ISKCON Foundation Training Centers

The ISKCON Foundation is blessed and encouraged to establish ISKCON Training Centers in different continents and shall be responsible for their direction and proper management under the guidance of the Management and Finance Ministry. They shall also arrange the required operating expenses by setting up ISKCON Foundation chapters in the local areas and engaging interested congregational members, who will be nominated by the local Temple Presidents and Zonal GBCs and will serve under their direction.

They shall work in close continuous cooperation with the respective local temples to assist the GBC Ministers and GBC Zonal Secretaries in their work of training ISKCON temple and congregational devotees by:

1. organizing seminars and courses in all Ministry areas

2. providing materials and resources for training

3. providing ongoing consultation and advice

4. employing/engaging full/part-time or volunteer staff trained by

GBC Ministers and Zonal Secretaries to do the above

5. gather data and information and communicate such with the

appropriate entities.

Ministry of Fund Development and

Life Patron Membership

Duties and Purposes

1. To develop a worldwide congregation of devotees from the Indian community.

2. To inspire those devotees to regularly engage their body, mind, and wealth in the service of Lord Krsna.

3. To educate the leaders and other devotees of ISKCON to see the Indian community as our best ally and to develop training programs in how the community should be cultivated.

4. To create facilities for Indian community members to take on major responsibilities within ISKCON.

5. To provide programs to inspire the youth of the Indian community to become Krsna Conscious.

6. To encourage within ISKCON the development of purely vaisnava cultural presentations which will attract non-resident Indians by filling the cultural vacuum they experience.

7. To inspire those born in India to take up the order of Lord Caitanya to preach the message of Lord Krsna all over the world.

8. To establish and supervise administrative offices all over the world for the coordination of services for ISKCON Life Members.

9. To establish and implement international standards for ISKCON Life Membership.

10. To re-establish the International Life Membership Newsletter. (91)

Ministry of Health and Welfare

Duties

The Health and Welfare Ministry should produce a booklet about what AIDS is, how it is communicated, how to prevent it. This booklet should be practical and not alarmist.

ISKCON Youth Ministry

Duties

1. To establish and maintain a Youth Ministry Office.

2. To develop a world-wide database of second generation devotee youth.

3. To develop a world-wide database of training and occupational opportunities for the second generation youth.

4. To facilitate the connection of devotees from the above two subsets.

5. To produce a bimonthly newsletter describing this ongoing training and placement.

6. To attend the Mayapur GBC meetings, and that he/she may elect one other second generation young adult to attend the meetings with him/her in his/her place with the approval of the GBC Executive Committee.(96)

Powers

The Youth Ministry can internationally

a. access ISKCON mailing lists and audiences.

b. establish reps. in various parts of the world [North European rep., etc.]

A period of 15-30 minutes be designated annually at a GBC Plenary Session for a report from the Youth Minister.

Youth Members

1. Gurukula graduates and youth who have been raised in our ISKCON family are to receive a special ISKCON Youth Membership status offering them free prasadam and accommodation at any ISKCON temple for one week per year per temple (provided they are respectful and follow temple rules.) Membership certificates shall be issued by the ISKCON Youth Ministry on renewable five year terms to individuals in good standing.

2. All ISKCON departments, projects, businesses, and other enterprises controlled by ISKCON members are strongly encouraged to seek out, train and employ ISKCON Gurukula graduates and other youth raised in ISKCON. Wherever feasible, such youth shall be given priority over others.

3. ISKCON temple asramas have an obligation to provide room and board to Gurukula graduates and other youth raised in ISKCON while they are pursuing further education and training at colleges, universities, or from our own skilled devotees. Such youth living in ISKCON asramas must be of good character and are expected to be respectful, follow the temple rules, and attend the morning program. Whenever possible (for example, when there is an income from parents, financial aid, etc.), they should make regular donations to the temple. ISKCON Temple Presidents shall do everything feasible to fulfill this obligation to any youth certified and approved by ISKCON Youth Ministry.(97-302)

Women's Ministry

Duties

The Ministry is to address the following concerns in a clear, mature, and deliberate manner:

1. Appreciating the contribution of ISKCON's female devotees.

2. Increasing understanding of the serious concerns of women in ISKCON.

3. Providing facility, communication and support for all female members of ISKCON.

4. Addressing issues of abuse and sexual impropriety in ISKCON.

5. Defining the different female devotee situations (e.g. grhastha women, older, renounced women, and brahmacarinis).

6. Working with temple authorities and GBCs to identify role models and encourage them to inspire and train junior Vaisnavis. (96)

(1998)

4.4.9 Grhastha & Community Development Ministry

Grahastha Ministry is renamed as “The Grhastha & Community Development Ministry” vide IGBCS AGM 1998 resolution.

 

The purpose of this Ministry is to:

 

a) Develop Grhastha Education Program and encourage establishment of guilds and chambers of commerce;

b) Offer and help to develop varnasrama colleges in co-ordination with the Ministry for Social Development Information.

c) Be a catalyst for the development of social structure of ISKCON according to Srila Parbhupada, svision.

 

 

Other Ministries

Ministry of Education: See Chapter 13 "Education" (page. 125) (Dissolved and Ministry for Social Development Information established (1998)

Ministry of Records

Ministry of Congregational Development:

See Chapter 15 "Congregational Development" (page. 131)

Ministry of Sannyasa Services: See section on Sannyasa

Ministry of Vaisnava Cultural History

Ministry of Book Distribution: See Chapter 14 "Sankirtana - Book Distribution" (page. 127)