How is A.A. Structured?
Tradition Nine states, “A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”
In North America, the A.A. service structure is often depicted as an “inverted triangle.” The graphic on the right illustrates how it all works.
Everything in A.A. begins at the group level. Groups elect officers to serve, not to govern, for limited periods.
Individual groups may elect a General Service Representative (GSR) who takes part in district meetings where they are kept up-to-date on A.A. activities and topics of interest. GSRs attending district meetings are an excellent resource for addressing group problems and concerns.
In Sussex County there are four districts, each representing a geographic region.
The district meetings are chaired by the District Committee Member (DCM), and groups work together at the district level to further the primary purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous in their community. The DCM conveys the group conscience of their district’s A.A. members to the area committee.
Further reading: The A.A. Group … Where It All Begins and Is Your Group Linked to A.A. as a Whole?
GSRs, in addition to attending district meetings, also represent their groups at the Area Assembly four times per year. The Area Assembly consists of all the groups and all the districts within a geographical area, often a state or province. In the case of Delaware, we are in Area 12.
The Area Assembly’s main responsibility is to elect a Delegate to represent them at the General Service Conference (U.S./Canada) in New York, which is where the group conscience of all the groups in North America is heard. The delegates, representing 93 areas, vote on agenda items that are established by the General Service Board of trustees. These agenda items can originate from individual A.A. members, Groups or the entire Assembly.
The General Service Board oversees the two corporate entities: A.A. World Services Inc. (A.A.W.S.) and A.A. Grapevine Inc (GV), who also serve the Fellowship but do not govern it.