LC: 4. RIGHT OF MOBILITY
The Right of Mobility is one of the most important rights granted under the Charter. Knowing that you have the right to move from one Home to another Home, and that you can easily do so without a lot of red tape will make it possible for you to more easily remove yourself from a situation in which you are not happy. If you don't like the way the Home is run, and you can't change it through voting or Home council meetings, you are free to move without having to wait for the area or continental office to work it out for you.
Giving voting members the Right of Mobility will hopefully help motivate those who are shepherding Homes to do all they can to have an inspiring Home so that those in the Home will want to remain, rather than Home members becoming discontent and dissatisfied and leaving. The reason for the Right of Mobility is not to encourage you to keep moving from Home to Home every time something comes up that you don't like. In fact, we'd like to encourage teams who have fruitful ministries to stick together rather than constantly changing personnel--but we do want to give you the opportunity to move should you feel it's necessary after prayerful consideration. If you are truly unhappy or discontent in your Home, and/or the Lord wants you to move on to another situation, you are free to do so.
The Right of Mobility covers moving out of a Home. However, going out on road trips from your Home, visiting other Homes, personnel temporarily helping another Home, or visiting relatives, etc., are not matters covered by this Right of Mobility section. Such matters within and between Homes should be counseled about and decided upon directly by the Home(s) involved.
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All voting members have the "right" to move out of their Home. However, this does not mean that those under the age of 16, especially those 14 and 15, must always live in the same Home as their parents. It's just that they don't have the "right" to move upon demand. Teens under the age of 18 are permitted to reside away from their parents providing they wish to do so, the parent(s) residing with them is/are in agreement, and the receiving Home agrees to accept them. Minors living away from their parents should have a power of attorney and/or other necessary paperwork in accordance with the laws of the country.
If you don't like your Colony, move to another!... But please notify your Colony leaders or supervisor that you're leaving! (ML #173:5,6.)
I think there needs to be more freedom of choice even amongst your followers, disciples, and members of your Colonies as to which leaders they prefer to serve under and in what Colonies they prefer to work. We all need a change sometimes! (ML #161:34.)
Voting members have the right to:
A. Move out of the Home in which they reside, providing the following seven stipulations are met:
In brief, the Right of Mobility means that you can move out of your Home as long as you meet the following seven stipulations:
1. You are at least 18 years of age and give 30 days notice.
2. You properly turn over your ministries and duties.
3. You've agreed with your Home on the ministration to your contacts.
4. Your portion of the Home's debts and liabilities is paid.
5. Your Home is not on Probationary Notice.
6. You as an individual are not on Probationary Status in your Home.
7. You have worked out any necessary reporting arrangements with your Home.
Each of the stipulations has some sub-sections under it, and all are covered in greater detail below.
1. They are at least 18 years of age and give 30 days notice in writing, stating their planned destination to the Home's officers, and send copies to, or otherwise notify the area, and continental office. From that point they become non-voting members, and have no vote in Home matters.
Those over 18 can move out of a Home by giving 30 days notice in writing to the Home teamwork of their intention to move and their planned destination.
Those wishing to move must also inform their area and continental office. Once they give their notice, they lose the right to vote on Home matters, and are freed of any responsibility for new financial obligations or debts the Home incurs.
The decision to move out of your Home should not be made on a whim. It should be a careful and prayerful decision, taking into consideration the seven ways to know the will of God. (See "How Can I Know What God's Will Is?" Treasures, page 63.) You should be convinced that it's the Lord's will for you to do so, and it should be done "decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).
As Dad cautioned, "May we never make a move without hearing from God. Those who succeed are those who wait upon His Word, and those that fail are those who go ahead without it!" (DM 1:141.)
Haste makes waste, and squeeze don't jerk, or you'll miss the mark entirely and maybe land far afield somewhere else that you didn't intend to even go to! I would suggest in your plans ... you also plan very carefully and slowly and with great thought and prayer and care to make sure you go where the Lord wants you to be and where it'll be best for you as well as your work and ministry and finances and others with you (ML #1203:63).
There are a number of factors to consider when contemplating moving out of your Home. One of the main factors is that each of us has a responsibility to the Home we live in, and should take into account what effect our departure will have on the Home and its ministries. If a number of Home members decide to leave in 30 days, it may mean that those remaining behind will not be able to sustain the ministries of the Home, and consequently those fruitful ministries will suffer or be lost, and this may result in many people losing the opportunity to hear the Gospel.
The Right of Mobility is meant to make it possible for those who definitely feel the Lord wants them to change Homes to do so easily. It is not a general call for all of us to hit the road to become "roving rebel bands!"--Nor is it being given to promote individuals abandoning their Homes and ministries.
Our prayer, intent and desire is that all such moves will be prayerful and responsible decisions; that when the Lord leads you to move, you will "squeeze, not jerk"; and that you will take into account the needs of your Home before doing so. For example, it might be appropriate to inform your Home that you feel called to another area, but that you are willing to stay temporarily to fulfill your commitments to the Home and give them time to try to find a replacement before you go.
When you move into a new Home, you should do so with the attitude that you are investing yourself in the work. As with any investment, it takes time for it to yield a dividend or to bear fruit; thus you should be prepared to remain in your new Home long enough to bear that fruit. If you have sought the Lord about your move and He has led you to that Home, then you should resolve that the Lord wants you to invest in that Home and its ministries. You should commit yourself to working in that Home and remaining in it through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad. Your first impulse shouldn't be to give your 30-day notice and leave if things don't go as well as you hoped they would. You should first do all you can to change the situation, through prayer, discussion and example, and keep plugging away, investing in the work the Lord has called you to. As Dad said years ago in "Shtick," "You'd better stick it out until you know God wants you to leave a job and you know He's finished with you there and He's got something else He wants you to do" (ML #703:47).
There's a time to move, but there's also a time to stay put. There's a time for guerrilla action ... but there's also a time to establish a Colony!... There's a time to "counter the vagabond outlook and draw active and militant workers into the army" instead of just roving rebels who like to travel! (ML #127:34,38.)
However, if and when the Lord does lead you to move, you should take into account all the details required for you to accomplish your move before giving your 30-day notice. For example, if you plan to move a long distance, it will require your having funds for the fare, plus if traveling to another country is required, you will need clearance from the continental office of that area. If you plan to move to another Home, you will need the agreement of the Home receiving you. All of this will take time, and in many cases longer than 30 days. So you would be well advised not to actually give your official 30-day notice until you are close to having your funds and clearance in hand.
