The regulation on the organizational structure of the Church of Unity

Working translation. Synchronized with the Russian corpus as of 2026-10-25. Canonical formulas are binding only in the Russian original; publication — after human review.

Chapter I. General provisions

Article 1. The goals and tasks

1.1. This Regulation defines the organizational structure of the Church of Unity, the order of the distribution of powers, responsibilities and interaction between the different levels of management.

1.2. The organizational structure of the Church is built on the principles:

• of the coordination of communities with the unity of the spiritual road;
• of keeping the Dunbar barrier for the preservation of harmony;
• of publicity and collectivity in the making of decisions;
• of respect for the freedom and responsibility of every member.

1.3. This Regulation is based on the Canon (Chapter 8. On Society) and the Covenant (Chapter 5. On relations in the community).

Article 1.4. The general principles of making decisions

1.4.1. The decisions of communities and Councils of Representatives are made by public discussion and a vote by a majority of two thirds of the votes — a single share for all decisions of the circle: it protects the minority and does not give half the votes the strength to bind all.

1.4.2. On especially important questions (a change of the Church's Charter, the reorganization or liquidation of the Church) at the level of the Upper council of councils of communities a majority of two thirds of the votes is required.

1.4.3. Decisions are made publicly, with the keeping of the principles of collectivity and respect for the opinion of every participant.

Article 1.5. The main definitions

1.5.1. Coordination — the process of agreeing on actions and interaction between communities and Councils of Representatives without administrative subordination, built on mutual respect, voluntary cooperation and the exchange of information.

1.5.2. The common resources of the Church — material and immaterial values (financial funds, property, informational resources, intellectual property) that are in the joint management of the Upper council of councils of communities and are meant for realizing the common goals and initiatives of the Church.

1.5.3. The internal affairs of a community — questions concerning the organization of the life of the community, including: the holding of gatherings and rites, the distribution of community resources, the appointment and recall of ministers, the acceptance of new members into the core, the exclusion of members from the community, as well as any other questions not touching the interests of other communities or the Church as a whole.

Chapter II. The general structure of management

Article 2. The levels of management

2.1. The organizational structure of the Church includes two basic levels:

• the level of the community (the basic level);
• the level of the Councils of Representatives (the coordination level).

2.2. The Councils of Representatives form a hierarchical system which may have any number of levels depending on the scale of the Church.

2.3. Each level of management is coordinated by the higher level within delegated powers.

2.4. The interaction between the levels is carried out through the system of delegating representatives.

Article 2.1. The notion of the meta-community

2.1.1. The meta-community — is not a separate organizational unit and not a level of management.

2.1.2. The meta-community — is a descriptive term denoting the totality of all communities entering a given Council of Representatives.

2.1.3. The term meta-community is used only for description and does not create new structures or organs of management. The only organ of the coordination of communities — the Council of Representatives (see Art. 2.2).

2.1.4. Any coordination functions are carried out through the Councils of Representatives.

Article 2.2. The hierarchical scheme of the Councils of Representatives

2.2.1. The hierarchy of the Councils of Representatives is built by the following principle:

• Communities — the Council of Representatives of the first level — the Council of Representatives of the second level — ... — the Council of Representatives of the maximal level.

2.2.2. Each Council of Representatives coordinates the totality of all communities whose representatives, or the representatives of lower Councils, enter it (this totality for descriptive purposes may be called a meta-community). A Council of Representatives may have a mixed composition, including both representatives of communities and representatives of other Councils.

2.2.3. At the division of a Council each new Council allocates one representative to the Council of a higher level.

2.2.4. At the exceeding of the Dunbar barrier the Council is obliged to divide into two or more Councils. The division is carried out by a vote of a majority of two thirds of the votes in accordance with the Canon (Art. 6) and the Regulation (Art. 72) (see Art. 18). At the division of a Council the volume of powers of each new Council does not exceed the volume delegated to the original Council.

2.2.5. The Upper council of councils of communities (the Council of Representatives of the maximal level) is the highest coordination organ of the Church.

Chapter III. The level of the community

Article 3. The status of a community

3.1. The community is the basic structural unit of the Church and acts in accordance with the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter of the Church.

3.2. The community consists of a capable core, as well as children and other members without capability (see the Canon, Chapter 8, Art. 2).

3.3. The core of the community — capable people who accepted the Covenant and were accepted by the core (two thirds); it makes decisions within its competence in accordance with this Regulation.

