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In Overeaters Anonymous, there are three sets of rules that help us overcome overeating. The Twelve Steps are spiritual principles that guide our personal recovery. The Twelve Traditions help us keep our group united and focused.
These Twelve Concepts of OA Service guide how we apply the Steps and Traditions in our service work. These Concepts show how we delegate responsibilities to provide service around the world. They help us make good decisions in group participation, voting, and sharing minority opinions. The Twelve Concepts support our main goal of helping people who have compulsive behavior with food to overcome their problem.
The Twelve Concepts of Overeaters Anonymous
- The ultimate responsibility and authority for OA world services reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
- The OA groups have delegated to the World Service Business Conference the active maintenance of our world services;
thus, the World Service Business Conference is the voice, authority and effective conscience of OA as a whole. - The right of decision, based on trust, makes effective leadership possible.
- The right of participation ensures equality of opportunity for all in the decision-making process.
- Individuals have the right of appeal and petition in order to ensure that their opinions and personal grievances will be carefully considered.
- The World Service Business Conference has entrusted the Board of Trustees with the primary responsibility for the administration of
Overeaters Anonymous. - The Board of Trustees has legal rights and responsibilities accorded to them by OA Bylaws, Subpart A; the rights and responsibilities of the World Service Business Conference are accorded to it by Tradition and by OA Bylaws, Subpart B.
- The Board of Trustees has delegated to its Executive Committee the responsibility to administer the OA World Service Office.
- Able, trusted servants, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are indispensable for effective functioning at all service levels.
- Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority; therefore, duplication of efforts is avoided.
- Trustee administration of the World Service Office should always be assisted by the best standing committees, executives, staffs and consultants.
- The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that:
- no OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power;
- sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle;
- no OA member shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority;
- all important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity;
- no service action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; and
- no OA service committee or service board shall ever perform acts of government, and each shall always remain democratic in thought and action.