Let's look at the following scenario of a wise way to prayerfully plan a departure from a Home. A YA couple with one child living in Japan feels called to go to Brazil. They pray about it together, apply the "Seven Ways to Know God's Will" (see ML #829), hear from the Lord on the matter, consult and pray together with their Home's teamwork and come to the conclusion it is the Lord's will for them to go. Because they are going to another continental area, they write for clearance. (See Clearance Request Form in Appendix B.)
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Knowing that the continental office, upon receiving their request, has up to 30 days to respond before the YAs are automatically cleared, they decide to use the time for preparation and fundraising. Since they are not directly in contact with a Home in Brazil that they plan to join, at the same time they send the CRO their Clearance Request Form, they also send a Want Ad. The Want Ad, once published by the CRO, will offer the couple different possibilities of Homes whom might be interested in receiving them. (See more on this subject under point L., of Responsibilities of Continental officers. See also Want Ad Guidelines in Appendix B.)
They investigate fares to Brazil, and find that it will cost $3,500 for the three of them. They realize they need landing funds as well, so they set an overall goal of $5,000 to cover their fares and landing funds. They then discuss the financial side of the matter with the Home teamwork and Home members, explaining to the Home their plans and the methods by which they hope to raise the fares. (In this case, their Home has no debts, and therefore they are not responsible for any debts or liabilities.) This may include asking their grandparents or other relatives for help, perhaps approaching some of the Home's contacts, setting aside a bit from the funds they bring in by distributing outreach tools, etc. The Home would then discuss and pray about the matter and decide if the financial plan is good and whether they agree. (This is covered more fully in the Financial Rules, D.) The Home may even decide to have an attack day each month to help towards the fundraising.
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Once the couple's clearance from the continental office is official, or the 30-day waiting period is expired without reply from the continental office, they've found a Home in Brazil to receive them, and they have most of the funds, they might decide it's time to make their reservations, and give their 30-day notice, estimating that by the end of the 30 days they will be ready to go. (See Thirty-Day Right of Mobility Notice in Appendix B.)
Another scenario: A single person decides, after prayerful consideration, that it's the Lord's will for him to move to another Home in the same country. He would probably talk to and pray with his Home teamwork about the situation. He would come to an agreement of how much outreach he needs to do to pay off his portion of the Home's debt and to raise his fare. If he feels he can raise that amount of funds in time, he might decide to give the Home his 30-day notice at that time. During the 30 days he could work on finding a Home in the country that will agree to take him in, or agree with a few partners to go pioneer a new Home with him. Since travel fares within a country are normally not too expensive, this is not a major obstacle, and since he's staying in the same country, he does not need clearance from the continental office. So once his 30 days are up, and his portion of the debt is paid, he is free to leave.
So as you can see, you wouldn't want to give your 30-day notice to the Home until you have prayerfully counted the cost, made your plans, and have considered all the factors.
The clause also states that you should inform the area and continental office of your planned destination. If you are going to be a road team Home, you may not know your exact location, but you should at least try to outline your general plans so your area office is kept aware of your movement and plans within the area. (When you leave the Home, the Home should also make mention in the personnel section of your TRF of your departure and destination.)
Also if one or more of the Home officers give their 30-day notice to leave the Home, and thus no longer have a vote in Home affairs, elections should be held to select a new Home officer(s) as outlined in the Election Rules, B.
Another possible scenario might be if a number of Home members decided to move from the Home, and thus gave their 30-day notice. With the projected decrease in Home population, it might make it impossible for the Home to be able to continue functioning, either due to not enough personnel for its ministry or now being unable to meet its financial overhead, such as if the Home has a high rent. In such a case, those members which did not give their 30-day notice might need to meet and pray about whether they feel they can find enough new personnel in time to fill the need, or if they should also decide to give their 30-day notice, thus effectively deciding to close the Home. Details on closing a Home can be found under sections Responsibilities of the Charter Home: Regarding Financial Matters and Rights of the Charter Home.
Another factor, which will need to be worked out by the Home and the departing member, is the continued follow-up of the friends and witnessing contacts the member may be ministering to. The criterion in deciding how to handle this should be what is best for each friend's spiritual life as outlined in point 2.
a) The 30-day departure period can be shortened by a two-thirds majority vote of the Home.
You must remain a member of your present Home until the 30 days is expired unless the Home votes to waive or shorten the period. Besides allowing you time to work out your transfer to a new Home, including taking care of fundraising and so forth, the 30 days is to allow the Home time to attempt to find a replacement for you. This is especially important if you fill a vital role within the Home, or if your leaving will reduce the number of voting members to below the minimum Home size of four voting members.
In the case of the YA couple going to Brazil, mentioned earlier, if they had gathered all of their fare and received their clearance, and if the Home had already found a replacement and there was no other reason for them to remain in the Home, the Home could vote to waive the 30 days so they could leave right away.
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b) Members 16 and 17 years of age must give 30 days notice in writing, stating their planned destination to the Home's officers, and send a copy to, or otherwise notify, their area and continental office. Such teens must inform and receive written permission from at least one parent or guardian. From that point they become non-voting members, and have no vote in Home matters.
If a 16- or 17-year-old (senior teen) wants to move out of their Home, they must give a 30-day notice to their Home teamwork, and send the area and continental office a copy. They must also inform and get the agreement and written permission of at least one of their parents or their guardians before they can make such a move. Since many of the parents of our senior teens are not living with them, approval from only one parent is needed. However, if the teen is living with both parents, then both should agree to let the teen move on.
Throughout the Charter we are trying as much as possible to give our 16- and 17-year-old members the same rights as all other voting members, except on financial matters as explained earlier. They carry a big load in the Home, and their ideas and suggestions carry equal weight to that of all other voting members. They know the Lord, and can be just as prayerful as other voting members. Although younger and less mature, if they don't get involved in the decision-making process of the Home while senior teens, it will take them much longer to grow into responsible adults.
We are expecting you senior teens to take your responsibilities seriously, and to understand that they are being given to you because Dad and Mama have always felt that you play an important role in the Family. It will now be up to you to show that you can prayerfully and maturely participate in the governing of your Home.
Although we have tried to give you all of the same rights as the other voting members, there are a few that we have held back or modified slightly, mainly for legal reasons. You need one of your parents' written permission to move Homes for legal reasons. In many countries those under 18 are still their parents' legal responsibility, so we feel it necessary for you to have written (and perhaps even notarized) permission to be living away from them. In order to protect the overall Family, it is necessary to make this stipulation before you can exercise your Right of Mobility.