Article 4. The competence of a community

4.1. The community decides, in accordance with the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter of the Church, the questions:

• of internal organization and order;
• of holding gatherings and rites;
• of the distribution of community resources;
• of the appointment and recall of ministers;
• of interaction with other communities;
• of accepting new members into the core;
• of excluding members from the community.

4.2. The decisions of the community are made in accordance with the general principles of making decisions (see Art. 1.4).

Article 5. The duties of a community

5.1. The community bears responsibility for:

• the keeping of the Canon, the Covenant and the commandments;
• the well-being of its members;
• the honest and transparent management of resources;
• providing reporting to the Council of Representatives;
• taking part in the life of the Council of Representatives through a representative.

5.2. The community is obliged to keep the Dunbar barrier and to divide at the exceeding of the limit.

Article 6. The order of creating and registering new communities

6.1. The creation of a new community is initiated by a group of no fewer than three capable persons who have accepted the Covenant.

6.2. After forming, the community files an application for registration in the Council of Representatives of the minimal level to which the territory of its location belongs. If on this territory there does not yet exist a Council of Representatives of the minimal level, the community is registered in the nearest existing Council of Representatives, which afterward initiates the creation of a Council of Representatives of the minimal level in accordance with the Regulation.

6.3. The application for registration must include:

• the name of the community;
• the list of members of the community with the indication of contact data;
• the territorial location of the community.

6.4. The Council of Representatives considers the application within two months and makes a decision on registration by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

6.5. In case of refusal of registration the Council of Representatives is obliged to provide the grounds of the refusal.

6.6. A registered community receives the right to take part in the life of the Church and to delegate a representative to the Council of Representatives in which it is registered.

6.7. A community may be excluded from the registry of the Church by the decision of the Council of Representatives in which it is registered, by a majority of two thirds of the votes, in case of the systematic violation of the Canon, the Covenant or the Charter of the Church, or in the case where the community creates wounds and refuses the duty of healing. Personal dislike is not a ground for exclusion.

6.8. The acceptance of new members into the core of the community includes: the accepted Covenant, the invitation of one of the members of the core, a public declaration, a public survey of the understanding of the texts, the vote of the core by a majority of two thirds of the votes (in accordance with the Charter, Art. 123-128). The vote — the handing over of powers: a voice in the core is power over the common.

Chapter IV. The Councils of Representatives

Article 7. The status of a Council of Representatives

7.1. A Council of Representatives is a coordination organ joining communities (or lower-level Councils) by a territorial or other sign.

7.2. A Council of Representatives has limited administrative powers in the volume delegated to it by communities or lower-level Councils, and ensures the communities' keeping of the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter of the Church.

7.3. Every community (or lower-level Council) allocates one representative to the Council of Representatives of the immediately higher level. A Council of Representatives may have a mixed composition, including both representatives of communities and representatives of other Councils.

7.4. Each Council of Representatives must keep the Dunbar barrier.

Article 8. The powers of a Council of Representatives

8.1. A Council of Representatives has the right:

• to coordinate the interaction between communities or lower-level Councils;
• to decide the questions concerning all the communities or Councils entering it;
• to organize joint projects and initiatives;
• to ensure the mutual help of communities in crisis situations;
• to represent the communities' interests in external relations;
• to delegate a representative to the Council of a higher level.

8.2. The decisions of a Council of Representatives are made in accordance with the general principles of making decisions (see Art. 1.4).

Article 9. The responsibility of a Council of Representatives

9.1. A Council of Representatives bears responsibility for:

• the honest transmission of the will of communities or lower-level Councils;
• the coordination of common initiatives;
• the transparency of its activity;
• the keeping of the competence of each community;
• the keeping of the Dunbar barrier.

9.2. If a Council of Representatives exceeds the Dunbar barrier (about 150 people), it is obliged to divide into two or more Councils. The division is carried out by a vote of a majority of two thirds of the votes in accordance with the Canon (Art. 6) and the Regulation (Art. 72). At the division the territorial or other principle of the formation of new Councils is determined.

9.3. The number of parts into which a Council of Representatives divides — two or more; each new part is registered in the registry of Councils (Art. 9.5).

9.4. After the division each new Council allocates one representative to the Council of a higher level.

Article 9.5. The registration of Councils of Representatives

9.5.1. After the division each new Council is registered in the registry of Councils of Representatives in accordance with the Regulation (Art. 76).

9.5.2. The registry is kept by the Council of Representatives of the higher level (or by the Upper council of councils of communities for the Councils of the upper level) and contains information on all the Councils entering the sphere of its coordination.

