Sacred Institutions
The Bahá'í administrative institutions — Local, National, and Universal Houses of Justice — are divinely ordained instruments of unity.
Bahá'u'lláh established the institutions of the Bahá'í Faith as instruments for the unification and governance of the Bahá'í community and, ultimately, of humanity. The Universal House of Justice — elected every five years — is the supreme governing institution with authority to legislate on matters not explicitly covered in the sacred texts.
It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world.
The Bahá'í administrative order is among the most sophisticated institutional designs created by a religious founder, anticipating modern international governance structures.
Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh