On September 19, 1995, the Brampton Ecclesia in Ontario began our first Seminar on “Learn to Read the Bible Effectively.” Through the grace of our Lord, a wonderful and exciting new experience in presenting the Word of God was suddenly opened up to us. From that point forward, we have been generously blessed by our Heavenly Father, not only in the opportunity to proclaim His Word, but in the Spiritual well-being, vitality, and fellowship it has engendered within our Ecclesia.
You might imagine our reaction when 128 individuals registered for the original seminar! Of those registered, 86 attended the first evening and 69 received graduation certificates on the sixth evening. Many of these were eager to gain further insight into God’s Word.
The Seminar is Over: What’s Next?
It was obvious that something more must be done to accommodate the needs of these seminar students. As “babes” in their understanding of God’s true plan of hope, they were not yet ready for direct confrontation with the traditional doctrines which had been instilled in most of them. It was determined that another seminar was the most viable method of developing further association and encouraging growth in the Truth.
Ultimately, our Ecclesia was privileged to present to this group a series of four seminars. The initial 6 week course was followed by:
- The Book of Genesis (six week course),
- The Life of Christ (eight week course), and
- The Acts of the Apostles (eight week course).
There were 27 students who received graduation certificates from the 4th seminar. These graduates had been involved in 28 weeks of exposure to God’s Word and had been introduced to every one of our first principles. These principles were all presented in a positive manner, in Biblical terms, never as unsupported doctrine. Conversely, we never presented any negative concepts, such as, “we do not believe in the Trinity”, “there is no immortal soul”, etc. We simply encouraged them to form their own conclusions based on the Bible statements that were discussed. All of this was apart from home study discussions in which some participated, as the series developed, and which carried on at the conclusion of the seminars.
In September of 1996, this process was repeated with similar results. This time there were 147 registrations received, with 92 attending the first session. There were 28 students receiving certificates on the final evening of the 28th week. Many of these expressed interest in proceeding to home classes. Inasmuch as the group from the first year was further along in their studies, this necessitated initiating a second evening each week.
We were blessed with 12 baptisms directly attributable to these first two seminars. Other participants in the home study classes expressed an interest in possibly following this lead. The two home classes from years one and two were then combined into one evening. Members of the 3rd year seminars were invited to join these classes. When we ran the seminar again the third year, we received another 105 registrations.
The pattern was established which we have followed for 15 years, during which approximately 1,200 respondents have expressed an interest in learning to “Learn to Read the Bible Effectively”.
Is Small Better?
Due to the number of registrations in 1995 and 1996, we had broken up the first course into three separate classes, feeling that 30 to 40 members constituted the ideal class size. We ran three simultaneous classes utilizing three teams of two presenters each.
The third year, we kept the whole group in one large room. Two teams of presenters were involved, alternating each week. This appeared to be more effective than breaking them up into smaller groups. There were more audience responses to questions during the early sessions than occurred in the two previous years. More participants stayed after the close of each evening to offer comments and ask questions. They broke into spontaneous applause at the end of the session. That was a first for us!
No one in our ecclesial experience had ever enjoyed such response or reactions in our years of public lectures and campaigns, which essentially produced zero response. Upon completion of the three years, a total of 249 neighbors in our local community, seeking understanding in God’s word, had been exposed to some degree of Christadelphian outreach efforts.
A transition from seminars to home study with a very involved group of students was accomplished. There were no confrontations. They listened to us as trusted friends.
We tried some things that worked. We made some mistakes. In summarizing our experiences there are several points that should be emphasized.
Important Reminders
Finally, apart from any other considerations, we emphasize three elements that we found to be essential to the presentation of these seminars. They are mutually-supportive in developing a bond with the students and the resulting spiritual excitement in the Ecclesia.
1) Be true to your word. The most singular common comment made by those who now freely discuss first principles with us, is that we gained their respect by staying true to our promise that we would not overtly attempt to convert them. We never told them that their current beliefs were wrong, or that their Churches were wrong. We made no direct attack on their inherent belief in traditional false doctrine. Awareness of error developed of its own accord as true knowledge of the Word was established. By simply dwelling on what the Bible states, without presenting it as our doctrine, we were not engaged in argumentative confrontation. Those who were truly seeking God’s will and word, began telling us where they had been wrong. Their Priests and Ministers did the arguing, and were shown as lacking in understanding in the light of God’s Word. As respect grows, so grows trust. Among those who attend, we now discuss first principles of doctrine and truth as friends. Every brother and sister in our meeting is familiar with the advertisement through which the students were invited to attend. The promises made in this invitation are respected.
