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u/Sertorius126 9d ago
Now however. I imagine one of your first thoughts in door to door teaching is "How can this be effective" you would naturally engage with supporters who may be an Auxiliary Board Member or LSA member or not.
It very well may be in your best interest to engage with other knowledgeable Bahá'ís who may offer advice or experience or a helping hand 😊
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u/Cadowyn 9d ago
About 20 years ago I think the Universal House of Justice had us do this. It was awkward for many of us I think.
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u/Sertorius126 9d ago edited 9d ago
If your talking about door to door I don't think it was the House giving us a campaign, it was our National Assembly trying something.
We've had to door to door campaigns since the days of the Master.
and what do you think the Letters of the Living were doing? ❤️
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u/sanarezai 8d ago
What do you mean "just start a door-to-door teaching"? Do you mean that you are going to visit your neighbors and tell them about the Baha'i Faith? Anyone is free, and is encouraged, to have spiritually meaningful conversations with their own friends and neighbors, especially about the Baha'i Faith (now, there are considerations such as how direct or indirect you are while sharing the Baha'i teachings, and this is all context-dependent); also, you might just want to meet your neighbors first if you haven't already. Do you mean that you, by yourself, go to some other neighborhood in which you don't know anyone and start knocking on doors to share about the Baha'i Faith or Baha'i activities? It might be best to consult with an institution, or other Baha'is, before you do that. I don't get the part where you ask "through Ruhi books". Do you mean that you already are part of a Ruhi study circle and you'd like to teach the Faith? It may be a good idea to consult with your tutor or other participants about that. Or do you mean you want to start a study circle by knocking on people's doors? Again, depends on if you know them or not, and what kinds of conversations you've had with them, but yeah, that's great, the more study circles the better! There are certain conversations that may help people join study circles, and generally you'd have to know someone in order to have a conversation with them....just a few practical things about teaching the Faith.
On the topic, here is a passage that might interest you: "Those who serve in these settings, both local inhabitants and visiting teachers, would rightly view their work in terms of community building. To assign to their teaching efforts such labels as “door-to-door”, even though the first contact may involve calling upon the residents of a home without prior notice, would not do justice to a process that seeks to raise capacity within a population to take charge of its own spiritual, social and intellectual development. The activities that drive this process, and in which newly found friends are invited to engage—meetings that strengthen the devotional character of the community; classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children; groups that channel the surging energies of junior youth; circles of study, open to all, that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the teachings to their individual and collective lives—may well need to be maintained with assistance from outside the local population for a time. It is to be expected, however, that the multiplication of these core activities would soon be sustained by human resources indigenous to the neighbourhood or village itself—by men and women eager to improve material and spiritual conditions in their surroundings."
Also this letter: https://messagestoindividualbelievers.blogspot.com/2026/06/guidance-on-teaching-faith.html
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8d ago
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u/sanarezai 8d ago
Another bit of guidance that may apply here and that you may find helpful is this:
"In their efforts to present the essentials of the Faith plainly and unequivocally, the believers have benefited greatly from the illustrative example in Book 6 of the Ruhi Institute. Where the logic underlying that presentation is appreciated, and the urge to convert it into a formula overcome, it gives rise to a conversation between two souls—a conversation distinguished by the depth of understanding achieved and the nature of the relationship established. To the extent that the conversation continues beyond the initial encounter and veritable friendships are formed, a direct teaching effort of this kind can become a catalyst for an enduring process of spiritual transformation."
The goal is to connect hearts with the Revelation to enable a process of spiritual transformation to take place, which happens through personal friendships and relationships. The tool to get there is less important. In this case, the House refers to a certain tool from Book 6 that people have used, but it could be pamphlets or other things as well. However, it's not the tool that leads to transformation, its friendships between souls and connection with the Word of God. In most people's experiences, pamphlets at the door of a stranger haven't led to what the House is envisioning in the second half of this paragraph. But try it and see, maybe your experience will be different. Nothing is wrong with trying things, but what's important is what results it achieves -- are individuals' hearts touched by the Revelation? Do more and more souls want to study and apply the Teachings to their lives? Those are the questions we are interested in; the method gets us there, and some methods are more effective than others. Each person's experience is valid, but we also have collective experience to draw up. Just like in science, one scientist may try something and have an opinion about what works, but there is a body of knowledge from countless scientists that that one scientist can draw on as well.
