LC: 21. RESPONSIBILITIES OF WORLD SERVICES' LEADERSHIP AND HOMES
The responsibilities listed below outline what World Services does and has always done. It is our hope that clearly listing these responsibilities will give everyone a clearer picture and better understanding of the function and role World Services plays in the Family.
World Services is responsible to:
A. Publish the Words that God gives to our Prophet and Prophetess.
World Services' foremost responsibility is to publish the Word that the Lord has given Dad, and continues to give to Mama. If times get so rough or finances so low that World Services cannot publish any other material or provide any other leadership, we will continue, by God's grace, to always publish the Words that the Lord gives.
There's only one thing we have to do, and that's publish glad tidings, publish the Letters! And all the glad tidings from the Family too, if we can. But let's get our priorities straight. ... That's the only thing we're absolutely obligated to get out, and that is the Word of God, what God has to say.--The dreams, visions, prophecies, interpretations, teachings, revelations, whatever! (ML #1316:125,128.)
B. Determine the fundamental Family beliefs.
As you know, there have been many different MLs published on a great number of subjects. Some of these Letters present fundamental and essential Family beliefs. It is World Services' responsibility to determine which matters, among the many topics covered in the Letters, are to be considered fundamental beliefs that members must believe to retain their Charter Member status.
Most of our fundamental and essential beliefs are compiled in "Our Statement of Faith." (For more about fundamental Family beliefs, see Responsibilities of Individual Members, point C.)
[We need] to know the things that are unchangeable, like God and His Son Jesus and His Salvation and His precious Holy Spirit and His Word and His Creation and all the things we know are absolutes and are static, unchangeable, non-variable facts and figures! You have to know these first before you can know what might be changed or could possibly be changed, like some of our theories or guesstimates or personal opinions (ML #1934:61).
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1. Any new prophetic revelations must be approved by Mama and Peter and officially and expressly disseminated by WS as such before they will be considered a fundamental Family belief.
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The Lord gives Mama and Peter His Words and messages for the entire Family, and He gives local prophets His messages for their situation. Prophecy received in the Homes should be judged according to the written Word, the Bible and the Letters, both old and new. Prophecy that goes beyond these should be submitted to your leadership and/or Mama and Peter before it is acted upon. Any major changes that come about in the Family will be given and confirmed in the GNs by Mama, our "Winetaster." (See "Three Gifts of the Lord's Love!" ML #3005:106-129, GN 647.)
(Jesus speaking:) You can be assured that any major changes that I bring will be confirmed through My leadership and through the continued written Word that I give to you (ML #3019:108, GN 655).
C. Formulate, determine, establish, update and publish Family rules, responsibilities and rights, which Charter Members are required to follow to retain their Charter membership. Changes in Family rules, responsibilities and rights are valid only when stated in a WS publication that they are amendments to the "Charter of Responsibilities and Rights" and/or the "Fundamental Family Rules."
WS publishes material on numerous subjects, all of which we feel is important and helpful to the Family. Much of this material is general guidance and direction that we believe will benefit those who implement it. In the past it has been somewhat difficult for Family members to know which of the things published in World Services publications are intended to be actual rules that must be obeyed, guidelines which should be followed, but are not required, or general counsel that can be carried out if the person or Home chooses to. This has led to a certain amount of ambiguity, which has at times been a source of conflict. In some cases, one person or Home may feel that something written in a pub is to be followed explicitly, and if not followed, it should be met with disciplinary action. Others might interpret that same point as good counsel that is to be applied according to the faith and decision of each member or Home.
This particular clause has been included in the Charter in an effort to eliminate any questions that may arise in the future when something is published as to whether it must be obeyed as a new rule or a new part of the Charter, or if it is something that each individual or Home can apply as they feel led of the Lord. From this point on, if WS intends for something to be considered a rule, it will be clearly explained within the pub that the particular item is now an amendment to the "Charter of Responsibilities and Rights," or is an addition or a change to the "Fundamental Family Rules." If it does not specifically state that it is a rule, then whatever is written is not to be regarded as a de facto Family rule, but as helpful guidance and wise counsel. If you have prayed about this counsel and feel that it does not apply to your situation, you will not be penalized or disciplined for not implementing it.
This is not meant to demean the importance of the general counsel contained in our pubs, nor does it mean that such counsel should not be implemented; it just means that Family members will not be penalized if they do not implement it. It is therefore up to each individual and/or their Home to decide if they will apply it or practice it in their situation.
For the sake of clarity, when a new rule or policy is being introduced, we will include in the publication a notation indicating that a certain point is now an amendment to the Charter or to the "Fundamental Family Rules," so that it will be clear to all. From time to time, God willing, we will publish updated editions of the Charter and the "Fundamental Family Rules" as they are needed.
