Source: Kalamazoo Gazette
http://www.mlive.com/features/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/features-0/1178943696306920.xml&coll=7
When Frank Lucatelli came to Kalamazoo in the early 1970s, the local Bahai community was small -- fewer than nine -- which is the number needed to start an official group. But it didn't have to grow much to reach nine, and soon the members formed an administrative group, of which Lucatelli remains a member.
``Since we have no ordained clergy, our religion is run collectively by the believers,'' said Lucatelli, an architect and one of the spokespersons for the group. ``To have an official status, you need a minimum of nine Bahai living in a specific geographic area.''
The group now numbers about 50, and Lucatelli and the other administrators handle all of the responsibilities of the group, including holding regular events and overseeing business matters related to births, deaths and marriages.