Organizational Structure, Sea Org, Ranks

[Grundy]

This is a post on the structure of the different organizations of Scientology and the Sea Org. I wrote these posts originally on ESMB, but I am posting them here as well for those that are just here. This might explain things to parents trying to understand exactly where their kids are in the Sea Org.

There will be several posts in this thread. They will cover an explanation of the structure, definitions of each organization and where it falls in the heirerchy and what the different ranks of the Sea Org are.

Girls - if you make a "explanations forum" this should really be moved there.

In chat, there were people asking for clarifications on the structure of the church - who is SO who is not etcetera .... here is a brief explanation. (SOME NAMES HAVE changed since I was in, but the structure is basically this)

These are all Sea Org:

RTC is the top. Legally they do not have control of the organization though in practice they do. This is to prevent lawsuits of organizations affecting RTC.

RTC licenses the use of the trademarks to the Church of Scientology.

The Church of Scientology International Management manages the network through middle management. Theoretically, orders for the whole of Scientology structure come from here and go THROUGH middle management. Think chain of command.

Upper Management consists of different organizations that manage or direct different aspects of Scientology. The main organization (Church of Scientology International) manages all the individual organizations in middle management. Each individual organization is responsible for their own network. Different networks are: Churches, Missions, WISE, ABLE, NARCANON, OSA, and a couple of more.

As sub catagories of Churches are lower service organizations (not sea org), advanced service organizations (sea org) and the celebrity network. Celebrity network is managed directly through Celebrity Centre International (sea org). Other CC orgs are not Sea Org.

Non-CC orgs are managed through lower management at the continental level. Each contintental org manages a section of the world. There are two for the US (eastern and western), Canada, Europe, Latin America, ANZO (Australia, New Zealand, Oceana - basically the far east) and a couple of others I think.

WISE, ABLE and Narconon do not manage directly (theoretically) but license organizations for RTC and advise. In practice, they are usually managed. The difference between managed and licenced is a legal one, preventing lawsuits at lower levels reaching upper levels.

Same goes for Mission Network. Missions are owned by individual scientologists, and these are not technically church staff. The schedules don't have to follow what most organizations have to follow.

Advanced and lower level service organizations are managed by continental (lower) management. There are management/overseeing units at the continental level for WISE, ABLE, Narconon. The individual organizations are NOT sea org. Except advanced service level organizations. The excpetion to this is the managemement of the Flag Service Organization which is an international service organization, not responsible only for certain areas.

There are networks for different specialized departments/posts in organizations. These are in the executive section of each strata.

These networks are LRH Communicator (charged with ensuring standard tech, ethics) Flag Regresentative (charged with ensuring management directives are followed) and Office of Special Affairs (charged with ensuring organizations are on legal footing and to seperate any legal actions from the rest of the organization). These networks are the only networks where at times Sea Org members are part of Non-Sea Org Organizations.

Middle Management is called "Flag Command Bureax" and the most advanced service organization is called "Flag Service Organization" because these started on the Flagship of the Sea Organization when it started in the 60s. They were split by L. Ron Hubbard so that the largest money making organization for the Church was not distracted by trying to manage other organizations. When the newer Freewinds Service Organization started (the only ship in the Sea Org), they were put on the same level as FSO as an international service organization.

Another network that is seperate from the command structure is Commodore's Messenger Organization. These are policing and enforcement organizations structured with the same International, Flag and Continental levels. These get orders from RTC and watchdog, and have wide powers to direct management at their level. This is because they started out as the messengers for L. Ron Hubbard and when he died and the copyright holder became Religious Technology Center.

Four other organizations must be noted. Golden Era Productions is the organization which handles A/V matters. they are at the International level and are managed directly by International Management. There is a CMO org directly responsible for enforcement, etc for that org.

Two more organization that are managed from the Flag level are Bridge and New Era Publications. These produce the books sold by the organizations. Only Bridge, New Era or Gold can provide materials sold by organizations accoring to their licensing.

There is a level in International Management which is at the top (right below RTC). This is called the Watchdog Committee. They are charged with running the organization as a whole and making sure each level does what it's supposed to do. It's not organized into the same departmental structure as all organizations below it.

[Grundy]

This should be read while also looking at the chart as written by LBV over at ESMB. He did a much better job than I could have. Also, his chart is more up to date than my explanations.

http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=4382

COB - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Religious Technology Center (now just Chairman of the Board, the big honcho, da boss)

ASI - Author Services - literary agent for L. Ron Hubbard Library properties.

RTC - Main Licensee and therefore representative licensor for the trademarks and service marks of Scn.

CST - Church of Spiritual Technology - Actual owner of trademarks and service marks. Supposed to ensure they are used properly by RTC and by extension the church.

