God’s Plan for Planet Earth and Your Neighborhood

In the years since its founding in 1844, the Baha'i Faith has emerged as a global religion with a membership that may well be the most ethnically and culturally diverse in the world. Looking at the present-day activities of the Baha'is, author John S. Hatcher examines their community-building efforts and gleans insight from a process that has taken shape on a global scale. The institute process, first introduced in the late 1990s as part of the overarching framework for action, now lies at the heart of Baha'i community life and has ushered in immense change at the grassroots level. Focused on both personal and societal transformation, this new approach to learning and community life was at first misunderstood or misapplied; however, it soon became apparent that it provided an innovative and vital approach to reconstructing society from the ground up. Hatcher, a longtime adherent of the Faith, traces the history and progress of the Baha'i community, exploring some of the challenges faced, as well as the rapidly emerging victories won, as this evolving method of learning continues to gain momentum.