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VISITING PROGRAM TRAINING CLASS
Fourteenth Class
March 23, 1969
FORMAT:
1.
Open with prayer.
2.
World news discussion and drill (5 - 8 minutes).
3.
Difficult scripture drill (30 minutes).
4.
Sermonettes and evaluations (30
minutes).
5.
Recess (10 minutes).
6.
Lecture (one hour).
7.
Assignments for next class.
DIFFICULT
SCRIPTURES
1.
Disprove: We should preach the
Gospel from house to house (Acts 20:20).
A. This verse is not talking about preaching
the Gospel to uninterested,
unconverted
people from house to house. Notice
that Paul is talking
to
the elders of the Ephesus Church (Acts 20:17-18). Paul taught
these
men from house to house (Acts 20:20).
B. In Matthew 7:6 Christ gives the principle
of "not casting your pearls
before
the swine." The precious truth of God is not to be carelessly
given
to the unconverted who will treat it with disrespect. If an indivi-
dual's mind hasn't
been opened by God, trying to cram the truth down his
throat will only make him angry at
you. For this reason we visit
only
those who specifically request a visit.
Otherwise we let The
WORLD TOMORROW and The PLAIN
TRUTH witness to those who have no desire
to
be visited.
C. In Luke 10:7, Christ instructed his
disciples, "go not from house to
house.
D. Throughout the book of Acts we see that
Paul's practice was to enter
into the synagogue and preach
publicly to the Jews assembled there
(Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:10). Nowhere does it
mention that Paul preached
the Gospel to the
unconverted, from house to house:
Yet, in Acts 20:20 we see that Paul, when speaking privately to the
elders
of the Church, did teach them in their homes.'
-2-
2.
Disprove: Paul wanted to depart
and be with Christ in heaven (Phil. 1:23, 24).
A. Paul did not expect to go to heaven and
receive his reward immediately
at
death.' Rather, in II Timothy 4:6-8,
Paul explained that he would
be
with Christ at the day of Christ's appearing -- His second coming!
B. On the day Christ returns, the dead in
Christ who have been sleeping in
the
dust of the earth (Dan. 12:2) will be resurrected to life (I Thess.
4:16-17). This event
occurs at the sounding of the seventh TRUMP
(I Cor.
15:52). This is the time Paul will
receive his reward from
Jesus Christ (Isa. 40:10). He
did not expect to go to a "heavenly
reward"
immediately upon death!
C. Yet, Paul said he was "willing to be
absent from the body and to be
present
with the Lord." Why? Paul's answer is found in II Corinthians
5:2 where he said that
"we earnestly groan to be clothed upon with our
house from heaven" - -
the spiritual body he expected to receive at
the
resurrection. Paul yearned to be
"delivered from this vile body of
flesh," to end the
difficulties and burdens of this life by death
(Rom. 7:24; Phil. 1:24).
"To die," he said, "is gain" because the
next
moment of his consciousness would be the resurrection!
D.
Now Paul's statement in Philippians is clear. He was willing to re-
main alive for the sake of
the Philippians who needed him as a teacher
and apostle, even though he
desired personally to be delivered by death
from
the troubles of this life. Paul,
though dead and buried in the
dust of the earth, would be
AWAITING THE RESURRECTION and ultimately
be
with Christ at His second coming to this earth!
2.
Disprove: Christians don't have
to keep the law to be saved -- merely
believe
on Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31).
A. Paul did not say all a Christian need do to
be saved is believe. He
told the jailer to
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be
saved." But there is more to it than that.
To all men Jesus says in Luke
6:46, "Why call me, 'Lord, Lord' and do
not
the things which I say?" In
connection with Acts 16:30-31, we can
see that Christ expects us to
do the things that He says if we really
believe
that He is our Lord and Savior. One of
the things Jesus said
was,
"If you will enter into life keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:17).
B. James magnifies this point by showing that
faith and works go hand in
hand
-- works are the automatic result of faith.
Faith without works
is
dead (Jas. 2:20, 26). We show our
faith by our works (Jas. 2:18).
Again, the Apostle Paul wrote
in Romans 2:13, "For not the hearers of
the
law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be
justified."
No one is a Christian unless
he has God's Spirit in him (Rom. 8:9), and
God gives His Spirit only to
those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).
-3-
C.
The attitude of the jailer was not one of "all I have to do is
believe."