IASA - International Association of Scientologists - Membership organization and the "War Chest" for the church/COB.

CMOI - Commodore'e Messenger Organization International (CMO -policing and enforcement organization for COB, RTC, Watchdog Committee)

WDC - Watchdog Committee - Members of CMO charged with ensuring their sphere does what it's supposed to do.

INCOMM - International Network of Computer Organized Management - control of computerization for all of scientology

AVC - Authority Verification Center - responsible for certifying that those you deal with using LRH methods or Scientology are actually licensed to use it.

LRH PPRO - L Ron Hubbard Personal Public Relations Officer, to ensure L. Ron Hubbards image is positive and kept so.

Senior C/S Int - Senior Case Supervisor Internation - reponsible (through C/Ses at lower levels) for ensuring proper technology has been applied to those recieving "Pastoral Counseling"

ESI - Executive Strata International, headed by Executive Director International - responsible that churches succeed and that the organizational structure is maintained.

GOLD - Golden Era Productions - responsible for the production of all Audio/Visual items involved in the church, successful marketing for Scientology (through the CMU - Central Marketing Unit), Dissemination of Scientology through written materials (getting the word out), and R COMPS (compilation of Ron's materials - audio, written words, etc).

OSA - Office of Special Affairs - reponsible for Public Relations, keeping the church on a sound legal footing and handling any legal issues (attacks, etc)

CCHR - Citizen's Commission on Human Rights - responsible for exposing abuse in the field of Psychology and Psychiatry and to ensure spiritual problems are handled in religious settings.

FFR - Flag Flag Representative - in charge of the Flag Representative Network, responsible for ensuring managements orders are followed.

(Flag was from the navy use of this term, the flagship or the place where the admiral/overseers monitors and controls the fleet. Flag is not dependant on a particular ship. It's wherever it's being run from now. Kind of like the President of the US. Air Force One is whatever plane he is on regardless of which physical plane it is.)

FFO - Flag Finance Office - in charge of the finance network, ensuring that money is properly spent and that management is supported by lower organizations.

LRH COMM - L. Ron Hubbard Communicator - responsible for ensuring that materials written by L Ron Hubbard are not altered or degraded in any way. By extension, oversees the standard delivery of technology. Also handles images of L Ron Hubbard at their level. Also handles communications to ED International as ED International took over the "Write to Ron" line when LRH passed.

CMO IXU - CMO Internation Extention Unit - responsible for CMO functions at the flag level.

(Liason - a person that acts as the representative for someone else or for higher ups. Higher ups can't be bothered with all details, so you don't talk directly to the higher up, you go to the Liason and he passes it on.)

ILO - Internation Liason Office - Management Liason for all sectors of scientology (used to be Flag Command Bureaux)

SMI - Scientology Missions Internation - responsible for successful missions of Scientology and opening new areas.

WISE - World Institute of Scientology Enterprises - Licences secular usage of Scientology administrative technology/structure. WISE is an organization of businesspeople who use L. Ron Hubbard's methods in their business.

ABLE - Association for Better Living and Education International - in charge of the use of LRH methods in traditionally "charitable" functions for society and those things that are supposed to help soceity as a whole. Drug rehab (through Narconon), Criminal Rehabiliation (through Criminon), Educational Methods in schools (through Applied Scholastics), The Way to Happiness Foundation (the use of non-religious moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard)

IHELP - International Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors - in charge of ensuring field auditors are using standard technology and that they are certified.

FB - Flag Bureax - Management of actual Scientology churches.

CCI - Celebrity Centre International - responsible for organizations that deliver Scientology technology to celebrites, to ensure that they are not distracted (by papparazzi, average folk etc) while recieving Scientolgoy and to ensure that those with greater reach get the best treatment.

CLO - Continental Liason Office - handles the same functions as ILO but at a continental/area level. They answer to ILO.

BPI, NEP - Brigde Publications, New Era Publications - responsible for English (BPI) and non-English (NEP) publication of written materials of Scientology and L Ron Hubbard. Only legal source for churches to get published materials. BPI handles North America and I am not sure, South America, New Era the rest of the world basically.

SH - Saint Hill Organization - Ensuring that those that are clear or need advanced procedures to reach clear recieve them and are moved to advanced organization. Also responsible for training the staff of lower organizations in Standard Technology to all but the advanced levels. (up to Class VI course)

AO - Advanced Organization - Responsible for the standard delivery of lower advanced (OT) services (OT 1 through 5) and training the highest level of non-staff and non-NOTS (new era dianetics for OTs) level auditors. (class VII and VIII).

FSO - Flag Service Organization - Internation delivery organization that can deliver all levels of Scientology and is responsible for delivery of Solo NOTs (New Era Dianetics for OTs) and training staff to deliver NOTS (OT V) at AO level, Ls (advanced spiritual counseling) and training auditors to deliver Ls (Class X,XI,XII).

