Vodou has no central institutional authority, and thus no orthodoxy. It has no central liturgy, nor a formal creed. It displays variation at both the regional and local level—including variation between Haiti and the Haitian diaspora—as well as variation among different congregations. In rural areas especially, a congregation may consist of an extended family, especially in rural areas of Haiti. In other examples, particularly in urban areas, an "ounfo" can act as an initiatory family. It takes both domestic and communal forms.