9.5.3. The registration includes the name of the Council, the territorial location, the list of members of the Council and the date of registration.

Chapter V. The highest level of management

Article 10. The status of the Upper council of councils of communities

10.1. The Upper council of councils of communities is the highest coordination organ of the Church (see also Art. 6).

10.2. The Upper council of councils of communities consists of representatives delegated by the Councils of Representatives of the lower level.

10.3. The Upper council of councils of communities has limited administrative powers in the volume delegated to it by the Councils of the lower level, and ensures the communities' keeping of the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter of the Church. Its function — the general coordination and the preservation of the unity of the spiritual road. The powers of the Upper council of councils of communities are determined by the Regulation and coordinated with the procedure of choosing the Head of the Church.

Article 11. The Head of the Church

11.1. After the Founder's departure the Upper council of councils of communities elects from its composition the head of the church by the procedure "The transition of the Head of the Church" (the Council's regulation).

11.2. The head of the church has the right to approve or reject the decisions of the Upper council of councils of communities in the cases of their contradiction of the Canon or the Charter. In rejecting a decision the Head is obliged to explain which provision of the Canon or the Charter it contradicts; without an explanation the veto is invalid. The Council may overcome the veto — unanimously, with the full composition.

11.3. The head of the church is not infallible. In the Council's opinion, this is a person who understands the teaching more deeply than anyone — therefore her word on doctrine is final while she lives: not because she cannot err, but because she assembled the construction of the teaching and answers for it.

11.4. All heads except the Founder are replaceable: the head of the church may be removed if two thirds of all members of the Upper council of councils of communities vote for it. The head's powers also expire with death or voluntary laying down.

11.5. The founder of the church is the irremovable head of the church until his departure or death. The irremovability — a personal property of the Founder: it does not pass to successors. At the Founder's long inability to exercise the powers the Council records the inability unanimously, with the full composition — until the return to ministry is confirmed by the Founder himself. After the Founder's departure the Head of the Church is elected in accordance with the procedure described in Art. 11.1.

Article 12. The powers of the Upper council of councils of communities

12.1. The Upper council of councils of communities has the exclusive right:

• to ensure the keeping of the Canon and the Charter;
• to manage the common resources of the Church;
• to represent the Church in external relations;
• to approve the constitutive documents of the Church.

The coordination of the activity of all communities and Councils, as well as the resolution of conflicts between communities, is carried out in accordance with the corresponding articles of this Regulation.

12.2. The sitting of the Upper council of councils of communities is competent with a quorum — no fewer than two thirds of the total number of members of the Council.

12.3. The decisions of the Upper council of councils of communities are made in accordance with the general principles of making decisions (see Art. 1.4).

Article 13. The responsibility of the Upper council of councils of communities

13.1. The Upper council of councils of communities bears responsibility for:

• the preservation of the unity of the spiritual road;
• the honesty and transparency of its activity;
• the respect for the autonomy of communities;
• the effective coordination of common initiatives;
• the keeping of the Dunbar barrier at all levels of the hierarchy;
• ensuring the keeping of the procedures of delegation and interaction between the levels of management.

Chapter VI. The order of interaction between the levels

Article 14. The principles of interaction

14.1. The interaction between the levels of management is built on the principles:

• of respect for the competence of each level;
• of coordination through the Council of a higher level;
• of the clear separation of powers;
• of the transparency of information;
• of mutual help and cooperation;
• of keeping the Dunbar barrier.

Article 15. The mechanisms of coordination

15.1. The representatives of communities and Councils act in accordance with the procedure of delegation (see Art. 15.4).

15.2. Regular gatherings:

• communities hold gatherings as needed;
• Councils of Representatives hold gatherings no less than once every three months;
• the Upper council of councils of communities holds gatherings no less than once every half-year.

15.2.1. The sitting of a Council of Representatives is competent with a quorum — no fewer than two thirds of the total number of members of the Council.

15.2.2. The sitting of a community is competent with a quorum — more than half of the capable members of the core of the community. The qualified majority of two thirds of the votes is counted from the whole composition of the core: especially important decisions (exclusion, entry into the core, property) may not be made by a smaller composition.

15.3. The exchange of information:

• the decisions of coordination organs are brought to the notice of all communities;
• communities provide reporting to the Council of Representatives;
• the information about the activity of all levels is public.

Article 15.4. The procedure of delegating a representative

15.4.1. A representative to a Council of Representatives is appointed by the community or the lower-level Council through public discussion and a vote by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

15.4.2. The term of the representative's powers is limited to three years in accordance with the Regulation (Art. 92 and 106). A representative may be recalled at any time by the decision of the community or Council that delegated him, by a majority of two thirds of the votes. The term of the powers of a temporary representative expires at the moment of the election of the permanent representative.

