The Twelve Concepts of World Service are
- Fundamental principles that guide how the World Services Organization — Board of Trustees, Board Committees, and paid staff — is intended to function and how it relates to the Fellowship; that is, how the different pieces of World Services fit together.
- An extension of Tradition 2 and the process of Group Conscience to the level of World Services.
- From the BRB, p. 615:
“The Twelve Concepts keep our world services and groups focused on carrying a consistent ACA message while maintaining a service structure responsible to the fellowship. The Concepts help trusted servants discern the will of ACA and carry out the responsibilities granted by the fellowship.”
Concept 2 Proposed Change: Frequently Asked Questions
What is being proposed in this Fellowship Group Vote?
To update the language of Concept 2:
The current Concept 2 language reads:
“Authority for the active maintenance of our world services is hereby delegated to the actual voice, the effective conscience for our whole Fellowship.”
New Concept 2 language:
“ACA groups delegate to the World Service Conference the authority to act as their effective voice and conscience, and to represent the fellowship in world service matters.”
Please note: this change has already been reviewed and approved by the Conference at the 2025 ABC.
Why is this proposed change going to FGV?
The FGV process did not exist at the time of the 2024 ABC, when the Conference approved the plan to bring the proposed revised Concept 2 language for final Conference approval at the 2025 ABC.
However, the Concepts Committee felt it was our responsibility to bring before the Conference itself the question of whether the new Concept 2 language should go before the whole Fellowship through the FGV process.
At the 2025 Sept CBM, the Conference approved that:
“The version of Concept 2 approved at the 2025 ABC be placed into a Fellowship Group Vote process, so as to allow it to be approved and confirmed by the whole Fellowship.”
See:
- 2025 Sept CBM Send Revised Concept 2 to FGV – Motion
- 2025 Sept CBM Send Revised Concept 2 to FGV – Presentation
- 2025 Sept CBM Send Revised Concept 2 to FGV – Audio
Why is this new language being proposed?
After nearly a year of study and comparison of ACA’s Concept 2 to Concept 2 in other 12 step programs, the committee came to the following conclusion, first presented in the Committee Report to the 2023 ABC. See pages 69–70 of the 2023 ABC Binder.
“ACA’s Concept 2 is fundamentally flawed…it does not state who is the actual voice and effective conscience of ACA’s fellowship. The committee will seek to assign these roles to the Conference, in line with Concept 2 in several other 12 step programs.”
For full history, please see: “What is the origin and history of this proposed change?”
What was the challenge with the current language?
In seeking to come up with particular revised language, the committee thought that a well-structured Concept 2 should answer these three critical questions:
- Who speaks for the Fellowship?
- Who grants that authority?
- What is the scope of that authority?
ACA’s current Concept 2 answers none of these.
What is the benefit to this proposed change?
The proposed new version answers all three of the above questions:
| Question | Current Concept 2 | Proposed New Concept 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Who speaks for the Fellowship? | SILENT | The World Service Conference |
| Who grants that authority? | SILENT | ACA groups |
| What is the scope of that authority? | UNCLEAR | Represent the ACA Fellowship in world service matters |
What is the Origin and History of this Proposed Change? How Did We Get Here?
Detailed History 2021–2026
2021–2022: Original Ballot Proposal and Creation of the Committee
This started with a ballot proposal submitted in the 2021–2022 cycle, leading up to the 2022 ABC. Specifically, Ballot Proposal 2021-4, which appears on pages 102–104 of the 2022 ACA WSO ABC Delegate Binder, proposed to:
“Change Concepts II & VI to clearly identify the Annual Business Conference (ABC) as seat of the actual voice and effective conscience of our fellowship. Suggested changes will clarify that authority for the maintenance of world services is delegated to the ABC by the fellowship, while Trustee members of the ACA World Service Organization (WSO) are empowered by the ABC to act as legal agents for the fellowship regarding the maintenance of world services.”
At the 2022 ABC, the Conference discussed the ballot proposal, which resulted in authorizing creation of the Concepts Committee for further in-depth study of the issues. Please refer to pages 26–32 for introduction, background, and discussion, and pages 44–45 for the motion itself, in the 2022 ABC Minutes.
