What Is a Service Position?

Back to Getting Started with AA

Service brief Responsibility, not rank

A title names the work. It does not grant status.

A service position is a responsibility defined by a group or service body to help carry the A.A. message and keep its work connected. The role names work to be done; the people being served remain the source of its direction.

“But, for a group to keep going, all kinds of service must be done.”Official A.A. FAQ, “What do A.A. group members do?”

Assignment anatomy

Read the position as a service brief

These questions orient the reader to a role. They are not a universal required form.
Selected by
The group or service body, according to its own practice.
Work
A defined responsibility with enough authority to carry it out.
Term
The length and method established locally for that position.
Reports to
The group or service body being served.
Rotation
Where rotation is used, experience and opportunity pass onward.

Examples—not an official classification

Service follows the need

Titles differ. These examples show the kinds of practical work groups and service bodies may assign.
01 / Meeting setting

Keep the room or connection ready

Space, format, refreshments, access, greeters, and other practical meeting needs.

02 / Resources

Steward money and literature

Contributions, expenses, reports, Conference-approved literature, Grapevine, and La Viña.

03 / Communication

Keep information moving

Records, announcements, schedules, local contacts, and reports to the group.

04 / Connection

Link the group to wider A.A.

Intergroup or central office, district, area, general service, and committee liaison work.

05 / Outreach

Help the hand of A.A. be available

Meeting information, calls for help, accessibility, treatment, corrections, and public information.

06 / Coordination

Support group decisions

Chairing, scheduling, elections, assignments, reports, and follow-through.

Accountability line

Responsibility stays connected to those being served

A plain-language relationship map, not a required procedure.
  1. Group direction
  2. Defined responsibility
  3. Member carries work
  4. Reports back
  5. Rotation where used

Reference index

Follow the responsibility

Each complete row opens one related guide.

Continue through the site

Related A.A. sections and meeting tools

AA Groups and AdministrationContinue to local group, service, and administration information.Open section AA Membership and SponsorshipContinue to membership, sponsorship, service, and participation guidance.Open section AA MeetingsOpen the Pittsburgh-area meeting tools.Open section

Official source file

Read the source wording

Each complete row opens one official A.A. destination.
Official A.A. FAQWhat do A.A. group members do?The official explanation of the practical service that keeps a group functioning. Read the official answer The A.A. Group publication artwork Conference-approved publicationThe A.A. Group…Where It All Begins (PDF)Descriptions of group roles, business meetings, group conscience, and service within the group. Open the official PDF The A.A. Service Manual cover General service referenceThe A.A. Service Manual combined with Twelve Concepts (PDF)The official guide to general-service responsibilities and structure beyond the group. Open the official PDF

Source record: Official A.A. FAQ, The A.A. Group…Where It All Begins, and The A.A. Service Manual combined with Twelve Concepts for World Service reviewed August 13, 2026.