Teaching team
A teaching team or teaching group is a grouping of a small number of Bahá'ís, generally informal or semi-formal, who co-ordinate their efforts in proclaiming or teaching the Faith.
Teaching teams are in themselves an example of simple and small-scale collective teaching, but they may figure as part of more complex endeavours such as collective teaching campaigns and programmes of growth. Mobilizing teams to support a programme of growth in a cluster is often the work of an Area Teaching Committee.[1]
Rationale[edit]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá described the importance of unity in collective action by citing the Qur'án: "Verily God loveth those who, as though they were a solid wall, do battle for His Cause in serried lines!"[2] He explained that in this age, "doing battle" referred to teaching the Cause, educating mankind and performing charitable deeds.[3]
Working in teams permits individuals "to serve together, offer mutual support, and build confidence" in their ability to hold meaningful conversations, find receptive souls, and share with them the message of Bahá’u’lláh. Teaching teams particularly allow individual teachers to mutually assist each other in finding "creative ways of reaching out to the local population, youth in particular, and supporting them as they start to engage in service..."[1]
Teaching teams in various contexts[edit]
In the 1930s, institutions began arranging groups of travel teachers to travel in a circuit between a number of localities to support teaching efforts there. This "circuit teaching" often led to the establishment of new Bahá’í groups and Spiritual Assemblies.[4][5] Activities often consisted of conducting firesides, discussions, and social and informational events.[6] Youth were acknowledged as having an important role in circuit teaching teams in order to reach other youth.[7] Members of minority groups, such as African-Americans, also played a crucial role in circuit teaching teams. In the southern United States, multi-racial teaching teams engaged in circuit teaching on many occasions. One of the first of these was formed by Louis Gregory and Willard McKay in 1931.[8][9]
Teaching institutes, regular gatherings held in a centralized location which involved teaching in between meetings, became popular in the United States in the 1950s. While encouraging participants to teach actively in between meetings, the gatherings themselves consisted of prayer and deepening, reflection on teaching experiences, and planning for further teaching.[10][11]
Teaching teams were used to support mass teaching beginning in 1960. In that year, Hand of the Cause Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir visited the Philippines and helped launch campaigns which involved teams traveling to many villages and rural areas to teach the religion.[12]
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Universal House of Justice (29 December 2015). Message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors.
- ↑ Qur'án 61:4, Surah As-Saff; cited in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, No. 207.
- ↑ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, No. 207.
- ↑ National Assembly of the United States and Canada (1944). "Bahá’í Teaching in North America". The Bahá’í Centenary 1844-1944. p.170.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1942). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 150, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1950). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 238, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1949). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 223, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1949). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 219, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
- ↑ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada (1933). Bahá’í World, The: Volume IV - 1930-1932 (Hardcover ed.). New York City, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Committee. p. 62.
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/compilation_centers_bahai_learning (Prepared for inclusion with a letter dated 24 December 1964 written by the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Guatemala)
- ↑ “The time devoted to teaching should focus on an ongoing process of action and reflection: action, which is teaching between meetings, and reflection, which is consultation on what worked, what still needs to be done, and what course of action to follow in the future.” (An Evolutionary Approach to Teaching Institutes, prepared by National Teaching Committee (United States), pp. 6-7)
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 656. View as PDF.
Bibliography[edit]
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