Rather, it was "what must I
do to be saved?" Paul could see
that he
was
willing to obey God -- willing to do whatever was required.
Believing on Jesus Christ, on His
message~ His Word, His authority,
was only
one of the conditions to salvation.
Paul didn't say that
was all
that was necessary. Verse 32 clearly
shows Paul went on to
teach him what real repentance
was - - turning from sin - - obedience
to
God.' And after that, he was baptized
(Verse 33).'
Paul didn't teach faith without
works. Rather he taught faith with
works --
a belief that leads to positive actions.
HOW TO CONDUCT A
VISIT - - PART II
*Begin with a short review of Part I
-- main points.
I.
NORMAL PROSPECTIVE VISITS
Most of you men in the Visiting
Program Training Class will probably not
be
handling this type of visit. But it
will be helpful for you to under-
stand
the basic approach to visiting new prospective members.
These are visits to people who
are not yet attending Church. Most of
them
have
come in contact with God's Work through the broadcast and literature.
Many have become interested
through other members of the Church.
Either
way, these are people who have
requested a visit and who have shown an
interest
in God's Church. We visit only those
who approach us and ask for
a
visit. This way they are receptive and
we are not forcing anything on
them. Here is the general format and some
specific points that should be
remembered
and used by those conducting prospective visits.
A. First Contact and Introduction
The first impression is
important! It sticks with people. God's Church
and
Work will be judged by your conduct on this kind of a visit. Remem-
ber
we are ambassadors for Christ and this is the first contact for many
with a
true Christian. How you look, what you
say and what you do is
very
important on this first visit.
If the first appointment is
made by a letter, it should be done well in
advance
of the visit. Type out the envelope
and make sure everything
is
neat and in order. These new prospectives receive a definite im-
pression -- either good or bad -- depending upon
this letter.
If your first contact is by
phone, say something like this:
"Hello.
My name is (give your
name). I am representing Mr. Armstrong
and The
WORLD TOMORRW broadcast. We received your request for a visit. We are
in your area now and would like to stop by
for a visit and try to help
you." Something like this would be
appropriate. The main thing is to
be
friendly and courteous. Have some
personality in your voice. Be
positive. Strive to give a right impression even on
the telephone.
If you have notified them by
letter and your first contact is at the door,
then just introduce yourself
in the manner given in the last paragraph - -
"Hello. My name is . . . ." Then, in a friendly, positive manner, wait
for
them to invite you in. Give a firm
handshake. Be warm and friendly.
Remember your manners and
wait until they ask you to be seated.
You
should be sharp and alert in
every way on this first visit because it
can
"make" or "break" a new prospective.
Avoid a large Bible or
carrying case. This gives a wrong
impression.
Use a small pocket Bible or
else use their own Bible when explaining
scripture.
-5-
B.
Conducting the Visit
You should lead and guide the
conversation but let him do most of the
talking. Keep the conversation
moving. Try to draw him out so you can
find out
about his background and ideas without seeming to be prying.
If you let them talk, guiding the
conversation, you can find out much
information
without asking direct questions. If
they don't talk much,
it is certainly all right to ask,
"How long have you heard the broad-
cast? How long have you been reading The PLAIN
TRUTH? Are you taking
the
Correspondence Course? Which lesson
are you on?" Or, "What are
some of
the booklets you have received?"
Or, "Do you have any questions?"
Watch the reaction to these
questions and note their knowledge.
Be observant and try to discern
their real attitude. What is their
attitude toward various booklets
- - the Sabbath booklet or subject IF
it comes
up without "forcing" it too soon?
During the conversation,
be friendly and sociable -- make
them feel at ease, but get to know
them. If unconverted relatives are present, chat
sociably with them
about
carnal things like hunting, fishing, etc.
You can find out a
lot by discussing their
interests, hobbies, recreation, home and family,
how they
contacted us and things in their home.
Their hobbies and
interests
can reveal many things about their character.
Be patient. Use this approach in visiting them --
"The servant of the
Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
in meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves; if God peradventure
will
give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth . .
(II Tim. 2:24, 25). Don't preach at them or force ideas on
them.
Remember that only God can call
and convert a person (Rom. 2:4).
Don't be CORRECTIVE on the first
visit. Some of them may only be called
to be
Co-Workers. So be careful not to
offend them and turn them sour
or
bitter against God's Work. Try to
discern whether or not they are
really
being called of God. Look for a truly
repentant attitude -- the
attitude
of yieldedness and obedience, one of submission to
authority.
