Hello Schooner,
Once again, the answers to your questions and concerns can be found in the 12 Traditions.
Alcoholics Anonymous - Twelve Traditions
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
Copyright A.A. World Services, Inc.
I'm familiar with the group structure that you mentioned that the new group has formed. In the Southern California area, where I got sober, that's how most groups are structured. A secretary and a treasurer, and sometimes the secretary is the treasurer. No Chair-person. The secretary may select a person, usually a different person each week, to lead the format of the meeting. And, sometimes... the secretary doesn't pick someone to lead the meetings... the secretary leads each meeting.
It only takes two alcoholics getting together for the purpose of recovery to call themselves an A.A. Group. And, most A.A. Groups start out with only two members. Sometimes... when a new group starts, there is only one sober A.A. member, and the other alcoholic is the alcoholic that the sober A.A. member is trying to help achieve sobriety (he/she, the other member may not be sober yet).
The 12 Traditions cautions us to not get too organized or professional because it will cause friction and conflicts within the group, which will interfere with the groups primary purpose of carrying it's message to the alcoholic that still suffers.
Some groups operate without a formal secretary or treasurer. They keep it real simple. Sometimes they register the group with the A.A. GSO and sometimes they don't.
Just like any alcoholic can be a member of A.A. if they say they are... any two A.A. members can form a group.
My suggestion would be: instead of calling for a group conscience meeting during the meetings... simply make a request to meet privately with the two A.A.'s that started the group... at a time other than meeting time. Go out for coffee and have a nice talk. They will probably explain to you why they do what they do and what their vision is for the new A.A. Group. If you like their answers you may want to support them and help them to achieve their objectives. If you don't like their answers, no problem. Just attend other meetings, or get yourself a coffee pot and another alcoholic and start a group and do things as the two of you believe that they should be done.
In the scenario that you've described, I believe the most important thing to consider is Tradition One: Unity. And, Tradition Four: Autonomy.
Tradition One "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. Unity."
Tradition Two "For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience."
Tradition Four "Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."
Tradition Five "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
Do what you can to be a helper and to be helpful to anyone and any AA Group, that is trying to do something to help alcoholics to recover. Stick together even when you think the group is doing it wrong. Recognize and understand that it's okay to be different and it's okay for any group to do it different. And, most important: Practice unity. Identify and support rather than compare and find differences. Progress comes slowly and perfection is rarely achieved. Without unity A.A. could disappear entirely and then we'd all be screwed. We need each other to survive.
I hope that helps.
Dallas
P.S. "Blessed are the flexible... for they shall not break."