The spirit of the Right of Mobility is to allow 16- and 17-year-olds the full right to move Homes if they feel it is the Lord's will. However, because in some countries they are still considered underage, they must have permission from their parents. The decision to grant them permission is yours, parents, but we hope you will decide according to the intent of this clause in the Charter. Of course, there may be times when you feel your 16 or 17-year-old may need to remain in their present Home, especially if they have problems that require shepherding by those in the Home; in which case you might not want to grant them permission to move. Generally, though, we would hope that you would grant them permission to move if they wish.
It is up to you parents to decide what type of permission you wish to give to your senior teens. You may want to give permission each time they want to move, or you may want to give a general overall permission, or an overall permission with some stipulations. The following are a few of the possibilities:
1. Allow them to move anywhere within their present country or language area, but ask for further permission if they wish to change countries.
2. Allow them to move anywhere within their continental area, but ask for further permission if they wish to change CRO areas.
3. Allow them to move, subject to their Home or area office approval.
4. Allow them to move wherever and whenever they choose.
There are many possibilities, but whatever you choose, you should make it very clear and specific in your letter of permission. (See Parental Permission Form in Appendix B.)
16- and 17-year-olds should be sure to get parental permission before giving 30 days notice to the Home.
(1) If the parents of a 16 or 17-year-old teen do not live within the same continental area as their teen, they may authorize the teen's continental office to give permission for the movement of their teen within its continental area.
Our senior teens sometimes don't live on the same continent as their parents. Therefore, since the parents may not know the full situation about their older teens, or for some other reason, they may be hesitant to give their senior teen standing permission to move whenever he wishes. In such a case the parents can authorize the continental office to approve their teen's movements from Home to Home. The parents should be sure that their 16 or 17-year-old has a letter of parental permission to travel, which will need to be notarized if required by law.
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2. Prepare to leave in an orderly fashion, by turning over pertinent ministry material and thoroughly explaining their ministries, duties and responsibilities to the appropriate person(s).
During the 30-day period, the departing member must turn over all of his ministry material, as well as explain his ministry or Home duties to whomever the Home decides. This is important if the Home is to continue to function well, so anyone moving should endeavor to be very faithful in passing on his or her duties.
Please don't desert your posts of duty without replacements or reinforcements! (ML #176:27.)
May God bless both you shepherds and sheep who did have the faith, got the funds, took care of your responsibilities, consulted with your leaders, agreed together on the will of God, provided for those dependent on you, and found a replacement to take care of them (ML #175:56).
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3. The Home and departing member(s) should agree together on which of the Home's contacts should continue to be ministered to by the Home or by the departing member(s), and who would receive support from them. The Home members should endeavor to reach a loving solution that accommodates the need of both the Home and the departing member(s). Above all, the friends or contact's spiritual growth and personal desires should be taken into consideration.
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a) If a departing member(s) has been ministering personally to any of the Home's contacts, they may continue to do so from a different city or country. However, they should ask the Home's permission before requesting financial help from these contacts, unless the contact specifically expresses his desire to support the departing member(s) and their new Home, in which case the contact should be transferred to the departing member.
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b) If the departing member(s) is moving to another Home in the same city or vicinity, they may continue to follow up on and minister to the friends and supporters who they have been personally feeding and ministering to, as well as continue to receive whatever support their friend wishes to give them. They should, however, encourage their supporters to support their former Home, should their former Home depend on that support--particularly if the Home they are moving to is already sufficiently supported. However, if the contact wants to support the departing member(s) instead, he should be transferred to the departing member's new Home.
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c) In cases where a Home divides in two, with departing members opening a new Home in the same city or vicinity, they should agree together as to who will care for each contact. If they are unable to reach a decision, they should equally divide the gifts they receive from these friends, if this is agreeable to their supporters. If a supporter is not agreeable to dividing it equally, he may give his support to whomever he chooses.
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d) If a departing member(s) is moving to another city and will not be able to continue personal contact with their supporters, they may continue to minister to them via mail. However, they should ask others in the Home they are leaving to continue to follow up on their contacts, and should ask their supporters if they would be willing to continue to support their former Home. If a supporter wishes to send the departing member some regular or occasional support, it is the supporter's prerogative to do so.
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It's difficult, if not impossible, to design a rule that would cover every situation that may come up when dividing friends and contacts. Each situation must be judged on its own merits, within the above general guidelines. The basic foundation of this clause is that great care must be taken to try to reach a solution together, in love and through counsel and prayer, that is acceptable to both the Home and the departing member(s), with the needs of all (most of all, the sheep) taken into account.
A departing member may continue to follow up on any friends and contacts they have been personally ministering to, whether in person or by phone. If a member is moving to or opening a new Home in the same city, they may continue to receive support from these contacts if the friend wants to continue to support or help them; but the departing member should not pressure the contact for his continued support if the contact would rather support the remaining Home instead.
If the member who has been ministering to certain contacts is moving to a Home that is already sufficiently supported, he should be willing to encourage his contacts to support his former Home (particularly if they have been dependent on this support); and his former Home should be willing to spiritually feed and minister to these friends.
In each case, it would be important to explain to your friends what is happening when there are personnel moves or when a Home divides in two, and also include them in the decision-making process. The friend will feel and know who is truly concerned about feeding them spiritually, and this is whom they will want to help and support. The needs of your friends are paramount, and their burdens and desires must be respected.
It is not possible to make a rule for each instance or possibility that may come up. However, the needs of the contacts, the departing members, their new Home, as well as their former Home, should be lovingly considered by all those involved. Since financial matters are sensitive, it is paramount that all parties proceed with a large measure of prayer and love, striving to maintain unity. Contacts and supporters should never be turned against other Family members in an effort to gain their support.
Besides coming to agreement about the financial factor of who the friends give their support to, there are a myriad of other subjects that need to be discussed concerning the follow-up of sheep when more than one Family member or Home is in contact with that person. So Home members should do all they can to work in unity and prefer their brethren as well as the needs of their friends more than themselves. If a loving settlement cannot be reached between the two parties, and it erupts into serious disunity, this would be in violation of the Responsibilities of the Charter Home, point I., as well as the Responsibilities of Individual Members, points F., and S and T. In such a case, both parties may be subject to Probationary Notice until their differences can be resolved amicably.
4. Their portion of the Home's debts and liabilities is paid.
As explained earlier, once someone decides to leave a Home, they must pay their portion of debts and liabilities. Hopefully, though, your Home won't have any debt, and thus this will not apply. The receiving Home can also offer to pay the debt of any prospective members if they want them sooner (see D. 6. of this section).
a) 16- and 17-year-old members are exempt from this requirement.
b) A Home may, by a two-thirds majority, free a departing member from all or some of his portion of the Home's debts and/or liabilities, providing the remaining Home members assume his or her portion.
