How Well Does our Group Adhere to the 12 Concepts for Service?

• Does the meeting/group hold regular business meetings?
  • MA World Services has suggestions and resources for hosting business meeting sma12.org/businessmeetings 
• Does the meeting/group send a representative to the local District (or Region) Service Committee meeting? (GSR)
• Does the group regularly talk about how to better fulfill MA’s primary purpose “to carry the message” of recovery to the addict who still suffers?
• After paying expenses, does the group have enough money to conduct other services on its own that are in furtherance of carrying the message?
  • Does the meeting/group contribute money on a regular basis to the DSC and/or World Services?

• Does your Group Service Representative regularly take part in District Service Committee (DSC) meetings? 
  • Does the group have any way of letting the local DSC know whether it is meeting the group’s needs? How?  
• How frequently is your group consulted on service matters by the DSC? MA World Services?
  • Do you want to be consulted more often? Less often? Only on specific topics? Like what?

• What does your meeting/group think about the concept of delegated authority? 
• If your meeting/group were consulted on every decision that had to be made by every service board, committee, or subcommittee at the District or World Services level, would you still have enough time and energy to address your own group’s business? 

• Who participates in your meeting/group’s business meetings? Why? 
  • Are there any differences in the way members participate in service committee meetings and in a subcommittee meeting? Why, or why not? 
• What does it mean to “bear substantial responsibility” for the Service Committee’s decisions? 
  • Do all members “bear substantial responsibility “for the MA services delivered? 
  • Do all members in your meeting/group or district/region’s service committees (i.e. DSC meetings or any District committees, i.e. H&I or Events) “bear substantial responsibility” for the Service Committee’s decisions? How so? If not, why not?
• What does it mean for all members to have a “Right of Participation” in a Service Committee?
  • Are all members of the service committees in your group or district permitted to participate in the service committee’s decision making process? How so? Why or why not? 
  • Do all members of the DSC or other committees in your group or district actually participate in the committee’s decision making process? How so? If not, why not?

• What do we mean when we say that MA is a “spiritual” program? 
• How does the practice of the 5th Concept help us focus on “principles, not personalities” when we make service decisions?
• In what way is group conscience distinct from our decision-making processes? 
  • Is “group conscience” just MA ‘s way of saying “voting”? If not, how is it different?
  • What makes a spiritual decision making process? 
  • In what way is group conscience a fundamental part of that process?  
  • Does a spiritual program approach the decision-making process differently than other organizations? How so?

• Why is it important to make sure all viewpoints are considered when making decisions about the group/meeting or district?  
• Does your group/meeting consider the minority opinion in its decision-making process? How so? If not, explain. How can this be remedied? 
• How does your group/meeting or district allow for a “right of appeal?” Have you ever been afraid to speak your conscience in service meetings? If so, why?  
• How do you know when it’s time to speak up against a decision of the majority? When it’s time to accept a decision and surrender to group conscience?

• Do our group’s service positions have written descriptions to define the scope of responsibility for each position?
• Do we provide service sponsorship, service position training, service member group chats, or other resources to help new trusted servants be of service?
• Does the meeting/group assign particular tasks to particular people?
• Are members willing to volunteer for service? Is there a lack of willingness? How can that be remedied?

• What is the real foundation of MA leadership? 
• What are the skills and personal traits we seek when selecting trusted servants? 
• Does your meeting/group have leaders? 
• Could your meeting/group do without leaders?
• Does this meeting/group allow a rotation of leadership? How often?  
• What does MA leadership have to do with recovery? With selfless service?

• How would it limit our group/meeting from fulfilling our primary purpose (to carry the message of recovery) if we had to manage and conduct the business aspects of MA as embodied in the Articles, Bylaws and Conference Charter amongst just our group/meeting? 
• How does it help our group that World Services has a group of volunteers (and paid special workers) dedicated to performing the day-to-day tasks of managing World Services’ business that might otherwise overwhelm our group/meeting (or district?)
• Does our group/meeting know how to contact the MA World Services’ Board of Trustees if it needs to regarding World Service business? 
  • Contact [email protected] and they will direct your question to the appropriate person. 

The Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Conference Charter can be found in the Service Manual available at MA12.org/SM 

• How does regular communication support the other Concepts for Service? 
• Does the meeting/group maintain regular communication from the trusted servants, service boards, and committees that serve it, such as the DSC/RSC? MA World Services? 
  • How has this communication, or lack of it, affected your meeting/group? District/region?  How can it be improved? 
  • Does your group send a GSR to the DSC/RSC? Why or why not? 
• Does the District have delegate(s) they send to the annual MA World Services’ business Conference to vote on agenda items and other important MA business matters? If not, why? 
  • Visit https://mawsconference.org/  to learn more about the Conference.
• Does your District’s delegate (or another trusted servant) report on MA World Services’ business throughout their one-year term? Prior to the Conference on Conference Agenda items? 
  • Is your group/meeting polled on Conference Agenda items prior to the MA World Service Conference (typically held at the end of May?) Does your District’s delegate report back to your group/meeting about the Conference and results of Conference Agenda Items?
• Does your group share “pitch points” or other announcements at each meeting about District or Region business? About MA World Services business?
  • Announcements from MA World Services can be received directly through the newsletter “Carry the Message” Sign-up: MA12.org/CTM 
  • Do members of our group/meeting know about and how to register to attend the annual fellowship Convention? 
• Are members of the group subscribed to the “A New Leaf,” MA’s monthly literary publication (which is now digital and free)? Are members of the group familiar with and subscribed to “Daily Dose” MA’s new daily e-mail with excerpts from MA’s daily reader “Living Every Day with Hope?”
  • MA12.org/New-Leaf and MA-Daily-Dose.org to subscribe & submit 
  • Do members of the group submit content and sobriety anniversaries to A New Leaf either directly, or through a District “ANLP Liaison” (formerly “ANLP Bureau Chief?”)

• How are 7th Tradition contributions used in your group?
  • Does your group have standing budget priorities, or does it handle finances month-to-month?
  • Does the District/Region pay any group expenses, such as rent or Zoom fees? How does that affect whether your group adheres to this Concept for Service and/or the Traditions?
  • Does your group collect enough contributions to be self-supporting?
• Are MA funds well accounted for in your group? If not, what kinds of financial reports would you like to see instead?
  • Do you know of instances where MA money has been spent frivolously at the group level? What was “frivolous” about the way that money was spent? How should it have been spent instead?
• Does your group depend on MA fundraisers for a significant portion of its income? Is that wise? How does it affect your group’s relationship to the District/Region?

• What does “selfless service” mean?
• What is it about MA’s primary purpose and its spiritual identity that says “our structure should always be one of service, never of government?” 
• What spiritual concepts are utilized in our service structure?
• Is your meeting/group’s service structure one of service, or one of government? What is the difference?