EAI 2026 Motion - Silver Spring 60m Meeting

2026 FA World Service Business Convention

SHORT NAME: Meeting Format Pilot (EAI)

MAIN MOTION

The Silver Spring, MD Sunday 8:30am videoconference meeting group moves to amend the FA WSI June 2024 Standing Rules of Order to permit registered FA meetings to meet for 60 or 90 minutes; adopt and pilot a revised meeting format for one year; and adopt a revised format that will be in effect from the time of WSC approval until the next WSBC. 

Note: Similar Motions had also been submitted by or supported by the Washington DC, Ft. Pierce Florida, Lima New York and Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia meetings, which included members from Australia, Egypt, India, Japan, Morocco, South Africa, United Kingdom.

CURRENT WORDING

WSI Standing Rules of Order - June 2024 “Meeting Requirements”

An FA meeting group is an association of two or more food addicts who regularly meet to share experience, strength, and hope about recovery from food addiction through the Twelve Steps of FA. The requirements for registration as an FA meeting group are stated below…

1….

2. Meet for 90 minutes

PROPOSED WORDING

WSI Standing Rules of Order - June 2024 “Meeting Requirements”

An FA meeting group is an association of two or more food addicts who regularly meet to share experience, strength, and hope about recovery from food addiction through the Twelve Steps of FA. The requirements for registration as an FA meeting group are stated below…

1….

2. Meet for 60 or 90 minutes

INTENT

Currently, FA meetings are required to take place for a duration of 90 minutes, as per the existing WSI Standing Rules of Order (SRO). 

The proposed motion aims to amend the FA-WSI Meeting Requirements 2024 SRO to allow individual meetings to decide whether to meet for 60 minutes or 90 minutes, based on group conscience.

A proposed shortened meeting format for 60-minute meetings is below and recommended for a trial period of one year, during which wordsmithing and other ideas may be incorporated by the trial meetings, with eventual direction to WSB to report back with a presented format in 2027.

RATIONALE:

In our FA mission statement, we say that we welcome all who want to stop eating addictively.  FA also states that this is a program of attraction. The 60-minute revised format will afford time for all present, not only newcomers, to hear and witness the miracles in recovering individuals. This can be done by limiting the amount of time needed for format readings and announcements. The valuable information contained in the FA readings and announcements can be augmented by the FA literature and website resources.

There are also challenges for members who are aging, neurodiverse, disabled, or who face other obstacles in their lives. Members with poor night vision may be unable to attend in-person meetings in the evenings. Managing family obligations, work, health, and other complex life situations can be overwhelming.

Shorter meetings may help to attract and retain new members and grow the fellowship, as A.A. did. AA membership found that one meeting a week was not sufficient to maintain their recovery. At that point, the meetings, utilizing Tradition 4 (Autonomy), decided to hold more numerous, shorter meetings. Currently, our 90-minute meetings include so many directives in the format that it’s hard for newcomers and other listeners to separate the musts from the miracles.

For videoconference meetings specifically, there are studies (see link) confirming this. An "MIT Sloan Institute research shows that remote meetings suffer from faster attention decline. Reducing the meeting length creates positive pressure; research shows that groups operating under some level of time pressure actually perform more optimally given increased focus and stimulation." In today’s modern technological landscape, Zoom and other electronic meeting platforms have become a constant of daily life already.

The Purpose and Not the Length Counts: The important thing is to remember why meetings exist. The Fifth Tradition says that “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” They are long enough for groups to help all those like us to become sober and stay sober. The purpose of a meeting is not to make us feel awful. It is not to berate us. Meetings aim to “lift us up from where we were when we came in and to aid us in victory over our alcohol addiction.”

This motion seeks to give meetings another option which will contribute to the growth and sustainability of the FA program. 

SUMMARY

This motion seeks to provide meetings within the FA fellowship with the flexibility to meet for either 60 or 90 minutes. By allowing this choice, we aim to support accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability for members in diverse circumstances and time zones. The 60-minute option has strong support from the members of the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australian meeting, which included members from Australia, Egypt, India, Japan, Morocco, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, and other countries.

You can review the suggested pilot format in full.  The pilot formats will NOT be discussed or wordsmithed at EAI.