The Home can free someone from their portion of the Home's debts and liabilities if they so wish, but they do so knowing that they take on the departing member's portion and are responsible to pay it. (See also Responsibilities of the Charter Home: Regarding Financial Matters, B. 3. a).)
We explained the difference between debts and liabilities earlier. (See Rights of the Individual: Within the Home, B. 1. a).) There may be cases where the Home decides that since the departing member will no longer benefit from the effects of a liability, that he or she should be free from paying it. For example, a Home has $2,000 set aside to buy a van and they find a van for $4,000, and vote to take a $2,000 Home loan from their continental office to buy the van. Soon afterwards, a member of the Home decides to move to another area. Since the Home has a liability of $2,000, they figure out the departing member's portion. However, they may decide that since the departing member will not benefit from the use of the van, since he will no longer be in the Home, they will free him from his portion of that liability.
c) If debts and liabilities have been incurred, the person wishing to leave must be given sufficient time, on a regular basis, to engage in fundraising activities until his or her portion of the debts and liabilities has been paid.
(1) At least 50% of the net income generated through the member's fundraising activities is to be used for no other purpose than the payment of his portion of the Home's debts and liabilities.
To pay off your portion of the Home's debt or liability, you need to be given time off from your ministry for outreach or engaging in some other form of fundraising. Of course, you would still be expected to help with regular Home duties. The Home can determine what amount of those funds will go towards the payment of your debt or liability, but it must be at least 50% of the net income. If you bring in $100 in a day of fundraising, the seed corn for tools and the tithe on that $100 will first need to be taken out. If the seed corn is $20 and the tithe and FAF contribution is approximately $9 on the net income of $80, it will leave $71. Of that $71, the Home must use at least 50%, or a minimum of $35.50, towards paying off your portion of the Home's debt or liability, which would decrease your portion accordingly. (The Home can decide to use more than 50% of the net income for your portion of the debt or liability, but not less.)
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Since you are still living in the Home and are eating and sleeping there, it is only fair that some of the funds you bring in from outreach be used to cover your share of the regular monthly expenses. The Home must still carry on and meet its current operating expenses. So the funds you bring into the Home, above the minimum 50% of your net income earmarked to pay your portion of the Home's debts or liabilities, are to be used by the Home for their current operating expenses, just as any funds from outreach would be used. These current operating expenses include the Home's food, transportation, rents, phone, utilities such as electricity, water, gas, etc.
This means that current operating expenses are not to be considered debts or liabilities. (See equation for debts and liabilities under B. 1., in the Rights of the Individual: Within the Home.) Therefore the percentage of the funds which go towards the running of the Home pays for the member's share of the rents, phone, utilities, and all other current operating expenses, and the percentage designated to pay the member's debts or travel/landing funds must be used solely for that purpose.
The percentage from a departing member's fund raising, that the Home has decided that he should turn over to help support the Home while he continues to live in the Home, is meant to cover his share of the Home's current month's operating expenses, which include rent, phone, utilities, etc. He cannot be charged again for the Home's monthly operating expenses from the percentage the Home has agreed that he be permitted to use to pay off his share of the Home's debts and liabilities and to keep as travel/landing funds.
For example: A Home agrees that departing member John should be allowed to save 50% of his net income to pay off his share of the Home's debts and liabilities from his fund raising. And that once his debts and liabilities are paid off, he can keep this same 50% of his net income to build up travel/landing funds for his move to his next Home. It is also agreed that the remaining 50% of John's net income is to be turned in to the Home to help cover the Home's current operating expenses (food, rent, utilities, phone, etc.), for as long as John continues to live there. This means that during the time that John is fund raising to depart, he is only required to give 50% of his net income to the Home to cover its operating expenses, and the other 50% is to be used exclusively to pay off his share of the debts and liabilities, or, once John's portion of the Home's debts and liabilities are paid, to facilitate his move to his next Home. If the Home has some big bills or other expenses coming up, John cannot be required to give from the 50% that he's allowed to keep for his debt/liabilities and/or travel/landing funds, to pay for those or any other Home expenses (see also: Right of Mobility, A. 4. c) (1)). (Of course if John were to decide on his own to give some of the money he's saved up to help pay for a Home expense, that's his prerogative. But the Home cannot require him to do so.)
A Home might be doing well financially with no debts or liabilities, and may even have a surplus of funds. If so, the Home may want to consider sharing some of its surplus funds with the departing member by paying his fare and/or giving him landing funds. If the Home has it, the Lord will bless their sharing it.
To help make this clause more understandable, let's take the following scenario: Two Home members have decided to pioneer a Home together and have given their 30-day notice. It is determined that each of their portions of the Home debts and liabilities is $200, or a total of $400. They are both freed from their ministries in order to do outreach to pay off this amount. The two go on outreach together and each brings in $100 for the day. In this case, let's say the tithe, FAF contribution and seed corn for each is $30, which leaves each with $70. Of this, 50% ($35) must go towards the payment of the debt or liability, and the other $35 would go to the Home. So on that day, each of these members decreased their $200 portion of the debt or liability by $35, so they each now owe $165. The Home received $35 from each of these members for Home expenses.
Another scenario that you may be faced with is if only one Home member has decided to leave an existing Home. He gives his 30-day notice and is informed that his portion of Home debts and liabilities is $200. Assuming that most witnessing teams common pot the funds they bring in, the Home might decide that the person moving and his witnessing partner put their proceeds for the day together, take out the tithe and seed corn, and then divide it by two. The half that goes to the departing member is considered to be his or her net income for the day. He will then turn in 50% of his net income to the Home to use, while the other 50% goes toward payment of his portion of the Home's debt or liability.
Let's say this team of two brings in $200 for the day and the tithe, FAF contribution and seed corn together is $40, which would leave $160. They divide the $160 between them, so each has $80. This $80 is the departing member's net income for the day. 50% of his net income, $40, is to be used for his portion of the Home's debt or liability. The other $40 is used by the Home. The departing member has now decreased his $200 portion of the debt or liability by $40, and he owes another $160. The net income of the partner who is remaining in the Home will be used by the Home.
For that day the Home received $120 from this witnessing team--$40 from the departing member and $80 from the remaining member--while $40 went to tithe and seed corn funds and the other $40 went towards the payment of the departing member's liability.
If there are more people on a witnessing team, the departing member will still be entitled to use 50% of his portion of the net income towards his debts and liabilities. For example, a group of 10 witnessers do a performance and distribute tools to the large crowd. Let's say the payment for the performance and the donations for the tools amounts to $3,000. After the tithe, FAF contribution and seed corn is deducted, the income is $2,500. The $2,500 is divided by 10, since there are 10 members on the team, so the departing member's income for the day is $250. Half of this would go towards the payment of his or her debts and liabilities ($125) and the other half would be used by the Home.