“To create an ad-hoc committee that will study Concepts II and VI and report to the 2023 ABC on possible revisions. Delegates and the fellowship will be notified of the study and invited to join the ad-hoc committee.”
Subsequent Work of the Committee on Concept 2 and Movement Through the World Service Conference
2022–2023: This now-created Concepts Committee studied Concept 2 in ACA and other fellowships for nearly a year and concluded that:
“ACA’s Concept 2 is fundamentally flawed, and we intend to recommend that it be revised. As pointed out in the original ballot proposal, it does not state who is the actual voice and effective conscience of ACA’s fellowship. The committee will seek to assign these roles to the Conference, in line with Concept 2 in several other 12 step programs.”
2023 ABC: The Conference approved a motion brought by the Concepts Committee to establish intent to change Concept 2 “to affirm that Concept 2 will define the conference as the voice and conscience of the ACA fellowship.” See the 2023 ABC Minutes, pages 7–9 and 22–23.
2024 ABC: The Concepts Committee brought specific proposed new language for Concept 2 to the Conference, establishing a period of one year for Conference Delegates to review and discuss with their respective groups, for final vote at the 2025 ABC.
The specific passed motion was recorded in the 2024 ABC Minutes, pages 6–7. The results of Worldwide Online Voting are linked on page 27.
“To support an informed Group Conscience process, the following language be approved by the Conference today for subsequent consideration and a final vote at the 2025 ABC as a replacement for the current Concept 2: ACA groups delegate to the World Service Conference the authority to act as their effective voice and conscience, and to represent the fellowship in world service matters.”
Dec 2024 – Feb 2025: A complication was introduced when the Fellowship Group Vote (FGV) mechanism was created at the December 2024 QDM and finalized at the February QDM, with minority opinion held with no change. This process did not exist at the time of the 2024 Concept 2 motion.
FGV was created initially for the purposes of the Name Change, but was understood even at that time to have wider applicability for future issues, potentially including changes to Concepts. See page 5 of the Fellowship Group Voting Process Presentation & Motion from the Dec 2024 QDM Minutes, “Confirmation Process for Fellowship Group Voting,” page 1.
2025 ABC
While the committee recognized that the newly-created FGV process might have implications for finalizing the change to Concept 2, we also recognized that a process had been set in motion at the 2024 ABC, and we felt it important to honor the decision of the Conference.
So, we endeavored to break the matter into two parts: finalizing the Conference approval question, respecting the 2024 ABC decision, and then examining the FGV question.
At the 2025 ABC, the Conference Committee brought a motion that the Conference passed. See the 2025 ABC Minutes, pages 16–17 and 24.
“That the Conference grant final approval of the following Concept 2 to replace the current Concept 2: ACA groups delegate to the World Service Conference the authority to act as their effective voice and conscience, and to represent the fellowship in world service matters.”
September 2025 CBM
Given the new FGV process, the question remained unresolved as to whether Conference approval was sufficient for a Concepts change, particularly for Concept 2, which states that the Fellowship delegates authority to the Conference.
Although the Conference had approved the proposed new Concept 2 language at the 2025 ABC, the Concepts Committee felt it was our responsibility to present this question to the Conference itself.
Motion:
“The version of Concept 2 approved at the 2025 ABC be placed into a Fellowship Group Vote process, so as to allow it to be approved and confirmed by the whole Fellowship, with the explicit understanding that a Conference decision not to initiate a Fellowship Group Vote here today will serve as a decision that the revised Concept 2 language already approved by the Conference at the 2025 ABC is final.”
Motion passed. The January 2026 CBM minority opinion did not change the vote.
What materials can I review to learn more?
Concept 2 Change, Specifically
- 2024 ABC: Concept 2 Presentation and Motion; audio here.
- 2025 ABC: Concepts Study Presentation; audio here.
- 2026 ABC: Concepts 2 Presentation. This item was scheduled but not reached due to floor motions at the ABC.
Background and Context of the Conceptual Framework
Committee History and Reports
- Report to the 2023 ABC, pages 69–70 of the 2023 ABC Binder
- Report to the 2024 ABC here
- Report to the 2025 ABC here
- Report to the 2026 ABC here