From the ISKCON GBC – Minutes Of The Annual General Meeting – February 2017
313: Global Duties & Responsibilities of the Governing Body Commission
[ISKCON Law]
Whereas the GBC wishes to formalize the understanding of its global services to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness;
Whereas it is important that duties and responsibilities be clarified at all levels of the Society;
Whereas the GBC wishes to produce a legacy document for the instruction and training of future GBC members:
RESOLVED:
That the document “Global Duties & Responsibilities of the Governing Body Commission (GBC)” is accepted as an official statement and shall be part of ISKCON Law.
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(The following is an excerpt from the above mentioned document)
Configuring Zones and Assigning Overseers
Planning for the whole world includes designing zones, redesigning those zones as the need arises, and appointing responsible zonal officers. Srila Prabhupada delineated some of the principles of zonal configuration and zonal assignments in a meeting with the GBC in Los Angeles:
Prabhupada: So, fix up the zone . . . Take this, take this map. First of all find out the zone, what will be the zone . . . First of all divide the whole world. It doesn’t matter who goes where . . . Divide the whole world into twelve parts. That is first . . . I want to divide it in twelve zones. And we have to make more propaganda throughout the whole world. Now if you think that the world is so big, twelve members are insufficient, then you can increase more than that and make the zone similarly divided. It is world affair after all . . . You can increase the number. So according to vacant position, how many, it may be fifteen?
Devotee: Thirteen.
Prabhupada: Why not fifteen, make fifteen? . . . Then you have to reorganize the zones, fifteen zones.
Rupanuga: This is much better if we’re actually expanding.
Prabhupada: Yes, we must expand, we must expand. Now the framework of expansion is done by me, but this, they should be solidified. Just like your skyscraper building. The framework is done then they are made nicely air-conditioned and covered by glass . . . It makes a nice house. Similarly, so far the framework is done. I have done with your help. Now we have to push this movement.
– Conversation with the GBC, Los Angeles, May 25, 1972
Resourcing ISKCON Global Services
Srila Prabhupada wrote: “I have formed this GBC for that purpose, to keep the devotional standards at the highest level and at the same time to manage a world-wide 14 organization.” (Letter to Rupanuga, November 4, 1970) Although most management takes place locally, a number of global functions for which the GBC is responsible need funding and staffing for effective operation. As Srila Prabhupada explains in the Bhagavad-gita (12.10, purport): “Every endeavor requires land, capital, organization, and labor. Just as in business one requires a place to stay, some capital to use, some labor, and some organization to expand, so the same is required in the service of Krishna.”
And the same is required for the various global services the GBC offers to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness: the various Ministries that offer consultation and training to individual members and groups, the Child Protection Office, ISKCON Resolve, and for legal expenses, communication, ISKCON’s internet presence, covering the administrative budget, third-world emergencies… and the list goes on. GBC members themselves need maintenance and travel expenses at times. As Srila Prabhupada said: “Intelligence alone cannot work. Money is required . . . Simple capital will not do. Simple organization will not do. A man may have very good brain power, organization, but if he has no money – useless.” (Room Conversation, Hyderabad, August 19, 1976)
Therefore it is the GBC’s duty to find ways to resource its service of governing the worldwide organization. This is an example of a crucial global function about which Srila Prabhupada might not have spoken much but which is clearly important in today’s ISKCON.
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