ISKCON Membership and Social Development Member A person

ISKCON Membership and Social Development

• Member: A person who belongs to a group of people.

• Q: Why do people want to ‘belong’ to a group? • A: To get their needs met. • Q: What are their needs? • A: Physical, Mental, Social, Spiritual.

• If they get their needs met by being a member of the group, they remain a member. • If they don’t get their needs met, or if their needs are threatened, they will leave the group.

• Q: What makes people decide to join a particular group in the first place? • In a survey, 85% of people who had recently joined a religious group said they had joined because: “A friend was already a member. ”

• Two reasons people will join ISKCON and stay: • 1. They feel they are getting their needs met. • 2. Friends are already involved, or they make new friends quite soon

The Membership Pyramid

• Q: Who is in our ISKCON Membership Pyramid? • A: As many members as we desire and as many as we can accommodate • Q: Who are they?

Who are members of ISKCON? • People who like us (lots of people at the base of the pyramid) • People who sympathise with our beliefs and aims • People who make a contribution • People who practise our sadhana • People who practise and preach • People who have taken up full-time responsibility for leadership and management

Fact: Initiated members of ISKCON are in the minority Fact: Many initiated members do not live in temples and are independent in finances and accommodation. Question: What percentage of initiated members of international ISKCON do not live in temple communities?

• In a recent survey of 23 ISKCON gurus, the total percentage of disciples not living in temples was • 96%

• Fact: Yet we still continue to present ISKCON as: ‘A confederation of temples. . ’ • This was true perhaps in 1987 but now. • Our true size is bigger than we may think

• Members of any organisation need to know where they fit into the structure… • How they can make a contribution and accept responsibility…

• Consider the humble cucumber • 96% water • 4% ‘organisation’ • Can we learn anything?

• ISKCON does not need to have a huge ‘organisation’ to care for all of its members. • 4% will do • But it must be good, intelligent, organisation • With adequate systems as well as a structure

• STRUCTURE: The way in which a thing is organised • SYSTEM: A set of connected things, or parts, that form a whole, or work together • ORGANISATION: The sum total of the system and structures

• The structure of an organism may be simple • But the systems - the exchanges between its constituent parts may be relatively complex

• ISKCON requires a system and structure wherein our members are: • 1. Connected by firm friendship • 2. Provided opportunities for increasing involvement • 3. Given empowerment (guidance, education, coaching, responsibility)

• FACT: Many large organisations, especially those in which personal and spiritual growth are essential, are comprised of a large number of small groups. • These groups are small enough, and friendly enough, that members will want to remain members of the group.

• Question: What size should a group be in order to optimize the feelings of friendship, to enhance productivity, and to maintain good communication? • Not too small and not too big • Some examples from history:

Army organised in groups of 8 or 9

Moses divided his followers into groups of 10

Jesus and his disciples made a group of 13

• In the Vaishnava tradition there have always been small groups. • Often a small group would look after a group each. • Each member of this sub-group would care for yet another group. • In this way thousands were cared for in a group system.

Ramanuja created 74 groups

Each of the Six Goswamis cared for several groups of followers

“Let 5 or 10 of you sit down by your houses and chant the Holy Names”

• Bhaktivinoda Thakura worked hard to create defined groups in each place where he preached • Many group members were given specific responsibilities

• Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati created five layers of administration to care for thousands of disciples: • Disciples cared for by: Upadeshaka; Mahaupadeshaka; Sanyasi; Acarya

• When Srila Prabhupada was asked: “How many families in a Vedic village? ” he replied: “ 15” • He created 108 centres, average number of devotees: 15.

What happens if you don’t create groups for friendship and support? • • • Spiritual life of members is hard to sustain Members feel ‘not part of the movement’ Communication is ineffective Organisation is chaotic Members susceptible to drifting away to other groups • Entire movement becomes weak • Growth is slowed down

• Two examples from English history • One, a preacher who created a network of small groups in addition to ‘centres’ • One who simply gave great classes

• John Wesley (17031791) preached throughout England for 60 years, creating congregations which were then divided into smaller groups

Hundreds of preachers and 80, 000 members at his passing

• George Whitefield (17141770) was the better preacher but did not form groups. • He said: “Because I did not fashion my followers into groups, as did Wesley, when I called upon them to act, it was like pulling on a rope made of sand. ”

• Srila Prabhupada to Tribhuvanatha Dasa: • “Do not make me another Alexander the Great” (Preaching everywhere and ‘conquering’ but with the people remaining unchanged)

One preacher can create 12 groups by training 12 group leaders (Mother-daughter)

Who can then create the next generation of groups (granddaughters)

Questions for ISKCON leaders • How many members in your region have received initiation in the last ten years? • How many are still practising? • How many are still contributing their time, words and wealth to the mission?

• “A movement that knows how many books it has sold; how much money it has; but does not know how many members it has; what they are doing; or whether they are happy; is a movement that may not actually want more members. ” • “And if a movement does not want more members it places a limit on what it can achieve. ”

Big Movements come from Small Groups

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