Concept Two: The C.A. Groups delegate to the World Service Conference the complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services and thereby make the Conference — excepting for any change in the Twelve Traditions — the actual voice and the effective conscience for our whole Fellowship.
CA NewsGram, Fourth Quarter 1998, Vol. 12 No. 4 “Cocaine Anonymous Concept Two”
No matter how many hundreds of Cocaine Anonymous meetings and thousands of C.A. members around the world, none of them is individually able to arrange and guide our multifaceted World Service operations.
Nevertheless, C.A.’s group conscience as well as the funds needed to run the world services still rest with the members as they collectively make up our groups. The power of C.A.’s members to alter the world service structure and to criticize its operations is of utmost importance. Yet the members of C.A. through our group conscience maintain the ability to alter our world service structure as well as to criticize its operation when and if that need arises.
In order for C.A.’s members to experience the full effects of these actions, the groups must delegate the actual operational authority to chosen representatives. These chosen representatives would be fully empowered to speak and act on behalf of the groups.
Let’s examine the structure in place to accommodate such delegation. We start with members forming groups. Each Group by its conscience chooses representatives (GSRs) to carry their conscience to the District. These Districts, consisting of multiple groups, choose a representative (DSR) to carry their conscience to the Area. Those Areas then select representatives (Delegates) to carry their conscience to the Regional and World levels, hence the Conference. Herein lies the ultimate authority of our collective group conscience.
This collective conscience is spoken through a properly chosen Conference whose members are fully entrusted with matters of World Services. The principle of amply delegated authority and responsibility to trusted servants must be clear from the top to the bottom of our active service structure. This is the clear implication of C.A.’s Second Tradition.
The distinct difference between ultimate and immediate service authority becomes apparent throughout the Concepts. Several areas may be under the immediate authority of the Trustees and/or the WSO Board of Directors. These include matters of moneys, creation and maintenance of the WSO, public relations, NewsGram publication, and guarding the integrity of our Traditions. Despite these facts, the ultimate authority still falls to the collective conscience of the fellowship as a whole. The final say or ultimate sanction in matters of large importance has not been given to the Trustees alone. By Conference Charter, this authority is delegated to the C.A. Groups and hence the Conference, the body which is a representative cross-section of our entire fellowship.
Clarifying Questions and Answers:
Q: Who is fully empowered to speak and act on behalf of C.A. Area Groups?
A: The Area Delegate/s.
Q: How are Area Delegates chosen?
A: C.A. Members form groups. Each Group by its conscience chooses representatives (GSRs) to carry their conscience to the District. Districts, consist of multiple groups who choose a representative (DSR) to carry their conscience to the Area. Areas then select representatives (Delegates) to carry their conscience to the Regional and World levels, hence the Conference. Herein lies the ultimate authority of our collective group conscience.
Q: What can our Delegates do at the World Conference?
A: Through group conscience, the Delegates have the ability to alter our world service structure as well as to criticize its operation when and if that need arises.
Q: Who has the final say or ultimate sanction in matters of large importance?
A: By Conference Charter, this authority is delegated to the C.A. Groups and hence the Conference, the body which is a representative cross-section of our entire fellowship.
Discussion Questions:
- What is the World Service Conference (WS “Conference”)? How often does it meet? What does it do?
- Why was the conference given the responsibility for maintaining C.A. services?
- Who is our area delegate? What do they do?
- Does my home group’s general service representative report back to the group on the highlights of the World Service Conference?
- What is our Area Service committee, and what is its relationship to the Conference? When does your Area Service Committee meet? Does my group contribute to our area?