(2) Once the member's debts and liabilities have been paid, at least 50% of the net income generated through the member's fundraising activities is to be used to facilitate his move. The amount needed to facilitate the move must be agreed upon by the Home, in accordance with the Financial Rules, D.
If a member departing from the Home has no debts or liabilities or has paid them off, he probably still needs to raise travel funds to his next location. Obviously a farther move would involve a larger amount of travel funds than a move to a nearby Home. The Home can, by a two-thirds majority vote, decide to let people raising travel funds keep more than 50% of their net outreach income, in case the departing member or family has a large amount to raise or needs to do so quickly. However, the Home cannot decide to only give them less than 50% of their net outreach income.
Once agreed upon, the departing member could engage in fundraising, and the same minimum 50% set-up, as described above, would be used for setting aside travel funds. Once the agreed-upon amount was reached, the member would resume turning in all outreach funds to the Home. He would no longer need time off from his ministry for fundraising. So if he has given his 30-day notice and has his funds according to whatever arrangements he worked out with the Home, then during the remainder of his 30-day period he would be at the disposal of the Home for whatever duties and ministries he might be needed for.
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(i) While 16- and 17-year-olds are not held responsible for the Home's financial decisions and obligations, if they are raising support to move to another Home, 50% of the income they generate through fund-raising activities is to be used for no other purpose than for the Home's current operating expenses.
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While our 16- and 17 -year -old voting members are not responsible for the Home's debts and liabilities, if they are raising funds to move on to another Home they should continue to contribute to the Home's operating expenses, which should not be more than 50% of their fund-raising income.
d) Upon giving 30-day notice to the Home, the member will not be held responsible for the payment of any new debts or liabilities agreed to or incurred by the Home.
Once you've given your 30-day notice, and have relinquished your right to vote in Home matters, including financial matters, you are freed from all responsibility on decisions made by the Home (except Home regulations).
(1) If for some reason the member remains in the Home over one week past his 30-day notice, he once again regains his voting rights and is responsible for any new debts or liabilities incurred by the Home, unless the Home, by a two-thirds majority, agrees to extend the departure date.
Once the 30-day period is over, you are expected to leave the Home within seven days. There will be times when your plans don't work out the way you expect, and you may find you have given your 30-day notice prematurely and thus you are not able to leave within seven days after the 30-day period ends, or 37 days after originally having given your Home written notice. Perhaps the Home you were planning to move to suddenly closed or all of your travel funds didn't come through. If you've come to the end of your 37 days and you can't leave for one reason or another, then you once again become a voting member of your present Home, and are therefore responsible for the decisions of the Home, including any new debts or liabilities that are incurred from that time onward.
The Home can vote to extend the 37 days, if they so wish. If, for example, the funds your relatives promised for your fare haven't arrived yet, the Home may decide to extend your stay with them without making you accountable for the decisions of the Home or for any debts or liabilities they incur. Or the Home may want to work out a plan whereby some of the income you bring in goes to cover your portion of Home expenses during the extra time that you are there, or some other agreeable solution.
On the other hand, if you give your 30-day notice, and at the end of 37 days you are basically no further prepared for a move than you were at the beginning of this period, the Home may decide not to extend the period, and if you wish to stay in the Home you must resume the responsibilities of a voting member. In such a case, if you remain longer than 37 days, and the Home does not agree to extend your period, you regain your voting rights, and once again are responsible for the decisions of the Home, including its financial decisions. You are also responsible for any debts or liabilities that arise from that time onward.
e) The member is free to depart when his 30-day notice expires and his portion of the Home's debts and liabilities has been paid.
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f) If the member's plans change and he decides to remain in the Home, or will be making a move that will require less funds than the original amount voted on, the funds which the Home allowed the member to set aside in preparation for his move should be returned to the Home. If he is making a move that will require less funds than he raised, the Home must give him the funds needed, and vote on the remainder. If he is remaining in the Home, the Home will decide, by a two-thirds majority vote, for what purpose these funds should be allocated.
In some situations the Home member, having raised a certain amount of funds to leave the Home and travel to another area, may decide to remain in the Home or the same field after all, or his plans may change due to new circumstances. In this case, since the Home allowed the member to take time off Home duties to raise these funds, it seems only right that if the funds are not used for the purpose of the move as originally intended, then they should be returned to the Home.
If the member is moving to a closer destination, requiring less funds, the Home will give the departing member the funds needed for the move. The Home would then decide, by a two-thirds majority vote, whether to allow the member to keep the rest of the funds, or a portion of them, for personal needs, etc., or whether the funds should be incorporated into the Home's coffers, or set aside for some specified Home expenditure, etc.
If the member is remaining in the Home and not moving to a new Home, then the Home would decide by a two-thirds majority on the use of entire amount of funds raised by the member.
5. The Home in which they reside is not on Probationary Notice.
a) Members of Homes which are on Probationary Notice temporarily relinquish their Right of Mobility unless they were put on Probationary Notice due to the Home population being too large.
b) Members who have given their 30-day notice to move prior to the Home being placed on Probationary Notice retain their Right of Mobility.
A Home that has contravened some of the conditions of the Charter may be placed on Probationary Notice and be given a set time by leadership to rectify the situation, in order to retain its Charter Member status. Once a Home is placed on Probationary Notice, an individual member may not give his 30-day notice until such time as the Home's Probationary Notice has been lifted. However, if he's already given notice before the Home goes on Probationary Notice, he is still free to leave the Home at the end of this 30-day period.
The one exception to this is if the Home has been put on Probationary Notice because their Home population is too large. In such a case, the only way to get off of Probationary Notice is for some of the members to move out of the Home; thus the Home members do not lose their Right of Mobility.
(1) Members of the Home can, by a two-thirds majority, appeal to their continental office for the Right of Mobility of a member to be temporarily suspended.
There may be an occasion when someone has caused problems in a Home that played a major part in a Home not fulfilling its responsibilities or in breaking the "Fundamental Family Rules." If this individual realizes in advance that the Home is about to be placed on Probationary Notice, he may decide to quickly put in his 30-day notice, so he won't have to remain in the Home until the Home makes the necessary changes. In such a case, since this person played a major role in the Home's problem, but could theoretically avoid having to rectify it if he were to give his notice right before the Probationary Notice goes into effect, the Home may petition the continental office to have the member's Right of Mobility suspended in order for him to remain and help rectify the situation.
6. They are not on Probationary Status in the Home in which they presently reside.
a) Members who are on Probationary Status temporarily relinquish their Right of Mobility.
