Stage 1 - CONTACT

DEFINITION of a Contact:

A Contact is "an individual who has made an initial connection with the Faith"

-- Regional Council of the Western States, Teaching: A Working Paper on the Roles of Individuals, Communities, and Institutions in Guiding Souls through the Various Stages of Attaining Belief in Bahá'u'lláh, p. 2

GOAL of this stage:

To nurture a friendship that "enkindles" [EP19] the contact’s interest leading them to the next stage in their search and to gather information.

"The most effective way for them to carry on their work is for the individual to make many contacts, select a few who they feel would become Bahá'ís, develop a close friendship with them, then complete confidence, and finally teach them the Faith, until they become strong supporters of the Cause of God." [EP10]

Note: Pray for the contact!

CHECKLIST:

TIP: The Bahá'í must record as much information as possible and assess the contact's interest level.

Information the Bahá'í should try to get from the contact:

• Personal info (name, address, phone, e-mail).
• Time the contact would prefer to be reached.
• Method they prefer to be contacted (phone, mail, e-mail, personal meeting).
• Note the source or channel of the contact's inquiry (phone, web, friend, referral, proclamation event).

Questions the Bahá'í should seek answers to:

• How did they hear about the Faith?
• What attracted them to the Faith?
• How can the Bahá'ís help them?
• What are their needs?

TIP: During this stage the Bahá'í generally maintains the connection. "The key is to be pro-active." [EP15]

>>NEED HELP? Take a look at the follow-up guidelines and sample script

What a contact may want could include:

• A call back.
• Some specific Literature .
• To meet one-on-one or with a group.
• A prayer request.
• Counseling or companionship which we may or may not be equipped to provide.
• To locate a Bahá'í friend.
• Directions on how to get information on their own without further interaction with the Bahá'ís. (privacy requested)
• To declare their belief in Bahá'u'lláh.

TIP: Try to determine how the contact wants to learn about the Faith. Do they want to be told? Read privately? Go through material together?

"Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it." [EP2]

"Utterance must needs possess penetrating power. For if bereft of this quality it would fail to exert influence. And this penetrating influence dependeth on the spirit being pure and the heart stainless. Likewise it needeth moderation, without which the hearer would be unable to bear it, rather he would manifest opposition from the very outset." [EP3]

SIGNS OF SUCCESS:

The contact:

• Accepts an invitation to an appropriate Bahá'í meeting or activity (public or private). [EP5]
• Requests (more) Bahá'í literature.
• Agrees to visit a Bahá'í website.
• Agrees to check out the Bahá'í books available in the library.

BENCHMARK:

Stage 1 is complete when: the Contact seeks to learn more about the Faith. He or she becomes an INQUIRER.

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