FSSO - Flag Ship Service Organization - responsible to deliver the first actual OT levels (OT VIII) and, when released, OT IX, seperate from society which would be distracting to those at this level. This is on the Freewinds, the only ship in the Sea Organization. As a whole this is often this is referred to as SHIP (includes FSSO and FWSO - Freewinds Ship Organization - responsible for maintenance of the ship).

ClV Org - Class V Org - responsible for delivery of all preclear services, and for auditor training up to Class V

Please list any other terms needing definition.

BTW - Another one that should be known is PAC - Pacific Area Command - the continental base closest to ILO. Many organizations of many levels are located there. There is the CLO for the West US, CMO WUS, Advanced Org, American Saint Hills, Class V orgs LA Day and Foundation, Bridge Publications, the PAC organization (Part of CLO) to maintain the PAC base.

Also, like the ship, Flag is the base. There are two organizations there. Flag Service Organization and Flag Land Base Organization which maintains the physical base. This includes the cooks, the janitors, the hotel staff, etc, etc, etc.

[Grundy]

Commodore - L. Ron Hubbard. No one can pass LRH so the highest rank is Captian.

Captian - head of RTC, Watchdog Committee and International Management.

Commander - Head of Church of Scientology International (overall organization) Flag Command bureau (now International Liason Office), Gold, CMO International, International Liason Office (used to be Flag Bureax) used to be but now I think that is Lt. Commander. Also, Watchdog Committee Members and Deputy Executive Director Interational Postings.

Lt. Commander, Head of sub organizations within Flag Command Bureax, International Service Organizations, Continental level management organizations. ILO head of LRH Comm and Flag Rep networks, some others. Some posts at Int.

Lieutenant - Head of Advanced Service Organizations, Continental heads of LRH Comm and FR networks, Advanced Service Org level of LRH Comm and Flag Rep, Some others, some posts at ILO.

Lieutentant JG (junior Grade) - some posts.

All rankings can theoretically be reached through experience and merit but in practice most of the above are purely according to postings (called Brevet Ranks). Personal ranks are what they would be without Brevet rank.

The rest are mostly according to personal achievement with review boards and promotion committes etc.

Ensign

Warrant Officer

Midshipman (lowest officer level)

Chief Petty Officer

Petty Officer First Class

Petty Officer Second Class

Petty Officer Third Class

Able Bodied Seaman

Swamper (new before all but the most basic training, and when busted)

Estates Project Force are new recruits but are not approved as Sea Org

Rehabilitation Project Force are Sea Org Members of the extreme lowest levels. Busted out of organizations and seperated from the rest of the crew. Must work up to the level of being a regular Sea Org Member.

[Grundy]

Kendra, can you make this a stickie?

[Grundy]

[Tru2form]

[Grundy]

[Grundy]

[Tru2form]

Very interesting, thanks for clearing that up. Sounds just a, well, a corporation actually.

[Grundy]

ADDED information on management structure:

Bureax:

Now that I've explained the departmental structure, now I can explain the concept of "Bureau."

First the English Dictionary definitions:

1. A government department or a subdivision of a department.
2. An office, usually of a large organization, that is responsible for a specific duty: a news bureau.
3. A business that offers information of a specified kind: a travel bureau.

In the CLO and FB in ILO, each division is called a bureau. As an aggregate they are called bureaux (pronounced bureauz) (means the same as bureaus). The HCO Bureau in FB is responsible for orders relating to all HCO divisions worldwide. The HCO Bureau in a CLO is responsible for passing on all FB orders to all HCOs in their area.

The bureaux contain all functions relating to all division for all organizations in their area.

International Justice Chief:
This post is the person responsible for all justice actions in Scientology. All declares etc. SPs have to communicate to the organization through him.

This post is really an HCO post at the management level. I'm not sure if it actually is in the HCO bureax (can someone help me out?) (I seem to remember it being a seperate network under the LRH Comm network - but it's been 12 years).

But anyway, if you are declared, the only person that can talk to you is the IJC, through the CJC (Continental Justice Chief) of your continental area. All declares are supposed to be approved by the IJC or the CJC for the IJC.

In reality, the IJC tends to rubber stamp things when someone is declared. He has to follow the commands when upper manangement orders someone declared. He is supposed to review it and verify that the person is guilty of suppressive acts as found by committee of evidence, that the order of ethics gradients has been followed and so forth. But if you think about it, he doesn't really have time. To check all of them. So it ends up being a rubber stamp job. IMHO.

How many people around here or on ESMB have been declared without a comm ev?

It's a significant number ....

[Grundy]

[Grundy]