The Bahá’í community’s administrative life is organized through a distinctive, non-clerical system that operates at local, national, and international levels. At the local level, when there are at least nine adult Bahá’ís in a given locality, a Local Spiritual Assembly is formed. This body consists of nine members elected annually by secret ballot, without nominations or campaigning, by the adult believers of that area. The Local Spiritual Assembly guides and coordinates the spiritual and social life of the community, organizing devotional gatherings, children’s classes, and other activities that nurture collective worship and service. It also attends to the community’s needs and, when necessary, serves as the point of contact with civil authorities.

On the national plane, a similar pattern unfolds through the National Spiritual Assembly in each country or recognized region. This body is likewise composed of nine members, elected annually at a National Convention by delegates who themselves have been elected at the local level, again without campaigning or nominations. The National Spiritual Assembly oversees the work of the Local Spiritual Assemblies, administers national properties and funds, and guides national plans of teaching and social action. It also maintains relations with the government at the national level and serves as the principal link between the national community and the international institutions of the Faith. In this way, local initiative and national coordination are woven together in a single fabric of shared responsibility.

At the global level stands the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith, located at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. It is composed of nine members elected every five years by the members of all National Spiritual Assemblies worldwide, by secret ballot and without nominations or campaigning. The Universal House of Justice provides overall direction to the worldwide community, legislates on matters not explicitly covered in the sacred texts, and oversees international funds and global development efforts. Its decisions are regarded as binding for Bahá’ís everywhere, safeguarding unity of purpose while allowing for great diversity of expression and circumstance.

Alongside these elected bodies exists a complementary network of appointed institutions whose function is advisory and inspirational rather than legislative or executive. Continental Counsellors, appointed by the Universal House of Justice, together with Auxiliary Board members and their assistants, encourage and support the believers and their institutions, helping to protect and promote the Faith. These appointed figures do not wield governing authority; instead, they foster a climate of encouragement, reflection, and vision. The entire system, from local assemblies to the Universal House of Justice and its appointed auxiliaries, rests on principles of consultation, the avoidance of partisanship, and the absence of clergy, embodying a model of religious governance that seeks to harmonize unity with participation at every level.