Spiritist centres differ from Spiritualist churches in that they are not formally organized as ecclesiastical bodies.
[citation needed] In addition to the legal and corporeal aspects of its existence, a Spiritist centre is also believed by its members to have an informal and incorporeal level of existence in the spirit world which comprises its patron and a series of protector spirits (which may be shared by other centres in the world).
Doctrinal classes have a twofold goal: 1) to share the knowledge available in the books and brought by the founders 2) to identify potential mediums and workers.
Spiritual assistance offered at Spiritist centres includes disobsession, healing, and blessing (directed to the followers and occasional visitors) as well as medium meetings in which several types of spiritual assistance is directed to spirits of deceased people.
The ultimate goal of spiritual assistance is to help our planet to make it through its current stage of evolution, ceasing to be a world of penance to become a happier one.