D. Publish general counsel for the Family, which Charter Members and/or Homes apply according to their own personal choice and decision.
Anything that does not fall into the category of being Family doctrine, an amendment to the Charter or a stated Family rule is considered general counsel and may be applied according to each Family member's and/or Home's personal decision and choice.
We are an Army! But you are expected to make your own decisions. ... You're there, and know the situation better than I do, so you're the one to make the decision with the Lord's help! I give you God's general overall plan! It's up to you to carry out the details and specifics and work out the logistics and individual tactics! The Commander in Chief lays down the general battle plans and gives the general command to advance, but his generals and officers must work out the details, and the foot soldiers have got to carry them out! (ML #127:14,21.)
E. Provide counsel, guidance, recommendations and directives to continental officers, when necessary, on important national, international or continental matters.
Attempting to help and assist the CROs in the shepherding of their areas is one of the major roles that WS leadership plays. There are times when WS leadership offers counsel and advice directly to specific Homes or individuals through the CROs, but generally such counsel is given to the whole Family through the GNs and other pubs.
F. Process information from the Charter Homes' monthly reports.
The CROs receive and read your TRFs, and World Services in turn gathers statistics and other information from the CRO offices to monitor the progress the Family is making, how much literature is distributed worldwide, how many souls we're winning, etc.
Stats, you may say, are really a part of our communication, but I wish to emphasize them in particular as being absolutely essential and necessary for our well being. They are our pulse taking and temperature taking of the body politic to know exactly the health of the body and its physical functions (ML #1677:24).
G. Process information from Fellow Member monthly reports, and send Fellow Members appropriate WS publications.
H. Manage and disburse the Family's tithes, FAF, and offerings as follows:
1. World Services' operating and living expenses, equivalent to the standard of living of an average Family Home.
2. Creation, production and distribution to the Family of publications and outreach tools.
3. Financial assistance to Family missions and missionaries.
4. Continental area or country projects.
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5. Family Aid Fund (FAF) for pioneer gifts, HER fund, Tool fund, "passed on" [death] gifts, Home loans, baby bonuses and, funds permitting, medical emergencies.
a) Home loans must be applied for from the continental office and not taken from the HER a Home is holding.
6. WS reserve.
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World Services manages and disburses the Family tithes, FAF and offerings as per the above six categories. What is outlined here is nothing new; this is how these funds have always been invested. We are simply defining these things for the benefit of the Family and your personal understanding of WS. As pointed out in number 1, everyone who lives in World Services lives in housing that is equivalent to the standard of a normal Family Home. No one is living in luxury. In fact, visitors to Dad and Mama's Home and/or our WS Units have often been quite surprised at the very simple and rudimentary furnishings and lifestyle.
Generally the tithes which come in each month are completely used to cover points 1-4. Once these needs are met, if there is any surplus it is put into the WS reserve. This reserve acts in the same way a Home's buffer does. It allows WS to have a minimum reserve to cover WS operating expenses for one or two months should tithe income drop drastically. When this reserve grows beyond this need, the funds are generally given to the Homes, usually in the form of free tools, Home emergency reserves, mission gifts, etc.
WS is also responsible for the management of the FAF, which is handled separately from other WS income. The FAF is a separate fund, into which WS pays 10% of its income each month, and the Homes pay 1% of their income. It is used for HER Funds, Tool gifts, Home loans, pioneer gifts, and emergency expenses when possible.
Part of the Temple ministry was to channel all of this giving of gifts and tithes to wherever it was most needed, including the support of the Temple and all of its ministers, priests and Levites--which in this case is us, WS, your spiritual leaders and Levites of today, the elders and deacons of our modern church. We elders are your spiritual ministers, and our deacons operate the material ministries or tables and feeding, such as various WS Units' ministries, ... CROs, LIMs, the printing, mailing, publications and creations departments, with all the designing, artwork, photography, typing and secretarial work that needs to be done to create the Lit and administer our many Temple ministries, as well as distributions to the poor (ML #928:135-136).
I. Produce original mass distribution outreach tools.
Those in WS work a great deal on GP pubs and tools for the Homes to use in their outreach. In addition, some outreach tools are sometimes produced on a local level, which is explained in the next point.
Our WS Units have invested tremendous amounts of time, money and manpower to produce the tools you need so that you can effectively witness, present yourselves to the public and raise support (ML #2929:3).
J. Approve non-World Services-produced mass distribution outreach tools.
1. The continental office will approve translations of World Services-produced outreach tools.
a) The continental office, with WS leadership approval, may authorize Homes to translate their own outreach tools when warranted.
2. Any mass distribution outreach tools to be used only within one country may be approved by the continental office.
a) WS, upon request by the continental office, may authorize the continental office to approve use of a mass distribution tool within several countries in their area, or their entire continental area.