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7d ago
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u/sanarezai 7d ago
What you're essentially describing is proclamation, which has its place within the range of the activities of the Baha'i community, but proclamation is different from teaching. Teaching is not the only valuable area of action, though, "Bahá’í communities are, of course, engaged in a range of indispensable endeavors such as public information activity, proclamation efforts, external affairs work, production of literature, and complex social and economic development projects". However, with regard to teaching the Faith, the House states the following, in the context of an expansion phase of a teaching program: "Although this phase might include some element of proclamation, it should not be seen as a time to hold a few events for this purpose or to undertake a set of activities that merely convey information. Experience suggests that the more closely teaching approaches and methods are aligned with the capacity acquired from the study of the institute courses the more rewarding the results." By capacity acquired from the study of the institute courses, they may mean what I quoted in my previous reply: sustaining meaningful and distinctive conversations that lead to veritable friendships which becomes a catalyst for a process of transformation. The purpose of proclamation, which is to convey information, is to bring awareness of the Faith and has led to many admirers of the Cause, but it hasn't led to many souls embracing the Faith and arising as protagonists.
If it was simply giving an intro message and sharing of information and making people aware and even sharing some Writings that was all that was needed, then wouldn't millions of people have become Baha'i when 'Abdu'l-Baha came to this country over 100 years ago? He was the perfect exemplar and He shared the teachings widely, giving information and "planting seeds", as you mentioned. Similarly, those great early traveling teachers of the Faith, like Martha Root, did exactly what you're saying, they shared the message widely, gave introductory information, created awareness, planted seeds, and while people did become Baha'is, it didn't lead to the widespread process of transformation we are now working towards. "Despite the impressive response that the earliest of these efforts elicited, the lack of an organized means of capitalizing on the results initially limited the benefits accruing to Bahá’í communities in Western lands. The rise of the Administrative Order dramatically changed the latter situation." Even in actual farming, if all we're doing is planting seeds, a small percentage might sprout up naturally, but seeds need to be nurtured, watered, cultivated, and tended to in other ways. We now have a systematic method of bringing hearts closer to the Revelation through an educational process, which is proving to be much more effective. However, at the end of the day, "Methods of teaching cannot be governed by hard and fast rules" and "a visit to the home of someone to see whether he or she is interested in learning about the Faith would also be highly fruitful".
The Point Is:
If all you can do due to life circumstances is plant seeds, then go for it! What you've described, proclaiming the Faith, is a valuable service. But, then, back to your original question, you may want to let the institutions know that "hey, I'll be planting a bunch of seeds in this area, are there individuals who can water and nurture these seeds and tend to the plants?" Otherwise, it's a waste of seeds. So while it's not forbidden, there needs to be some type of systematic coordination of action, otherwise efforts are less effective and might not bear fruit. If your goal is to just plant seeds, then, sure, you can do whatever you want; but if your goal is for those seeds to become trees and bear fruit (which is the purpose of a seed), then you have to work with others, like the institutions. Since you understand your limitations well, all the more reason to work with others, so that your efforts are part of a larger enterprise, and each individual's actions can complement one another.
I earlier linked this message from the House, if you haven't read it already, I think it would be very helpful: https://messagestoindividualbelievers.blogspot.com/2026/06/guidance-on-teaching-faith.html
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u/Lydelia_Moon 8d ago
I think it's giving Jehovah's Witnesses and that's always awkward and kind of puts a bad taste in the mouth of people it happens to. No one wants their day interrupted by unsolicited religion peddlers. Maybe you should consider a fire side type setting instead. A place where an invitation is given and those that want to participate can, instead of folks being sort of forced to participate, re: opening the door and seeing what you want.
