Conduct Progressive Doorstep and Telephone Bible Studies
1. What is our purpose in conducting Bible studies?
1 What a joy it is to start a Bible study! However, finding someone who has an interest in studying the Bible is only the beginning. The purpose of the study is to help the person to become a genuine disciple of Christ. (Matt. 28:19, 20) What can help us to attain that goal?
2. What are doorstep and telephone Bible studies, and why are they effective?
2 Busy People: People today are increasingly busy. In some places, few people may initially be willing to set aside a full hour to study the Bible. To help such ones, we have been encouraged to start and conduct Bible studies at the doorstep or over the telephone. At first, these studies may be relatively brief and may involve considering just a few Bible texts with the aid of one or two paragraphs in a publication, such as the Bible Teach book. How commendable it is that many publishers are now conducting such studies at the doorstep or over the telephone!
3. Why should we endeavor to increase the period of time spent on a study at the door?
3 Should we be satisfied, though, to continue conducting a doorstep study indefinitely? No. Although we are wise not to overstay our welcome when a study is first started, the May 1990 Our Kingdom Ministry, page 8, commented: “Once the study is established and the householder’s interest has developed, a longer period of time may be spent on the study.” This is vital. To illustrate: A starving child might initially be fed small amounts of food until his appetite is restored, but we would hardly expect him to regain his full strength and grow normally if he were fed such small portions for months on end. Similarly, a Bible student needs a more formal and regular study in order to develop into a mature servant of God.—Heb. 5:13, 14.
4. What are the benefits of holding a Bible study inside the home?
4 Bible Studies Inside the Home: It is preferable to conduct a study in a private location—in a home or in some other suitable area. This will be more conducive to learning and will help the student to get the sense of God’s Word. (Matt. 13:23) It will also better enable the teacher to tailor the study material to the needs of the student. Moreover, having a longer study period will allow for a more thorough, faith-strengthening consideration of God’s Word.—Rom. 10:17.
5. How can we make the transition from a doorstep study to a study inside the home?
5 How can you make the transition from a doorstep study to a study inside the home? After several brief studies, why not simply offer to study for a longer, specified period of time? Or you might use an indirect approach by asking the person, “Would you have time today to sit down and discuss this together?” or “How much time would you like to spend today discussing this subject?” If your efforts prove unsuccessful, by all means continue to have brief doorstep studies. At an appropriate time, try again to make the transition to inside the home.
6. With what objective should we carry out our ministry, and how can the suggestions in this article help us to achieve that objective?
6 As we continue to search for deserving ones, let us not lose sight of our purpose in starting and conducting Bible studies. Our aim is to help honesthearted ones become dedicated and baptized servants of Jehovah. May he bless our efforts as we carry out our ministry with this objective.—2 Tim. 4:5.