Increasing activity among URANTIA Book readers around the globe is proof that the Urantia Revelation is taking hold in the hearts and minds of people from many cultures. The increasing demands on URANTIA Foundation, both as a book publisher and as a service provider to readers, has caused us to develop a strategy for managing the affairs of URANTIA Foundation outside of the United States through the establishment of business offices and Foundation Representatives.
A new URANTIA Foundation office sometimes, but not always, begins with a translation effort, then with the appointment of a regional Foundation Representative. As the translation is in progress, a group of interested readers become organized around the translation project. This group serves by asking questions, reading the papers, and assisting the translators in evaluating the translation. The group may become tightly integrated as a study group, as happened in Finland and Russia, and once the translation has been printed, the group then assists in trying to interest bookstores and libraries in carrying The URANTIA Book.
The Foundation Representative is able to provide a service to readers by answering questions and referring them to other readers and study groups. This same representative also supports programs such as library placement and bookstore consignment and seeks to find distribution outlets. After several years, as business increases due to an increased demand for the book, it may become necessary to establish an office in that country. Readers and book trade personnel are better served by people who speak their language and come from the same culture.
Meanwhile, the reader groups may organize for dynamic service in the form of a fraternal group. Once that happens, the potential for personality interaction, and the myriad of results of such interaction, comes into play, and the readers become key instruments for disseminating the teachings and fostering the study of the Book.