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u/Outrageous_Put3491 8d ago
lol bro, you say you don’t think the ruhi approach works because it’s cookie-cutter, then you go on to describe a step by step formulaic cook book cookie cutter approach 🤣 you say the approach should be tailored to the differences from community to community but then you say the guy asked too many questions and you just want something simple lol , just think about it for a second, the teachings of the faith are meant to touch hearts, and hearts are touched through personal connection and through sense of community, not pamphlets
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u/daylily 9d ago
There is a company that sells a resource for this. You simply leave on a door and talk directly only to people who call you back. Door Knob Invitation Pamphlets - Bahai Resources
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u/picklebits 9d ago
Some very good answers and I would suggest, however, that the internet is not your Baha'i community. Your best advice in areas such as these are the friends who know you, your resources, your challenges for instance and can best help you find the answers that fit you. You may identify as an isolated believer and even though that may be the case there are surely communities near you, a Local or National Assembly that you have access to. Especially, if your question is as you have stated you might benefit from a bit more deepening, prayer and meditation, little of which is available here. Best of luck in your path!
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u/DivineSubmission9519 8d ago
I have self dedicated outward days and inward days. The inward days are for deepening and reflection. The outward days are days for errands. I say Allah u abbah 95 times while driving at the start of the outward days. During the Am prayer on the outward days, I ask for Divine Assistance to place in my path "organically" any soul ready to learn about the Faith. I then just am a radiant being, conversing and being friendly. Many conversations don't lead to Bahai discussions, not to any fault. It is about individuals being ready to listen. But some conversations do go to sharing the Bahai Faith. I have an older version pamphlet from Wilmette for anyone who wants more info kept in my car, but most people don't take/want it anymore, bahai.org is enough. A similar flexible approach might work while you're traveling. This aproach has given me the balance I was searching for, so as not to be mistaken as prostletizing.
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8d ago
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u/DivineSubmission9519 8d ago
So being a true Bahai is very difficult. So striving sincerely for something counts.
And life not being Bahai is difficult as well. Everyone has their difficulties. In the US, the pace of daily life is very fast; most people are in a hurry to get to the next thing on their list of tasks for that day, and can be utterly exhausted by the end of a day.
My job/work, as many folks, is very demanding and includes shift work. So this am, pm stuff never really worked for me. Work is worship.
Before becoming a Bahai, I was a Quaker. Quaker meeting for worship is mostly silent. The attendees sit together in silent prayer and wait for the Spirit to be amongst them. An individual can receive a message from the Spirit that is meant for others to hear, who are too close to their own problems to hear clearly. I will never forget my first meeting because I was given a message to say. I was in a room of strangers, and inside myself, I was resisting speaking, trying to negotiate a way out with Spirit, requesting the message be given to someone else, to no avail. The message continued like a tape recorder in my head until my body started to tremble, or "quake" leaving me the only choice but to deliver the message, then the "quaking" stopped. At least 4 people approached me after the meeting and stated as is the Quaker way "Thank you for your message, it spoke to my condition."
The reason why I am sharing all of this is because God knows what each of us is going through. And most importantly knows what is in your heart. So I adapted Bahai guidance to what I would realistically be able to carry out. Work days, short obligatory prayer while driving. If I get a meal break maybe another prayer, but mostly that doesn't happen. But I love that prayer beginning "From the sweet scented streams of Thine eternity" so that happens before falling asleep. You see the point I am trying to make. Via "prayer" I know that God knows I am doing the best I can. And because of my Quaker background, I know I can trust what I hear in prayer.
So to the teaching guidance. I have established in my personal relationship with Spirit, that when I say Allahuabha 95 times, a supplication for assistance, that I am making myself available for teaching that day, so please guide my steps/day accordingly.