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As explained in the Procedures for Placing a Member on Probationary Status, a Home can, by a simple majority, place a member of the Home on Probationary Status for up to a three-month period, as a disciplinary measure. During the assigned Probationary Status period, the member temporarily loses his Right of Mobility.
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7. While members are in transit to their new Home and/or making preparations to open their own Home, their former Home may allow them to remain on their TRF for a maximum of two reporting periods after they physically leave the Home, providing the Home receives their stats, tithe and 1% FAF contribution during this period.
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a) Once a member has been listed as outgoing on their former Home's TRF, they have until the next reporting date to either appear on the TRF of the next Home receiving them, or to open up their own Home in accordance with the Definition of a Charter Home.
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(1) After being dropped from their former Home's TRF, if a member does not appear on a Charter TRF by the next reporting date, Procedures for Moving a Charter Member to Fellow Member Status will begin.
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(i) In hardship cases the continental office may grant an extension of one additional reporting period. After this extension the member must appear on a TRF.
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(2) If the departing members are opening their own Home, they have the option to remain with Fellow Members or non-Family members for a further reporting period, in accordance with Definition of a Charter Home, C. 1. However, they must report as their own Home during this period.
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(i) The continental office may extend this one reporting period if they feel it is warranted.
All Charter Members must report and tithe every single month, by appearing on an existing Home's TRF or sending in their own. This means that members leaving a Home must arrive at the Home they are moving to, and/or join another Home, or start their own Home by the time the next TRF is due, after being dropped from their former Home's TRF.
The members' former Home is permitted to keep them on their TRF for a maximum of two reporting periods after they have physically left the Home, providing that they receive the members' tithe, 1% FAF contribution and stats for each TRF during that period, and incorporate these with their Home's TRF in addition to the absent member(s)' personal statistics.
Once members are dropped from their former Home's TRF, they would then have until the next reporting date to either appear on the TRF of the Home receiving them, or open their own Home in accordance with the Definition of a Charter Home. We hope that in most cases this three reporting period maximum will allow members time to reach their final destination without obligating them to open their own Home for just a month or two.
If a Charter family or individual members are in transit, and time requires them to open their own Home (having not yet reached their destination), they may remain with Fellow Members, relatives or friends for up to a month. The continental office has the option of extending this period if they feel it is warranted. In that case, they would be required to TRF and tithe during this time but would not be eligible to receive new Charter mailings until they move into their own house or property (at which time they could order the mailings they missed).
Please note that the above applies to members who are leaving their Home to join another Home, or open their own Home, and will be in transit for a period of time in between. If you are temporarily away from your Home on an extended road trip, or visiting relatives, etc., and will be returning to your existing Home (and thus remain on their TRF), this is simply a matter to be counseled about and decided upon between you and your Home. (For further details on temporarily being away from your Home, see explanation under the Definition of a Charter Home, C. 1. and the introduction to the Right of Mobility section.)
If you are actually in transit to a new Home, in order to qualify to remain on your former Home's TRF after physically departing from the Home, you must report your stats and send in your tithe during the time period that you remain on your former Home's TRF. This period is not to exceed two reporting periods after you have physically left the Home.
While in transit and not physically in the Home, the Home may not forward copies of CM mailings to you, although you may read them if visiting another Charter Home.
All Charter Members must tithe and be included on a TRF each month to remain Charter Members, even while in transit. (See World Service Reporting and Mailing Rules, A.)
B. Open a Home in any city within their present country of residence that has no Charter Family Home, providing they are 18 years of age, and have notified their continental office of their intention to do so, and the city is not "closed."
Those who have reached the age of 18 are free to open a Home in any city in the same country in which they presently live, as long as the city doesn't already have a Charter Home, and it is not a "closed" city. (A continental office has the authority to declare a city, or some or all of the cities in a metropolitan area, as "closed," in accordance with the Procedures for Opening a Home in a City that Already Has a Charter Home, A. to prevent further Homes from opening if deemed necessary.)
Those who have reached the age of 18, as outlined above, are free to open a Home in any city in the same country in which they presently live. The Home must have a minimum of two voting members to start with, to be increased to four members within six months (see Home Size Rules, A.). No approval or clearance from area or continental offices is required. If you want to pioneer a new city within your present country, you can do so solely on the authority granted to you in the above clause. However, you must notify your area and continental office of your intent to move, as stated earlier.
However, there may be rare, extraordinary circumstances surrounding the city of your choice that you might not be aware of. For example, you may be new in an area and not know that in the past Family members have been seriously harassed in that city. In such a case, the continental or area office may propose that you select a different city to pioneer. In most cases, after learning of the matter, the team would probably decide to pioneer elsewhere. However, if they still wish to pioneer the city, they may do so. If the continental office feels the matter is serious enough, they may bring the matter to WS leadership's attention and ask for their intervention.
Those who open new Homes should immediately inform their continental office of their mailing address so they can begin receiving their WS mailings.
1. Members 16 and 17 years of age are entitled to this right, providing two members of the Home are 25 years of age or older.
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a) The Continental Office may grant permission for a member under 18 to live in a Home with their spouse or a sibling who is 18 years of age or over, even if the Home does not have two members over 25 years of age, provided the other Right of Mobility requirements have been met.
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Senior teens, those ages 16 and 17, may also move to a new Home providing they have their parents' written permission as outlined earlier in point A. 1. b), and two members of the new Home are at least 25 years of age. 16- and 17-year-old members may apply to live in a Home if they have a sibling 18 years of age or older living in that Home, even if the Home does not have two members over 25 years of age.
In many countries throughout the world, 16- and 17-year-olds living away from their parents or siblings with those under 25 is considered very irresponsible, and in some cases even illegal. And since the Bible says that we should "abstain from all appearance of evil" (1Thessalonians 5:22), it is best for the overall Family's sake that 16- and 17-year-olds be in Homes with older Family members. This does not take away from your Right of Mobility, it only means that if you are going to another Home, or opening a new Home, that you must have an older sibling in the Home, or two of your co-workers must be 25 years of age or older.
C. Open a Home, or be a road team Home, in any city within their present country of residence that already has a Charter Family Home, providing they are 18 years of age and they have the agreement of the Home(s) in that city and the area office, in accordance with the Procedures for Opening a Home in a City that Already Has a Charter Home.
1. Members 16- and 17 -years of age are entitled to this right, providing two members of the Home are 25 years of age or older.
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a) The Continental Office may grant permission for a member under 18 to live in a Home with their spouse or a sibling who is 18 years of age or over, even if the Home does not have two members over 25 years of age, provided the other Right of Mobility requirements have been met.