In other words, be alert to their
problems and attitudes.
I
Corinthians 9:19-22 -- Try to develop a real personal rapport with
them as Paul did -- sell yourself
to them as a friend, one who is really
interested
in them. Sympathize with them and be
understanding in their
problems. Relate your own experiences, problems and
trials to them and
really
try to serve and help them.
Let them talk a lot and you will
get to know them. Be basic -- stick to
key
issues. Don't discuss too many
subjects but be thorough on the ones
that you
do discuss. Don't let them ask a
question and jump to another
subject before you have
thoroughly answered their questions on one
subject. Don't try to solve all their problems at
once. If they don't
talk much, try to get them
talking about the Work, the broadcast,
Mr. Armstrong, or world news and
prophecy. Let them know that this
Work is different.
Make them realize we are not out after
people's money and not trying
to
proselyte or "get people saved."
Bring out that God is real, that
prophecy
is being fulfilled. Talk about world
news and show them how
it is related
to prophecy.
-6-
It wouldn't be wrong to
carry your Envoy along on a first visit and
show
them pictures of the Colleges. People
are interested in pictures
and this will also
stimulate conversation and show them more about
God's Work.
While you are getting to
know them, be sure to notice and mentally note
their
main problems. Answer their questions
and try to help them but
be cautious about giving
them too much spiritual meat on the first con-
tact. Even the basic doctrines can be dangerous
-- such as, divorce
and
remarriage. This can be a
"bombshell" to them and you must be
careful
how you approach the subject. Save it
till last and if they
have this problem, you
will need to give them more time to become deeply
rooted and grounded in
the basic things before you go deeply into their
marriage
problem.
If there is no response
on the first visit and they don't seem to be
really interested, tell
them that you are glad to have met them and
that
if they would like another visit, to let you know. And then leave
on
a friendly note. You may want to visit
them again later if they do
not
contact you. A second visit may help
you to determine whether or
not
there is any hope for them to come along.
The main thing then, on
prospective visits, is to get to know them and
their
problems. Try to discern their true
attitude. Are they being
called? Are they just Co-Workers? Are they really "duds" or could
you
"bring them along?" to more truth
and ultimate conversion by helpful
follow-up
visits and personal Bible studies?
Regardless, sincerely do
try
to help them. Let them do most of the
talking. Note the details
of
the visit in your mind. Fill out a
visit report as soon as possible
afterward.
C. Who and When to Invite
In a sentence, invite
those who are being called by God and who are
ready
for baptism. God's Church is for God's
people. It is the job
of those visiting new prospectives to discern who is yielding to the
calling
of God and has a repentant attitude.
This is an awesome re-
sponsibility.
Without God's Spirit to give you discernment, you could
be deceived and end up
inviting carnal-minded, hostile, resentful,
suspicious
people into God's Church. Don't invite
anyone to Church if
you
have any doubts about their conversion.
Invite prospectives only
if you feel they are
virtually ready for baptism, or will be within
just
a few weeks. Don't invite anyone to
Church to get them converted
there. Church services are not evangelistic
campaigns to convert people.
They are commanded
assemblies intended for the purpose of feeding those
who
are already converted. Let's really
STICK to this principle in
inviting
people to Church.'
Be very cautious about
inviting prospectives who were strong Pentecostals,
Jehovah's Witnesses or Seventh-day
Adventists. These kind very seldom
really
come out of their former religion. Be
sure there is a complete
change of attitude and
make sure their problems have been mainly over-
come
before you invite them to Church. Be
careful about those who were
deeply
involved in any of Satan's religions.
Take several visits to
make sure they have completely come out of it.
-7-
Don't invite a new
prospective to Church on the first visit unless you
are
absolutely sure he is completely repentant and ready for baptism.
Most prospectives
are not ready on the first visit.
Usually invite
them only after the second or
third visit over a period of weeks of
working
with them. If they ask about a church
on the first visit and
they are not ready, tell them
we don't have a church the way they think --
only private meetings for
those who have their whole hearts in this
Work, have proven it and have been
converted and baptized. Exceptions
would be friendly mates of
Church members and young people of college
age
who have open minds and will probably come along in time.
So, be cautious and don't
invite serious problems to God's Church.