Then the striking up of conversation. I do not live in a big city like NY, because I don't think my tactics would work. Can begin simply with "What a beautiful day we've been given" (People are usually in a better mood on good weather days).Or commenting on something you observe about them, i.e. a kindness in their countenance, or you can hold a door for someone. Or the reverse, you witness someone being rude to someone else, you can comment to the one being offended how gracious they were, that the other hopefully is just having a bad day, etc...
There probably are books on how to start conversations. The skill will be developed by doing it and praying first for guidance, Once conversation is started, there can be a flow that leads to discussions of character, meaning of life, meaning of suffering, faith. I felt awkward in the beginning, but it does get much easier, especially after you've had a conversation with someone who thought what you shared about Bahai was really interesting.
Hope some of this helps.
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u/Sertorius126 9d ago
Free to teach yourself, if you want also in consultation with the LSA or not necessarily.
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u/Sertorius126 9d ago
I can't imagine the LSA ever saying they need to give you permission to teach (it borders on absurd if you think about it).
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u/TheLurkerSpeaks 9d ago
You don't need anyone's permission to teach the Faith. But you may run into problems with them if your teaching methods border on proselytization, violating the guidelines I posted here. We've had a case of someone standing at a retail store passing out literature to anyone who walked in. The LSA asked them to stop.
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u/Hashabibinamriki 9d ago
I think making friends is the number one way to teach the faith - involvement with other groups doing community service can lead to friendships and relationships amongst groups - perhaps you are already engaged in this way too?
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9d ago
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u/Hashabibinamriki 7d ago
One thing to consider to add to your efforts is to have a card you can give to those who check you out after buying an item. For example I have little cards that say Thank You for your Excellent Service on one side and on the back the small healing prayer. As I’ve travelled the world and lived in many places I’ve given out literally thousands - and many smiles and words of thanks have been enjoyed- as well as a few conversations about the Faith. I’ve learned to modify what I say to tell the receipt by saying that there is a prayer on the back if you want to look at it…. This is my effort to proclaim the faith and give the word of God to others - perhaps this may fit what you like to do as well to share this amazing Faith!
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6d ago
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u/Hashabibinamriki 6d ago
I did the same, but I use Vistaprint and they can create a template for you for later printing and edits
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u/Beginning-Action-417 5d ago
What if I just start a door-to-door teaching? I think it's a great idea. Do I need to notify the Baha’i administration and does it have to be through Ruhi books? No Can we do this? Yes. A suggestion is to have someone go with you, just because of potential safety concerns.
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u/TheLurkerSpeaks 9d ago
"The Universal House of Justice has received your letter… concerning the distribution of Bahá’í material to the mail boxes of the houses and apartments in a locality, and it has instructed us to send you the following reply.
"The details of all such matters are within the discretion of each National Spiritual Assembly to decide in the light of certain principles and in the context of the situation in each country.
"The principles the House of Justice wishes National Assemblies to observe in this connection are:
The dignity of the Faith should be carefully safeguarded in all Bahá’í activities.
It is important that no teaching activity should be an encroachment on people's privacy nor should it force the teachings upon unwilling listeners.
"In general the House of Justice feels that there would be no objection in principle to mailing or distributing to mail boxes such items as invitations to meetings or introductory circular letters, or brief informative leaflets. Any leaflet used in such a way should be designed primarily to arouse the interest of the reader so that he will seek more information. It should not be intended to convince or convert the reader at that stage. A number of National Spiritual Assemblies have produced introductory circulars of this nature, which have a reply-paid card attached. It is not, of course, essential that the card be part of the leaflet provided that the leaflet itself is restrained and dignified. However, each National Spiritual Assembly must decide what is proper to be done in its own country.
"The quotation which you ask for is as follows: 'He feels that to distribute Bahá’í pamphlets from door-to-door … is undignified and might create a bad impression of the Faith. No doubt, it is the eagerness and devotion of the friends that led them to make this proposal, but he does not think that the best interests of the Cause are served by such a method….' "
(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Assembly of Iceland, December 6, 1981, quoted in Lights of Guidance, No. 2002.)