Media Category: Service Body Resources

The Spiritual Principles of the OA Program

The Overeaters Anonymous Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service have Principles related to them. They are listed here:

The Principles in the Twelve Steps

(as listed in Step Twelve of The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition)

• Step One: Honesty
• Step Two: Hope
• Step Three: Faith
• Step Four: Courage
• Step Five: Integrity
• Step Six: Willingness
• Step Seven: Humility
• Step Eight: Self-discipline
• Step Nine: Love
• Step Ten: Perseverance
• Step Eleven: Spiritual Awareness
• Step Twelve: Service

The Principles in the Twelve Traditions

(as listed in the The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition)

• Tradition One: Unity
• Tradition Two: Trust
• Tradition Three: Identity
• Tradition Four: Autonomy
• Tradition Five: Purpose
• Tradition Six: Solidarity
• Tradition Seven: Responsibility
• Tradition Eight: Fellowship
• Tradition Nine: Structure
• Tradition Ten: Neutrality
• Tradition Eleven: Anonymity
• Tradition Twelve: Spirituality

The Principles in the Twelve Concepts of OA Service

(as listed in The Twelve Concepts of OA Service)

• Concept One: Unity
• Concept Two: Conscience
• Concept Three: Trust
• Concept Four: Equality
• Concept Five: Consideration
• Concept Six: Responsibility
• Concept Seven: Balance
• Concept Eight: Delegation
• Concept Nine: Ability
• Concept Ten: Clarity
• Concept Eleven: Humility
• Concept Twelve: Guidelines
  • (a) Selflessness
  • (b) Realism
  • (c) Representation
  • (d) Dialogue
  • (e) Compassion
  • (f) Respect

Blessed Beyond Anything

“Having worked the Twelve Steps, what did I learn about the Principles?

Honesty. I learned to look truthfully at ugly things that I am powerless over yet make my life unmanageable.  It takes honest vision to fully understand there is a problem and that I have no way to solve it myself.

Hope. I came to believe I can have a relationship with a Higher Power who can do things for me that I can’t and that I can be restored to sanity.  There is hope that the painful parts of my life can change and that HP has a better plan for me.

Introduction

The Twelve Concepts of OA Service help us apply the Steps and Traditions in our service work, which is an important part of the OA program. The Concepts define and guide the practices of the service structures that conduct the business of OA.

These Concepts depict the chain of delegated responsibility we use to provide service throughout the world. Although they focus on OA world services, the Concepts direct all OA’s trusted servants to well-considered actions for group participation, decision making, voting, and the expression of minority opinions. The Twelve Concepts support our primary purpose of carrying OA’s message of recovery to the still-suffering compulsive eater.

The Twelve Concepts of OA Service

1. The ultimate responsibility and authority for OA world services reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
2. The OA groups have delegated to World Service Business Conference the active maintenance of our world services; thus, World Service Business Conference is the voice, authority and effective conscience of OA as a whole.
3. The right of decision, based on trust, makes effective leadership possible.
4. The right of participation ensures equality of opportunity for all in the decision-making process.
5. Individuals have the right of appeal and petition in order to ensure that their opinions and personal grievances will be carefully considered.
6. The World Service Business Conference has entrusted the Board of Trustees with the primary responsibility for the administration of Overeaters Anonymous.
7. 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.
8. The Board of Trustees has delegated to its Executive Committee the responsibility to administer the OA World Service Office.
9. Able, trusted servants, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are indispensable for effective functioning at all service levels.
10. Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority; therefore, duplication of efforts is avoided.
11. Trustee administration of the World Service Office should always be assisted by the best standing committees, executives, staffs and consultants.
12. The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that:
    1. No OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power;
    2. Sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle;
    3. No OA member shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority;
    4. All important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity;
    5. No service action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; and
    6. No OA service committee or service board shall ever perform any acts of government, and each shall always remain democratic in thought and action.

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Spiritual Principles in the Twelve Concepts

A spiritual principle is associated with each of the Twelve Concepts.

For more information about the Twelve Concepts, read the pamphlet The Twelve Concepts of OA Service, available at bookstore.oa.org.