The paramount goal of the teaching work at the present time
is to carry the message of Bahá'u'lláh to every stratum of human society and
every walk of life. An eager response to the teachings will often be found in
the most unexpected quarters, and any such response should be quickly followed
up, for success in a fertile area awakens a response in those who were at first
uninterested. The same presentation of the teachings will not appeal to
everybody; the method of expression and the approach must be varied in
accordance with the outlook and interests of the hearer. An approach which is
designed to appeal to everybody will usually result in attracting the middle
section, leaving both extremes untouched. No effort must be spared to ensure
that the healing Word of God reaches the rich and the poor, the learned and the
illiterate, the old and the young, the devout and the atheist, the dweller in
the remote hills and islands, the inhabitant of the teeming cities, the
suburban businessman, the labourer in the slums, the nomadic tribesman, the
farmer, the university student; all must be brought consciously within the
teaching plans of the Bahá'í Community.
(From a letter dated 31 October 1967 written by the
Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies; The
Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Teaching the Masses)
