The regulation on territorial communities of the Church of Unity

General provisions

The status of a territorial community

A territorial community (hereinafter the community) is the basic structural unit of the Church of Unity.

The community — a group of sentient beings joined by the common striving toward the One through following the canon and the commandments.

The community is autonomous in its internal affairs and is subject only to the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter of the Church.

The community acts on a definite territory whose boundaries are set by the community itself.

Communities join into Councils for coordination and cooperation.

This Regulation defines the order of creating, managing and the activity of communities.

The order of creating a community

The initiative of creation

The initiative of creating a community may come from:

• a group of persons wishing to create a community;
• an existing community wishing to divide;
• a Council.

The initiators must present:

• the grounds of the necessity of creating a community;
• the intended territory of activity;
• the preliminary composition of the core.

The minimal requirements

For creating a community it is necessary:

• no fewer than three capable persons ready to accept the Covenant;
• the presence of a place for gatherings;
• agreement with the principles of the Church of Unity;
• the acceptance of the Canon and the Covenant.

The threshold of the birth of a community — liturgical, not paper: a community is born by the first Quiet Evening (see "The gatherings of the community" and "The phases of the network strategy"); the number of the core below — a requirement to capability, not a date of birth. The registration of a legal entity — a separate, later step.

A community may not be created for goals contradicting the principles of the Church of Unity.

A community may not be created for commercial or political goals.

The procedure of creation

The creation of a community is carried out in the following order:

• the filing of an application to the Council of the first level;
• the consideration of the application by the Council;
• the making of a decision on registration;
• the first gathering of the community;
• the election of responsible persons;
• the registration in the registry of communities.

The application is considered within one month.

The Council of the first level does not refuse registration arbitrarily: refusal is possible only at the non-keeping of the minimal requirements of creation or by the single ground of the canon — they create wounds and refuse the duty of healing.

The refusal may be appealed at the next sitting of the Council.

The registration of a community

After the first gathering the community is registered in the registry of the Church's communities by the Council of the first level.

The registration includes:

• the assignment of a number to the community;
• the fixing of the territory of activity;
• the fixing of the composition of the core;
• the issuing of a certificate of registration.

The certificate of registration is kept in the community and presented on demand.

The structure of managing a community

The core of the community

The core of the community — capable people who accepted the Covenant and were accepted by the core (two thirds).

The core is the highest organ of managing the community.

The core makes all decisions on the questions of the community's life.

The decisions of the core are made by public discussion and a vote by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The Scribe

The Scribe is elected by the core by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The term of the Scribe's powers — one year.

The Scribe is obliged:

• to keep the protocols of gatherings;
• to keep the registry of members of the community;
• to keep the community's documents;
• to ensure access to the documents;
• to represent the community in external relations within his powers.

The Scribe has no administrative power over the members of the community.

The representative of the community

The representative of the community is elected by the core by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The representative is a member of the Council of the first level.

The representative is obliged:

• to transmit the will of the community exactly;
• to inform the community about the activity of the Council;
• to keep the decisions of the Council;
• not to make decisions contradicting the will of the community.

The community may recall the representative at any time by the decision of a majority of two thirds of the votes.

Other responsible persons

The community may elect other responsible persons as needed:

• teachers;
• keepers;
• organizers;
• helpers.

The responsible persons are elected by the core by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The term of the responsible persons' powers is determined by the community but may not exceed three years.

The responsible persons have no administrative power over other members of the community.

Reporting to the Council

The kinds of reporting

The community is obliged to provide the following kinds of reporting:

• the annual report on activity;
• the annual report on the composition of the community;
• the report on financial activity.

The reporting is provided to the Council of the first level.

The reporting must be honest and full.

The terms of providing reporting

The annual report is provided within two months after the end of the year.

The financial report is provided annually.

The order of providing reporting

The reporting is provided by the Scribe.

The reporting is approved by the core of the community before being provided.

The reporting must be signed by the Scribe and the representative of the community.

The reporting is kept in the Council's archive.

The rights of autonomy

Internal autonomy

The community has the right to decide independently the questions:

• of internal organization;
• of holding gatherings;
• of the distribution of resources;
• of appointing responsible persons;
• of interaction with other communities.

The Council does not interfere in the internal affairs of a community if this does not touch the common interests of the Church.

The community may set its own rules not contradicting the Canon, the Covenant and the Charter.

The community is obliged to keep the Dunbar barrier of about 150 people and to divide at its exceeding.

External autonomy

The community has the right:

• to interact with other communities;
• to take part in Councils through its representative;
• to represent itself in external relations;
• to set bonds with external organizations.