If you wish to open a Home in a city in your present country that already has one or more Charter Homes, you must follow the Procedures for Opening a Home in a City That Already Has a Charter Home. As in point B.1. above, if there will be senior teens in the Home, the need for having two members 25 years of age or older, unless there is an older sibling living in the Home and continental office permission is granted, will apply.
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2. Homes within a metropolitan area (a major city with adjacent towns or cities) may conduct outreach within that metropolitan area.
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Throughout the Charter when we use the term "city" we are referring to a city, town or village. Some cities are in a large metropolitan area, meaning it includes the major city and the adjacent cities and towns. For example, the actual city of Los Angeles might in itself be rather small, but the metropolitan area of Los Angeles is huge and includes a number of other cities.
In general, when referring to "cities" in the Charter, we are not talking about metropolitan areas. If a Home were already opened in the actual city of Los Angeles, you would need to follow the Procedures for Opening a Home in a City That Already Has a Charter Home before opening a new Home there. However, you could open a Home in the city of Anaheim, which is another city on the outskirts of Los Angeles and which is part of metropolitan Los Angeles, without having to go through this procedure, if Anaheim does not have a Charter Home in it.
Homes within a metropolitan area are free to conduct outreach within that whole metropolitan area. This means that if, for example, a Home opens in a suburb right outside the actual Bombay city limits, Homes within the Bombay city limits may not forbid that Home from conducting outreach in Bombay itself, since they are part of the same metropolis. Likewise, the Homes within the city limits may conduct outreach in the suburbs. This makes it possible for a Home to open in an adjacent suburb or town where it's safer, rents are often cheaper or housing more available, while still being able to conduct outreach within the city itself, unless the city is closed as outlined in Procedures for Opening a Home in a City That Already Has a Charter Home, point A.
However, if a Home opens in a town that is not part of the metropolitan area, they must obtain permission from the Homes in the metropolitan area before they can conduct outreach in that metropolis.
In a city or metropolitan area that has a number of Homes, the Homes are required to create a city council to coordinate local business or logistical matters such as witnessing areas, etc. (See Required Meetings and Activities, point D.) The city council should include all the Homes in the metropolitan area, not just those within the city limits. An exception would be if there are a large number of Homes in the metropolis, and the Homes decide to divide it into two city councils.
Those on the city council have no authority over the Homes other than that which the Homes agree to give them. Those on the city council are not meant to be LASs or DASs, nor do they have any shepherding responsibilities or authority over the Homes in the area.
The city council, represented by all Homes in a city or metropolis, could also agree together on where each Home can conduct outreach within the metropolitan area, so that each Home's outreach needs are sufficiently met without there being conflict over "turf."
If you are a road team Home, or if you go on a road trip from your Home, and want to witness in a metropolitan area that already has a Charter Home, you must receive permission from the present Home(s) in the metropolis before doing so. It would be wise to check with your ABM about what cities or metropolitan areas have Homes in them so that you can either go witnessing in other cities, or seek permission from the Home(s) in the city/metropolis you want to witness in before you get there.
A road team Home is one which has no fixed residence. For example, two families living in caravans and moving from place to place would be a road team Home. They would send in their own TRF and would need to have their own mailing address. Such a team would need the local Home's agreement to do outreach in a city that already has a Charter Home in it.
A road team Home is different from a situation where some members of a Home go out on the road for a period of time, but are still listed as members of a regular Home on that Home's TRF.
However, a road team would also need permission to do outreach in a city, other than their own, that has a Charter Home.
If a city or a metropolitan area becomes saturated with Charter Homes, the continental office has the authority to declare some or all of the cities in the metropolitan area as "closed," in accordance with the Procedures for Opening a Home in a City That Already Has a Charter Home, A. to prevent further Homes from opening.
D. Join any Home within their present country of residence, providing a two-thirds majority of the receiving Home agrees to receive them as members.
1. Members 16 and 17 years of age are entitled to this right, providing there are at least two members of the receiving Home 25 years of age or older. (Parental permission is also required as per the Right of Mobility, A. 1. b.).
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a) The Continental Office may grant permission for a member under 18 to live in a Home with their spouse or a sibling who is 18 years of age or over, even if the Home does not have two members over 25 years of age, provided the other Right of Mobility requirements have been met.
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2. If applying to join a Service Home, the continental office reserves the right to grant or deny permission to join the Home, in accordance with the Role of Personnel in a Service Home, A. 6.
You can join any existing Home in your country if two-thirds of the voting members of that Home agree to receive you. So points B. and D. mean that you may move out of your Home and either pioneer a new Home or move into any existing Home within your present country without the prior approval of any leadership, as long as you fulfill point A. above.
If applying to join a "Service Home," the continental office reserves the right to grant or deny clearance to the Home, unless the continental office has decided to grant the Service Home the right to determine the personnel make up of the Home. See Role of a Service Home and Role of Personnel in a Service Home, for further details.)
Point C. allows you to open a new Home in a city that has other Charter Homes, providing you follow the correct procedure.
3. Upon receipt of a request from a potential member to join their Home, the Home should try to respond within 30 days, and make a final decision within a reasonable amount of time.
4. The receiving Home must verify the potential member's Charter Member status. They may also ask the member or his present Home or appropriate officers for additional information.
When someone moves to another Home, it is the responsibility of the Home teamwork of the receiving Home to confirm that the incoming member is a bona fide Charter Member. They may also request whatever information they need about the incoming member, a rsum of his background in the Family, details of any debts or liabilities he might have, and so forth. The receiving Home is also entitled to ask for a recommendation from the member's present Home, and other officers, if they so desire. This is normally a wise thing to do.
When a Home receives a request from someone to join their Home, they should reply within 30 days. The reply might not necessarily be a yes or a no; it may be a request for more information. However, the Home should try to give a final reply, either granting or denying clearance, within a reasonable amount of time.
5. A member of voting age intending to move to a Home has the right to know, before he moves in, what the amount of his portion of the Home's debts and liabilities will be. The receiving Home, by a two-thirds majority, may agree to waive all or a portion of the prospective member's accountability for his portion of the Home's debts and liabilities, which they have incurred prior to his arrival.
If you are going to join an existing Home, you have the right to know if the Home has debts or liabilities, as once you join it, you would then be responsible for a portion of them. You can ask, and they must tell you, what the amount of your portion of the debts and liabilities would amount to. The receiving Home may, if two-thirds of the Home agree, waive all or some of your portion of the Home's debts or liabilities that they have accumulated up to the time you join.
In order to avoid future misunderstandings, it would be wise for the incoming member to ask the business teamworker to write down the amount of his portion of the Home's debt or liabilities.
