Concerning your question about inactive believers, the
Universal House of Justice feels that it would be somewhat abrupt to drop them
from the roster simply because they have been absent from meetings or otherwise
inactive. They should be approached and the reasons for their absence or
inactivity ascertained, and only when such investigation leads you to the
conclusion that the believer concerned no longer believes in Bahá'u'lláh should
this definitely be recognized. Every case of inactivity should be investigated
and the believers lovingly encouraged to become active. A distinction is to be
made between those who are interested in the Faith but remain inactive and
those whose inactively indicated complete lack of interest in the Faith to the
extent that they have in fact ceased to be Bahá'ís. In this latter instant
removal from the list is simply recognition of this fact.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter
written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the North West Pacific Ocean, December 18, 1974; compilation:
‘Lights of Guidance’)