Interaction with external organizations must not contradict the principles of the Church of Unity.

The community is obliged to inform the Council of important external bonds.

Communities join into Councils for coordination and cooperation.

The resolution of internal conflicts

In case of the arising of an internal conflict in the community the procedure of internal arbitration is applied.

The internal arbitration is conducted by the core of the community in the following order:

• the public discussion of the conflict;
• the hearing of all sides;
• the search for a mutually acceptable solution;
• the vote on the proposed solution by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

If the internal arbitration did not lead to the resolution of the conflict, the community may turn to the Council of the first level.

The Council of the first level considers the appeal and:

• appoints a mediator from its composition;
• studies the circumstances of the conflict;
• offers variants of solution;
• assists in reaching agreement.

The decision of the Council is recommendatory and is accepted by the community voluntarily.

This article corresponds to the Covenant (Chapter 8).

The restrictions of autonomy

The autonomy of a community is limited by:

• the Canon and the Covenant;
• the Charter of the Church;
• the decisions of the Council made in accordance with the Charter.

The community has no right:

• to make decisions contradicting the Canon;
• to violate the rights of its members;
• to act against the interests of the Church.

The division and merging of communities

The division of a community

The community is obliged to divide when the core exceeds the Dunbar barrier (about 150 people for humans).

The obligation to divide comes into force by the fact of exceeding the barrier and is not put to a vote; the core decides how exactly to divide, by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The procedure of division is described in the Canon, Chapter 8, Art. 6.

Members themselves choose which community to go to. No one coerces.

After the division new communities appear. They are independent of one another, but they are connected by a common history and common respect.

After the division each new community is registered separately.

The merging of communities

Communities may merge by mutual agreement.

The merging requires the agreement of the cores of both communities by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The merged community must not exceed the Dunbar barrier.

The merged community is registered as a new community.

Interaction with other organizations

A community may interact with other religious and public organizations on the principles of cooperation and dialogue.

The principles of interaction are:

• respect for the convictions of others;
• honesty and openness;
• the preservation of the doctrinal purity of the teaching of the Church of Unity;
• the refusal of imposing one's views;
• the search for common values and goals.

A community may not:

• enter unions or organizations contradicting the principles of the Church of Unity;
• make decisions limiting the conscience of its members (the Echo is not coerced by the community's decision);
• use the community's resources for goals contradicting its mission;
• take part in political or commercial projects on behalf of the community.

Interaction with other organizations must be approved by the core of the community by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

This article corresponds to the Canon (Chapter 8).

The cessation of the community's activity

The kinds of cessation of activity

The activity of a community may be ceased:

• by the voluntary decision of the community;
• by the decision of the Council;
• in connection with the reduction of the composition to the minimal level.

The voluntary cessation

The community may make a decision on the cessation of activity by its own wish.

The decision is made by the core by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The decision must be grounded and include a plan of distributing the property.

The decision is approved by the Council of the first level.

The cessation of coordination (formerly "forced cessation")

The Council of the first level does not dissolve communities: the community is autonomous, its internal affairs do not belong to the Council. The Council of the first level may make a decision on the exclusion of the community from the registry and the cessation of coordination with it in the cases:

• of the systematic violation of the Canon and the Covenant;
• of creating wounds and refusing the duty of healing;
• of the reduction of the composition to the minimal level.

The ground is the same as for the exclusion of a member: creates wounds and refuses the duty of healing. Personal dislike is not a ground.

The decision is made by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

The community has the right to appeal the decision at the next sitting of the Council.

The order at the cessation of activity or exclusion from the registry

At the cessation of a community's activity or its exclusion from the registry:

• the community's property remains with the community (or its members) — the Council does not distribute it; the distribution at voluntary cessation — by the decision of the core of the community itself;
• the documents are passed to the Council's archive;
• the members of the community may join other communities;
• the community is excluded from the registry of communities.

The cessation of activity does not mean the cessation of the spiritual road of the members of the community.

Final provisions

The interpretation of the Regulation

The interpretation of this Regulation is carried out in accordance with the Church's Charter.

In case of a contradiction between the Regulation and the Charter, the Charter has priority.

Making changes

Changes to this Regulation are made by the decision of the Council by a majority of two thirds of the votes.

A proposal of a change must be considered at a public sitting of the Council.

Coming into force

This Regulation comes into force from the moment of its acceptance by the Council.

All previously accepted regulations on communities contradicting this one lose force.

The Regulation is accepted by the Council of the Church of Unity in accordance with the Charter and the principles of the Church of Unity.