern Europe since the Second World War was elected in Cluj, Romania. [AWH73; BINS221:4; 100 Years of the Bahá'í Faith in Europe by Seena Fazel and Graham Hassall]
• 1990-04-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Estonia was formed at Tallinn. [BINS223:3]
• 1990-04-21 — The first indigenous local spiritual assembly of Amazonas State, Brazil, was formed among the Mura tribe in Beruri. [BINS223:71]
• 1990-04-21 — The re-formation of the Spiritual Assembly of Moscow with Hand of the Cause 'Alí-Akbar Furútan in attendance. [VV111-2]
• 1990-06-09 — The first local spiritual assembly in Czechoslovakia was formed at Prague. [BINS226:1]
• 1990-08-06 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Ukraine was formed in Kyiv.
• 1990-09-08 — The first local spiritual assembly on Sakhalin Island was formed in Yuzhno. [BINS232:5]
• 1991-01-00 — The first local spiritual assembly in Slovakia was formed in Bratislava.
• 1991-01-02 — The first local spiritual assembly in Bulgaria was formed in Plovdiv. [BINS239:2]
• 1991-01-25 — The first local spiritual assembly in Latvia was formed in Riga. [BINS241:3]
• 1991-02-05 —
  The highest legal authority in Germany, the Federal Constitutional Court, overturned the decisions of a number of lower courts that had refused to register the by-laws of a Local Spiritual Assembly on the grounds that the authority granted to the National Spiritual Assembly in the document violated the legal principle requiring the autonomy of all legally incorporated associations.
  • The case was first brought before the District Court of Tübingen when the legal administrator refused to register the Local Assembly on the 8th of December, 1983. The decision was appealed on the 5th of May 1985 to the High State Court in Sturrgart and rejected on the 27th of January 1986. News of the decision caused other jurisdictions to demand that local assemblies amend their By-Laws or face cancellation of their existing incorporation. The National Spiritual Assembly was in danger of the same fate. An appeal was submitted in March of 1986.
  • The ruling affirmed Bahá'í community, by its right as a recognized religion, recognized by public knowledge and by the testimony of scholars of comparative religion, had the right to a legal identity. [AWH87]
  • See Ridván Message 1991.
  • For complete details of the case see Mess86-01p206-235.
• 1991-05-01 — The first local spiritual assembly in Moldova was formed in Kishinev.
• 1991-05-14 — The first local spiritual assembly in Armenia was formed at Yerevan.
• 1991-06-16 — The first local spiritual assembly in Albania was formed at Tirana.
• 1991-06-21 — The first local spiritual assembly in Kirgizia was formed in Bishkek.
• 1991-10-02 — The first local spiritual assembly in Belarus was formed at Minsk.
• 1992-02-01 —
  The Local Spiritual Assembly of Zanzibar Island was formed. [BINS267:6]
  • This is the first administrative body on the island since the revolution of 12 January 1964. [BINS267:6]
• 1992-03-07 — The first local spiritual assembly in Eastern Germany was formed in Erfurt. [BINS267:3]
• 1992-04-21 —
  The first local spiritual assembly in Mongolia was formed in Ulaan Baatar. [BINS269:4]
  • The local assembly was understood to have been formed in the spring of 1991 but this was found to have been a mistake.
• 1995-10-20 — The first local spiritual assembly in the Komi Republic was formed at Syktyvkar. [BINS357:8]
• 1997-04-21 — The Universal House of Justice restricted the formation of Local Spiritual Assemblies to the first day of Riḍván. This measure had the effect anticipated; there was a decrease in the number of these institutions but the fall was not drastic. [Message from the Universal House of Justice Ridván 2000]
  "As of Riḍván 1997, all Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world will have to be elected on the First Day of Riḍván." (31 December 1995 – To the Bahá'ís of the World)

  "This development was related to the fact that, while believers from outside a locality could assist with the electoral process, the primary responsibility for electing any Assembly and maintaining its operations rests with the Bahá'ís of that place" (30 December 2021 – To the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors)

• 1997-05-30 —
  In its message of 30 May 1997 the Universal House of Justice announced that they have authorized the formation of "State Bahá'í Councils" or "Regional Teaching and Administrative Committees" to be called "Regional Bahá'í Councils. Their intention was to provide a balance between centralization and decentralization. This structure had been in place in some countries, notably India, for some years prior to this time. See 23 May 1986. [TP87-90]

  It was described as "a new element of Bahá'í administration, between the local and national levels".

  This decision was guided by the principles of Bahá’í administration set forth by Shoghi Effendi and was a response to the “expansion of the Bahá’í community and the growing complexity of the issues which are facing National Spiritual Assemblies in certain countries."

  Regional Councils are “responsible largely for overseeing the execution of the global Plan in the territories under their jurisdiction, in collaboration with the Counsellors and their deputies, ensuring that the two complementary movements central to its progress steadily unfold.”. [Message 31 August 2007]

  Accompaniment of cluster agencies and strengthening of the training institute are two of the key means by which Regional Bahá’í Councils oversee execution of the Plan. Councils are responsible for appointing members of Area Teaching Committees and also “guide and assist cluster agencies as they learn to support” the efforts of individuals and teams to advance the Plan at the grassroots of each cluster.

  Regional Bahá’í Councils also support the training institute, both by appointing members of Regional Institute Boards and through maintaining “a close working relationship” with the Board as they execute their plans. “Systematic” support of Local Spiritual Assemblies and mobilisation of pioneers for both homefront and international destinations are also responsibilities of Bahá’í Councils. Finally, other responsibilities include: ensuring that organisational structures are in place to provide financial support; receiving contributions and distributing Bahá’í literature; rapidly disseminating learnings between clusters, including by organising institutional meetings and; regularly communicating with the body of believers regarding the “progress of the plans for the region”. [Australian Cluster Map and Explainers]

  For a synopsis of the letter see The Establishment of Regional Bahá'í Councils in Certain Countries, Their Characteristics and Functions.

  The distinguishing effects of the establishment of Regional Bahá'í Councils were the following:

  • It provided for a level of autonomous decision making on both teaching and administrative matters, as distinct from merely executive action, below the National Assembly and above the Local Assemblies.
  • It involved the members of Local Spiritual Assemblies of the area in the choice of the members of the Council, thus reinforcing the bond between it and the local believers while, at the same time, bringing into public service capable believers who were known to the friends in their own region.
  • It established direct consultative relationships between the Continental Counselors and the Regional Bahá'í Councils.
  • It offered the possibility of forming a Regional Bahá'í Council in an ethnically distinct region which covered parts of two or more countries. In such a situation the Council was designated to work directly under one of the National Assemblies involved, providing copies of its reports and minutes to the other National Assembly.
  • The greater degree of decentralization involved in the devolution of authority upon Regional Bahá'í Councils required a corresponding increase in the capacity of the National Spiritual Assembly itself to keep fully informed of what was proceeding in all parts of the territory over which it had ultimate jurisdiction.
• 2005-07-00 —
  The publication of Impact of Growth on Administration Processes by the International Teaching Centre on behalf of the Universal House of Justice.
  • The PDF for Learning to Respond to Emerging New Realities: Messages from the Universal House of Justice can be found here. The document Impact of Growth on Administration Processes is part of that document.
  • See also TP397.
• 2021-12-30 — As per the 30 December 2021 message o the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, 22 Local Spiritual Assemblies spread over eight countries were elected using a two-stage electoral process. This follows the same instructions that 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave to the Spiritual Assembly of Ṭihrán. It involved the division of a locality into units from each of which one or more delegates were elected, after which the delegates elected the members of the Local Assembly.

  They said that this process had been approved and adopted over the two previous years. [Paragraph 32]

Shoghi Effendi wrote that "in every locality where the number of adult declared believers exceeds nine" Assemblies should be elected. [BA37]
• From this time forward the term "Assembly" meant a duly-elected local spiritual assembly and not a group. [BA20]

For a list of functioning local spiritual assemblies see CBN No 22 October 1951 p8.