RCA ought never endorse, finance, or lend the RCA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
The purpose of RCA is to carry its message to recovering couples who still suffer. Tradition Six is an elaboration on the many possible ways a group might not stick to its primary purpose as well as, a reflection on how to avoid actions which could lead to disunity. It establishes boundaries for our fellowship, much as we set personal boundaries.
Problems of money, property and authority may easily divert us from our primary aim. Therefore, significant property, should be separately incorporated and managed,.
An RCA group, as such, should never go into business, but we need to cooperate with many other entities that have similar or supportive aims. Without this cooperation we could not let couples that suffer know of our existence and our program. But while an RCA group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. Adjuncts to RCA, such as clubs, therapists, couples counseling entities, ought to be separately incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups. They should not use the RCA name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them.
An RCA group can bind itself to no one. It has been our experience that outside organizations are attracted to RCA. They send members to us. RCA has a common bond with other 12-step programs such as AA–that of recovery, but even though we have similar aims, we should not affiliate with them.
When we adhere to the principles of Tradition Six we are able to carry the message and interact with others, knowing that we will not compromise our purpose. Some of the principles that help us observe Tradition Six include humility, integrity, faith, harmony, and anonymity.