The Tablets of the Divine Plan, letters written by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to the Baháʼís of North America, asked the followers of the religion to travel to other countries.
Time and again the beloved Guardian emphasized that expansion and consolidation are twin and inseparable aspects to teaching that must proceed simultaneously yet one still hears believers discussing the virtues of one as against the other.
A cable to American Baháʼís was sent by Shoghi Effendi on 19 May 1936 calling for permanent pioneers to be established in all the countries of Latin America.
[7] Internationally this effort would take the Baháʼí Faith to Scotland, Wales, and Ireland and raising the numbers of Local Assemblies in the British Isles.
In 1953, Shoghi Effendi launched the first worldwide, coordinated effort to expand the Baháʼí Faith, termed the Ten Year Crusade.
The four primary goals of the Ten Year Crusade were outlined as follows by Shoghi Effendi:[9] This effort was launched in order to form Local Spiritual Assemblies and National Spiritual Assemblies all over the world so that the Universal House of Justice could be elected that would be representative of a worldwide Baháʼí membership.
After its election, the Universal House of Justice wrote: The efforts of the Ten Year Crusade were followed by large enrollments to the Baháʼí Faith in some parts of the world.
The House of Justice, which was elected after the conclusion of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963, has continued Shoghi Effendi’s practice of drawing up international plans.
The first pioneer to enter a country or region mentioned in ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan is given the title of Knight of Baháʼu'lláh.
"[20] In 1925, in a letter addressed to the National Spiritual Assemblies in the United States and Canada, Shoghi Effendi noted that defining the qualifications of a "true believer" was a nuanced and intricate matter.
[21] As World War II approached and Shoghi Effendi emphasized that Bahá'ís should seek non-combatant status if drafted, it became essential to provide a registration certificate for those wishing to join the Bahá'í Faith.
[22] With the introduction of these new, more formal requirements, it became common for individuals who had previously had a casual association with the Bahá'í community to completely abandon their affiliation.