3. Any Home newsletters, appeal letters, flyers, pamphlets, video or audio tapes or CDs with limited local distribution, or designed for distribution to the Home's contacts, may be approved by the Home.
a) Homes are permitted to include quotations and artwork from Family publications in their local pubs, and may translate these from the original publication without approval from their continental office.
If anyone wishes to locally create a tool, whether it be a pub, video, audio tape, CD, etc. which will be used for GP mass distribution by anyone other than members of their Home, they must receive approval from World Services before doing so.
It is the responsibility of WS, or those appointed by WS, to approve materials for mass distribution. Therefore, before you allow anyone besides members of your Home to distribute newsletters, appeal letters, flyers, pamphlets, video or audio tapes or CDs your Home has produced, please follow the procedure outlined in point two above of having your continental office approve them.
WS publications, which are originally published in English, are to be translated into other languages by a recognized LIM or Lit-Pic under CRO supervision. The CRO may authorize a teamwork or an individual in the LIM or Lit-Pic to give approval on material they translate. Dad said, "Translation into another language is so important!--To make sure they get it right and what I really said and what I actually meant; otherwise a whole country could go astray over a misinterpretation!" (ML #2057:2.)
There will be occasions when a LIM or Lit-Pic will not be able to service a Home (or Homes) because the language area is too small, or for other reasons. In such a case the continental office may, with WS leadership permission, authorize a Home to translate the WS outreach tools on their own instead of being supplied with an official translation from the LIM or Lit-Pic.
The CRO may also give approval for specialized outreach tools to be created and used exclusively in one country; for example, a tract put together from different MLs to be used in a specific "Consider the Poor" ministry, such as for the homeless or a disaster situation. However, if the CRO wants to use this outreach tool in more than one country and/or throughout their continental area, they must have the tract or other publication approved by WS leadership. Or, the CROs may contact WS requesting permission to approve the tool for more than one country, or their whole continental area. To speed up the approval process where necessary, WS leadership may grant the CROs that authority, waiving the need for them approve the tool.
If a Home's newsletter, appeal letter or other local pamphlet is only going to be sent to their Home's contacts, or used only for local distribution, the Home may approve it. This includes local advertisements for your local work, like your show group, your youth club, etc. It would also cover your testimony sheets you send to friends and contacts, etc.
If the Home wishes to use quotations from the MLs in a newsletter, appeal letter or other local pamphlet, they may do so. If these quotations appeared first in an original English publication and have not already been translated into the needed language by an CRO-approved translator, the Home can translate them if they have a suitable translator.
If someone in a Home is invited to give a speech to a local gathering, the Home may approve the speech. We advise that you research the various speeches that you have received from World Services, which may be adapted to your local occasion. You should be able to find such speeches in your Home's legal dossier.
If your speech, however, will be given to a national or international body, or will in some way have a significant impact on other Homes, even though delivered only to a local body, it would fall under the category of needing CRO approval before delivery.
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K. Allow or disallow the use of intellectual copyright material, and related business matters, in the name of, or owned by, the Family or World Services, or any company and/or title of the Family.
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The copyright of such Family publications--written and audio and video - and all trademarks of Family materials, such as World Services, Life With Grandpa, etc., as well as Treasure Attic and Kiddie Viddie trademarks and copyrights, are held by Family authorized companies. As such, these companies presently retain the right to give or deny permission for their use and to authorize or disallow any business matters relating to these copyrights or trademarks.
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L. Collect the permissions from Family members who contribute to collective Family works. Members who submit written, audio or video material for publication by a company associated with the Family agree to also sign a written agreement to transfer use of, and/or the copyright itself, to a company set up for this purpose. In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, all articles submitted to such a company will be considered as transferred in exchange for the benefits and consideration of Family membership.
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All materials that are submitted for use in a Family publication or audio/video production, including but not limited to written, audio and video works, will be regarded as exchanged for the benefit of the work, free studio time and as one of the responsibilities of Family membership should you choose to submit them.
When you choose to submit a work for the purpose of Family publication, for example, an author sending in a song to be used for an FTT, or an article submitted for a written publication, it must be of your own volition. And you must be willing to sign a written agreement to allow the use of the material by a WS-endorsed company which has been set up for this purpose. In the case of songs, since these are often used in GP productions even if originally meant for an FTT only, you will be asked to sign an agreement giving a WS-endorsed company the right to use the song, before it can be recorded in a Family studio. In the case of written works, should one be slotted for GP publication, you will be sent a request to assign the right to use the work at that time. (See also Responsibilities of Individual Members, P.)
I made definite stipulations time and time again on that. We hold the copyright, and we control the contract, and we keep the ownership and all the rights, and all we sign over to [the System] is their right to reproduce and distribute under certain conditions. (ML #283A:12).
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family