Make
sure that God is calling
them, that they are being converted and have
overcome
their main problems. When they are
ready for baptism, then
invite
them to Church. Be sure to always
clarify WHY you invited a
prospective
member to Church on the visit slip.
D. How to Close
In closing a prospective
visit, one of the main points is to leave them
wanting
more -- waiting eagerly for the next visit.
Don't try to solve
all
their problems on the first visit and wear out your welcome. When
you see that the visit is
beginning to drag a little, then begin bringing
it
to a close. Recommend certain booklets
and articles that you feel
they
should be studying. Explain that you
would be happy to come back
and visit them again after
they have proven a few more things to them-
selves. Let them know that you enjoyed visiting
them and that you are
looking
forward to the next visit. Encourage
them to pray and study more
and to step
out on faith and obey God. Really
encourage and inspire
them
to take action on what they are learning.
Use tact and wisdom,
though,
and don't push too hard. You can't
convert them, so don't offend
them. You may set up another appointment with
them before leaving, or
else
ask them to call you when they want another visit.
II.
PROBLEM VISITS
A. Members
Most serious member problems should be
handled by the local minister in
charge. You men, on the Visiting Program, should
not be trying to solve
some
of the serious problems that members have.
But you should be alert
to certain
problems so that when you encounter them, you can bring them
to
the attention of the minister. Watch
for these problems:
Serious sex problems such as
adultery, drinking too much and outright
drunkenness, not saving
second tithe and stealing from first tithe --
indicated
by serious financial problems. Unusual
marriage and child-
rearing
problems, serious attitude problems and demon problems. Be
extra
eyes and ears for your local minister.
If you spot any serious
problem
or potential problem, bring it immediately to his attention.
-8-
If any of you men in
this Visiting Program Training Class have to
handle
a serious member problem, then here is the approach to use.
Introduce the problem --
get right into it On this type of
visit the
member
usually knows your reason for being there.
Explain that your
visit is in love and
that you want to help the member overcome his
problem. If possible, get him to discuss the problem
-- get all the
facts. Show the individual his error and how it is
hurting him and the
Church
of God. Try to make him
see that his eternal life is at stake!
Explain the scriptures that concern
the problem -- show him what God
says. Give the solution to the problem and serve
the ultimatum. Be
firm,
serious and decisive.
The extent of the
corrective action, if any, is up to him as indicated
by
his conduct and attitude. Punishment
can vary all the way from a
strong reprimand to a
complete disfellowship Suspending a member from
all services and fellowship without
formally disfellowshipping him is
many
times a good form of punishment. The
time limit of a suspension
would depend upon the
person's attitude and progress in overcoming the
problem. If a person is not seriously trying to
overcome a major
problem,
he should be put out at the third admonishment (Tit. 3:10).
All disfellowships
should be handled by the minister in charge.
Remember
you
are dealing with the individual's eternal life. Do your very best
to
save them! Try hard to get them to
understand and see the seriousness
of
their problem. Pray fervently for them
that they will see and change.
Do your part to help
save them from the lake of fire -- "And of some
have compassion, making
a difference: and others save with
fear, pulling
them
out of the fire " (Jude 22, 23).
On the other hand,
remember that you cannot live this person's life for
him. You can only tell him what God says and
leave the rest to him.
B. Prospectives
The most serious problem
often encountered on new prospective visits is
the
divorce and remarriage situation.
These problems should be handled
only by the minister in
charge who has been trained and instructed in
handling
these touchy situations. Much tact and
wisdom and love and
compassion
must be used in handling these problems.
All the facts should
be
gathered and much counsel should be sought.
If there is any question
at all as to whether or
not a marriage is binding, these problems should
be taken to the District
Superintendent and then on to Headquarters if
necessary.
Occasionally you will
encounter suspicious or hostile prospective members.
Many times it is
possible to soothe or eradicate this suspicion or
hostility
by your approach and answers. Explain
the reason for your
visit
- - that we are not out to proselyte or "get" anything from them.
Explain that our purpose
is to serve and help in any way that we can.
Show them how The WORLD TOMORROW
is different. Some
prospectives
are suspicious or hostile because they have wrong
concepts or
ideas about God's Work.
Explain the truth to
them in a tactful way. Show that what
we teach
is
different and practical. Try every
approach possible to get through
to
them. If there is still no response,
don't waste any more time --
just
leave. You should delete this type of
person if you feel there is
no
hope for them now. If in doubt, wait
awhile.
