Sustained endeavour on the part of the individual, the community and the
institutions to accelerate the institute process in a cluster, while
contributing to its movement from one stage of development to another through
well-proven means, culminates in the launching of an intensive programme of
growth....
As currently conceived, an intensive programme of growth is
straightforward, simple and effective, but implies a level of exertion that
tests the resolve of the friends. Conforming well to the vision we presented
five years ago, it employs a few measures that have proven to be indispensable
to large-scale expansion and consolidation. It consists of cycles of activity, in
general of three months' duration each, which proceed according to distinct
phases of expansion, consolidation, reflection and planning.
Expansion phase
The expansion phase, often a period of two weeks, demands the highest
level of intensity. Its objective is to widen the circle of those interested in
the Faith, to find receptive souls and to teach them. 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.
Plans being devised for this phase invariably involve the implementation of carefully designed teaching projects and campaigns of home visits and firesides, often through the mobilization of teaching teams. The pattern of expansion that unfolds, however, varies from cluster to cluster. Where the population has traditionally shown a high degree of receptivity to the Faith, a rapid influx of new believers is to be expected. In one cluster of this kind, for example, the goal of enrolling fifty souls over a three-week period in a locality was surpassed by the second day, and the team wisely decided to end the expansion phase in anticipation of activities related to consolidation. One of the primary objectives of this next phase is to bring a percentage of the new believers into the institute process so that an adequate pool of human resources will be available in future cycles to sustain growth. Those not participating in study circles are nurtured through a series of home visits, and all are invited to devotional meetings, to the celebration of the Nineteen Day Feast and to Holy Day observances and are gradually introduced to the patterns of community life. Not infrequently, the consolidation phase gives rise to further enrolments as the family members and friends of new declarants accept the Faith.
Consolidation phase
In other clusters, enrolments during the expansion phase may not be high,
especially in the first few cycles, and the goal is to augment the number of
those willing to participate in core activities. This, then, defines the nature
of the consolidation phase, which largely involves nurturing the interest of
seekers and accompanying them in their spiritual search until they are
confirmed in their faith. To the extent that these measures are vigorously
followed, this phase can generate a considerable number of enrolments. It
should be noted, however, that as learning advances and experience is gained,
the ability not only to teach responsive souls, but also to identify segments
of the general population with heightened receptivity, develops, and the
totality of new believers increases from cycle to cycle. …..
Reflection & Planning
Key to the progress of an intensive programme of growth is the phase
dedicated to reflection, in which the lessons learned in action are articulated
and incorporated into plans for the next cycle of activity. Its principal
feature is the reflection meeting-as much a time of joyous celebration as it is
of serious consultation. Careful analysis of experience, through participatory
discussions rather than overly complex and elaborate presentations, serves to maintain
unity of vision, sharpen clarity of thought and heighten enthusiasm. Central to
such an analysis is the review of vital statistics that suggest the next set of
goals to be adopted. Plans are made that take into account increased capacity
in terms of the human resources available at the end of the cycle to perform
various tasks, on the one hand, and accumulated knowledge about the receptivity
of the population and the dynamics of teaching, on the other. When human
resources increase in a manner proportionate to the rise in the overall Baha'i
population from cycle to cycle, it is possible not only to sustain but to
accelerate growth.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 27 December 2005 to the Conference of
the Continental Boards of Counsellors)