- Involvement. We keep all the brethren and sisters of the Ecclesia informed and involved as the seminars progress. Weekly progress in our seminars is included in our Sunday morning announcements, coupled with a request for continuing prayer. Some of our members attend the classes as observers, with the understanding that they do not initiate confrontation or preach doctrine. As they see the students’ eagerness and friendliness grow, such awareness generates:
- Spiritual excitement. As this infectious enthusiasm grows, so does the intensity of prayer for our Heavenly Father’s support. Without His blessing, we accomplish nothing.
Why Not a Fifth Seminar?
Initially, as the participants in these classes approached the conclusion of the 4th seminar in the series, we pondered this question. It was our opinion that prolonged formal class structure might simply lead to the concept of perpetual students. As eager as they were to absorb information, we feared the possibility of lulling them into a pattern of academic study. This could lead to a position of, in Paul’s words, “always learning, and never coming to the knowledge of the Truth” (2Tim 3:7).
The “building blocks” were all in place. It was time to guide them toward commitment, and a sense of urgency in seeking a personal relationship with God through Christ.
We had gradually introduced an increasing emphasis on such commitment as the seminars progressed. By this time, the realization of Christ’s return and a Kingdom on earth were established. By allowing the Bible to speak for itself, this had been revealed throughout the classes, without any confrontations on immortal souls, heavenly reward, punishment in hell, etc. The theme “Be Ready for Christ’s return” was stressed in the presenter’s dialogue throughout the “Acts” seminar, the final in these series.
About the seventh night of this seminar, we introduced the possibility of holding “Be Ready” classes in the home. These are dedicated to discussion of what is personally involved, based on Scripture, in being prepared for Christ’s return. In subsequent years, not every student who completed all four seminars attended these classes which began three weeks later. Those who did attend had reached a level of association with us that they were prepared to listen and discuss first principles as friends.
Discussions with friends have always been a productive means of presenting the first principles of the Gospel. It is, indeed, a thrilling experience to have such conversations with a whole group. It is exciting to witness the pleasure of these students when one of their number makes the decision to be baptized, even if they themselves have not yet reached such understanding and commitment.
These classes have been maintained consistently over the years. It is essentially from this group that baptisms develop. Many of those who have been baptized as a result of this effort continue to attend these weekly in-home classes, providing support and encouragement to those who have not yet reached this decision.
During this past summer an average of 10-12 students were attending these open discussions on First Principles, two of whom have expressed interest in private and personal classes in preparation for baptism. To date, 24 searching hearts have been baptized as a direct result of contact through these 14 years of Seminars. At the present time, brethren and sisters who came to an understanding in God’s Word through the Seminars constitute 42% of our membership. They come from a variety of backgrounds and denominations. Two had been in the Salvation Army. One was a Buddhist who, initially, simply wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ, who from what she had heard must have been “a really good man.” One woman left the Seminars, but returned when she thought about the fact that her Anglican Church extended the Memorials to children who had no understanding of God’s Word. Another questioned her Priest about what the Bible said. His directive to ignore the Bible and listen to him motivated her decision to baptism.
At present we have begun our 15th consecutive year of Seminars. Recently, 89 registrants responded to the two ads we placed in the local community newspaper. As long as the Lord continues to bless our ecclesia with such exciting response and experience, we would be delinquent in discontinuing this form of presenting His Word and His Hope to an increasingly unsettled and uncertain world.
Has the Seminar approach run its course?
As a footnote, we must acknowledge the positive effect that these Seminars, and the resulting baptisms, have had upon our Ecclesial family. The enthusiasm of our new members provides an infectious hunger for fellowship and the desire to share this “new and wondrous treasure” with families, working associates, and neighbors. Their intense appreciation of the wonder of the Gospel, formerly unknown to them, provokes us to the excitement of sharing in the joy of Angels over sinners who repent. This joy is infectious. May God Bless us all in our efforts to plant the seed of His Word.
We do not believe the Seminar approach is becoming obsolete in any way. As the continuing results show, sessions continue to draw much interest, some by God’s gracce result in new and vibrant members.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One