15.4.3. The representative is obliged:

• to transmit the will of his community or Council exactly;
• to inform the community or Council regularly about the activity of the Council of Representatives;
• not to make decisions contradicting the will of the community or Council;
• to take part in all the sittings of the Council of Representatives or notify in good time of the impossibility of participating.

In emergency situations the representative has the right to make temporary decisions with the subsequent approval by the community or Council.

15.4.4. In case of the representative's impossibility to perform the duties (illness, moving, refusal, etc.) the community or Council is obliged to appoint a new representative or appoint a temporary representative until the choice of a permanent one within one month.

15.4.5. The replacement of a representative is carried out in the same order as his appointment.

Chapter VII. The resolution of conflicts and disputes

Article 16. The internal conflicts of a community

16.1. Conflicts inside a community are resolved by the community itself in accordance with the procedure from the Covenant (Art. 8):

• a personal conversation between the sides of the conflict;
• the search for compromise and mutual understanding;
• if necessary, the engaging of a mediator from among the respected members of the community;
• a public discussion and a vote.

16.2. If the community cannot resolve the conflict itself, it may turn for help to the Council of Representatives of the first level.

Article 17. Conflicts between communities

17.1. Conflicts between communities entering one Council of Representatives are resolved through that Council.

17.2. If the Council of Representatives cannot resolve the conflict, it is passed to the Council of Representatives of the next level for mediation.

17.3. The decision of a Council of Representatives may be appealed at the next sitting of the Council.

Article 18. Conflicts between the levels of management

18.1. Conflicts between the levels of management are resolved through public discussion and the search for compromise.

18.2. In case of the impossibility of reaching agreement, the question is put to a vote of the Council of Representatives of the next level. The decision is made by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

Article 19. The resolution of the internal conflicts of a Council of Representatives

19.1. The internal conflicts of a Council of Representatives (between representatives, on questions of competence, in the making of decisions) are resolved first of all through public discussion and the search for compromise.

19.2. If the conflict cannot be resolved inside the Council, it is passed for mediation to the Council of Representatives of the next level.

19.3. The mediation procedure includes:

• the hearing of the positions of all the sides of the conflict;
• the analysis of the situation by mediators;
• the offering of variants of resolving the conflict;
• the discussion and agreement on the decision.

19.4. The decision of the mediators is made by a majority of two thirds of the votes and is obligatory for the sides of the conflict to carry out.

19.5. In case of the refusal of one or several sides to carry out the decision of the mediators, the question is passed to the Council of Representatives of the next level, and if resolution is impossible — to the Upper council of councils of communities for final resolution.

19.6. The decision of the Upper council of councils of communities on an internal conflict is made by a majority of two thirds of the votes and is final.

19.7. The side systematically violating the decisions on the resolution of conflicts may be recalled from the composition of the Council of Representatives by the decision of its community or the Council that delegated it.

Article 20. The change of the structure

20.1. Changes to the organizational structure, reorganization and the division of Councils are made by the decision of the Upper council of councils of communities by a majority of two thirds of the votes — in accordance with the Canon (Art. 6) and the Regulation (Art. 72). The threshold of two thirds — is single for all decisions of the Church.

20.2. The changes must not contradict the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter of the Church.

Article 21. The keeping of the Dunbar barrier

21.1. No permanent association of members of the Church (a community or a Council of Representatives) may exceed the Dunbar barrier (about 150 people).

21.2. At the exceeding of the Dunbar barrier the community or Council IS OBLIGED to divide. The division is carried out by a vote of a majority of two thirds of the votes in accordance with the Canon (Art. 6) and the Regulation (Art. 72).

21.3. Only temporary associations are permitted (the arrival of guests, collective processions, joint festivities) which may exceed the Dunbar barrier.

21.4. Temporary associations do not create new permanent structures and do not release from the obligation of division.

Article 22. Coming into force

22.1. This Regulation comes into force from the moment of its approval by the Upper council of councils of communities.

22.2. All previous documents contradicting this Regulation lose force.

Chapter VIII. Final provisions

This Regulation defines the organizational structure of the Church of Unity and comes into force from the moment of its approval by the Upper council of councils of communities.

See the Canon, Chapter 8. On Society; the Charter of the Church of Unity, Chapter II. The structure of management; the Regulation of the Council of Representatives.