6. The receiving Home has the right to know the amount of any debts or liabilities of a prospective new member, and understands that it must either assume the debts and liabilities collectively, or allow the new member sufficient time to engage in fundraising activities to pay the debts and liabilities.
a) At least 50% of the net income generated through the member's fundraising activities is to be used for no purpose other than the payment of the debts and liabilities.
Since you normally are unable to leave a Home until your portion of its debts and liabilities is paid, it would be rare for this clause to be used. However, there will be times that a Home must close immediately, perhaps because of persecution, or the owner decides he's going to sell the house and you must leave immediately. In such a case, even though they no longer live in the Home, the Home members may still have a portion of their debts and liabilities to pay. (See Responsibilities of the Charter Home: Regarding Financial Matters, B. 4.) In such a case, the receiving Home has the right to know of any new member's debts or liabilities ahead of time since they will need to assume this amount due or allow time for the new member to raise the funds to pay his portion of it.
The incoming member should also inform the Home of any upcoming expenses that the new member may generate in the near future. For example, if the new member and his family must take a visa trip within the next month or so, they should inform the new Home of that fact ahead of time, so the Home will be aware of this upcoming expense.
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7. Before a new member joins a Home, an agreement should be reached between the Home and the new member as to which of his or her possessions the new member would be authorized to take with him or her if he or she should decide to leave the Home.
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We are all expected to fully live Acts 2:44-45 in our lives and Homes. This clause has nothing to do with our Family's commitment to live unselfishly and give and share all that we have with others. Nevertheless, joining a new Home is a big step, and sometimes after a while, people find they have different burdens or goals or are otherwise not compatible with the other members of the Home. We have added the above clause to make the separation and dividing of assets as smooth as possible, should after some time the Home and a member (or members) find that they are not suited to working together. This will ensure that families or individuals who leave a Home will know exactly what they will be able to take with them when they depart, hopefully avoiding contention and disputes with the Home over material possessions at that time. This clause would also include a new disciple when he finishes his six months babes training and is about to become a new voting member.
For example, if a family proposes to join a Home and they have a car and caravan, some furniture, cash, a computer, etc., before they officially join and move in it should be decided which of these items they would take with them if they should decide to leave the Home. They might decide to keep the car and caravan should they move on, and that the furniture, cash and computer would become part of the Home's assets.
Possession of whatever assets are not predetermined before the new member(s) officially become Home members will be handled upon the departure of the member or the closing of the Home in accordance with C. 3. and C. 4. of the Rights of the Charter Home.
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E. Move to any country, or be a witnessing road team for over 30 days in any country, providing they have received clearance from the continental office of the prospective country. Except in the case of sensitive countries, clearance is automatically granted if a member does not receive a response to his clearance request from the continental office within 30 days of the continental office receiving his request.
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1. Clearance is valid for one year from the date granted, unless specified otherwise by the continental office issuing clearance. If a person who has been cleared doesn't arrive to the country they are cleared to within this time period, they must reapply for clearance.
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2. Within 14 days upon receipt of a clearance request, the receiving continental office must respond to the applicant with a form letter/message receipt, acknowledging that their clearance request was received and including the date that the application arrived, which date begins the applicant's 30-day processing period.
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3. If the witnessing road trip will stay less than 30 days in any three-month period in the prospective country, then a request for clearance is not required.
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a) If taking a road trip to a country in another continental area, or to a Sensitive Country, you must apply for clearance, even if the road trip will last less than 30 days.
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b) It is the road team's responsibility to determine if the city or metropolitan area in the country they are witnessing in has a CM Home(s) in it before they begin any witnessing activities in that city/metropolis, and if there is, to first receive permission from the local Homes to witness in the city or metropolis.
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You have the right to move to other countries, either within your CRO area or in another CRO area, provided you receive clearance. (See Clearance Request Form in Appendix B.) The Member Evaluation Form has now been discontinued. All clearance applications now only need to include the application form and a Want Ad, unless the applicant wants to open their own new Home in a city presently without a Home, in which case only the Clearance Request Form is needed to apply for clearance.
You must also receive clearance for a road trip to a sensitive country or a country in another continental area, or a road trip to a country in your own continental area that will last longer than 30 days in a three-month period.
Except in the case of sensitive countries, clearance is considered automatically granted unless the continental office replies within 30 days of receiving the clearance application.
This clause deals with moving to another country. If you are temporarily going to another area to visit relatives, for visa purposes, or for legal business, it isn't necessary to ask for clearance. It would, however, be considerate to notify the appropriate continental offices that you will be in the area.
4. The continental office cannot deny clearance to any voting member and their immediate family who wish to return to the country to which the voting member holds a passport. The continental office cannot guarantee acceptance in a Home upon arrival, and normal procedures for joining existing Homes apply.
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The continental office cannot deny clearance to a member, nor their mate or children, who want to return to their home country. So if you are British, with an American mate, and you are planning to leave your mission field in India to return to Britain or the United States, then the continental office cannot deny you clearance. However, you must notify the continental office by submitting your clearance request form. In this case, your clearance request form serves as a notification of intent, and since you are automatically cleared, you do not need to wait for a response from the CRO before moving to your home country. You must also follow normal Charter procedures for joining or opening a Home, including opening a Home in a city that already has a Charter Home.
If you're returning from the mission field to a home field, "... don't expect to land unexpectedly on another Home's doorstep and be taken in, unless you've made arrangements with that Home ahead of time" (ML #1643:117).
To add to the above scenario, if the British-American couple described above have a child born in Brazil who is issued a Brazilian passport, the couple and their children would not be eligible for "automatic clearance" to Brazil since the child is not a "voting member." (However, once the child reaches 16 years of age, he would then be eligible for "automatic clearance" to Brazil, although his parents would not. In addition, if the teen holds a U.S. and/or British passport, then he would be eligible for automatic clearance for Britain and/or the U.S.)
The intent of this clause is to allow members to return to their home country. In the case of Europeans with EU passports, this "automatic clearance" only applies to going to the member's home country.
The Right of Mobility has set forth the proper methods for moving out of a Home, but this in no way is meant to apply to temporary movement. There will be occasions when someone will want to visit another Home for a period of time, in order to perhaps visit loved ones, or to help the Home in some way. Decisions regarding such matters are to be decided upon by the Homes involved. It is our hope that the Homes will continue to welcome Family members with open arms who wish to visit for whatever reason. By the same token, if your Home has someone who is gifted with some talent, such as an excellent handyman, and another Home temporarily needs his services, we trust that your two Homes will be able to lovingly arrange to let him go to help.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family