Sometimes many good people who would do well and thrive on a study course such as this probably need some special encouragement to commit. They are a bit hesitant whether or not they can make the commitment of time and study.

Here’s an excellent way to get them over that hurdle. If it is impossible to use the Previews of this demo on MissionaryOutpost.com, then you could request the DVD Demo and listen to it first so as to decide what chapters you want to use, depending on the time available. Then maybe after some evening service or whatever appropriate time, organize a short time to show the chapters of the DVD you’ve selected to as large an audience as possible whether they’re interested in studying or not.

It can do wonders, and some people whom you weren’t even considering as prospects may decide to commit! Give it a try! At the least, it can be billed as an interesting and exciting missionary report!

Once I preached at an Australian church which had run the old Bible History course some eight years ago. I noticed that most of the leaders and responsible ones had been in that old class! Now they are excited about running the new OT Bible History Illustrated course. First they arranged for the use of a data projector to show the DVD Demo to the people on a Sunday night in order to get people to thinking and praying about participating in the course. They also worked with those who were afraid of the quizzes and encouraged them to go ahead, enrol and if they found the testing program too difficult, then they could just do the weekly work and quizzes for learning purposes, but they wouldn’t have to take the final term exams, so no worry about grades. Most of the people who fit into that category will, in our experience, after they start studying for the weekly work and feel the motivation of the group atmosphere, end up taking the term exams and finish off for a grade with a certificate of completion! But even those who don’t take the final exams and get a grade, will learn heaps and be so glad they did.

I remember another church in the USA which ran the Old Testament course. At first, about half (mainly older people) of the 22 interested students only wanted to audit the course and not do the work. After the first lesson they changed their minds and decided to commit to all the course work. Twenty of the twenty-two students successfully finished the year’s course and enthusiastically testify to a year of blessing for having done so!

My sending church in El Dorado, Kansas, ran the New Testament course with a great response and blessing. They promoted it before opening up the registration. People are busy and live in a busy age, but they will respond and be greatly blessed if we present it properly and facilitate it for them!