-9-
Watch out for demon
problems! Again, these should be handled
only by
the
minister in charge. Remember Acts 19:15 -- "And the evil spirit
answered
and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
The demons do know God's
ministers. And they fear the power and
authority
that
Christ has given His ministers over them.
It takes special training
and
discernment to recognize demon influence.
If a new prospective is
odd
or unusual in any way, you should suspect demon influence. Never
invite
them to Church unless you are sure this is not the case. Part of
our
commission is to help these people if possible. But we must also
use
wisdom and extreme caution because some people are beyond our help.
You must realize that some
prospective members are former drunkards,
dope addicts, prostitutes,
homosexuals, or lesbians and almost any
other
thing. This is the age we live
in! And you must approach each
new
prospective visit realizing this could be one of those cases. Don't
assume
anything, especially in these visits.
And don't invite any of
them to Church until you are
absolutely sure they have repented and
overcome
these problems. These visits, of
course, should be handled by
the
local minister in charge.
III.
FINAL IMPORTANT POINTS
A. Length of Visit
This should be determined by
the type of visit and the need. But,
as
a general guide, one-half
hour should be the minimum length of a visit
and
two hours the maximum length. To be
most effective, the length of
a normal visit should be
somewhere between three-quarters and one-and
one-half
hours. Some unusual problem visits may
require three to four
hours. Even 15 to 20 minute "pop-in"
visits on widows and other members
can
be encouraging and helpful. Whether or
not a visit is really help-
ful
and effective is the most important thing -
not just how long it
is. So strive to make each visit worthwhile no
matter how long it is.
And, normally speaking, your
last visit should end by 10:00 or 10:30 P.M.
at
the latest.
B. Refreshments
Use your own discernment about
accepting refreshments. Remember that
you
might offend if you don't accept. If
you don't accept, explain
very
tactfully why. Don't accept alcoholic
drinks on a visit unless
your
responsibilities with Bible Studies, Spokesman Clubs or visiting
and
counseling are over for the evening.
An exception would be a
social dinner visit where a
little wine or beer is served along with
the meal. Wine and
beer are to help you relax and be happy (Ps. 104:15)
and should not be indulged
in until the responsibilities of the day are
over
(Prov. 31:5 and Lev. 10:9-11). At all costs, avoid drinking too
much
even if you have to totally abstain!
You must set a right example
on
this! So use wisdom and moderation in
accepting refreshments.
C. College Applicants
These visits should be
handled only by those of preaching elder rank or
above. It takes an experienced, Ambassador College trained man to know
the
type of student that God wants at His College. The decisions made
on these
applications are vitally important.
Adequate space and tit~e
should
be taken to give a thorough evaluation.
Years of time and
- 10
-
thousands
of dollars will be spent on each student accepted. Ambassador
College is the "West Point"
of God's Work. So only those
applicants
of highest caliber should be
recommended for acceptance at Ambassador
College.
D.
Don't Visit Alone
You should not visit anyone alone
unless it is an absolute emergency.
Too many things can happen in
this day and age. Always use your
ministerial
assistant or a leading man in the Church as a second man.
Many times your wife may have to
visit with you out of necessity.
Never visit women alone under any
circumstances! Mr. Herbert Armstrong
has made
this absolute law! Even if you are
above reproach, some women
are
not. Besides, God says give no
appearance of evil (I Thess. 5:22).
Men, don't take any chances on
this.' Some men on the Visiting
Program
in Gods Church did take chances.
They are still suffering the conse-
quences of that one mistake! AND they are no longer elders in the Church
of
God!
E.
Apply This Lesson
One of the greatest needs in
God's Work today is for converted and
dedicated men to
visit and help God's people! Will you
men respond to
the
calling you are being given? Will you
use the instruction you have
been
given in this lesson to more effectively serve God's people? If
your answer is a determined
"yes" then get to work in God's service as
you
never have before! The need is
great!
Christ said, "The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the laborers are
few . .
." (Matt. 9:37). Be one of those
few laborers that Christ spoke
of. God's people desperately need your
help!
Work hard in this Class, apply
yourself to learn what you are being
given
and to change your lives to conform to this knowledge. Then --
IF the natural talent, leadership
and personality is there -- you can
qualify
to represent God as a servant in His Visiting Program!
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