Be friendly, positive and welcoming.

Never underestimate the power of a positive first impression. Cheerfully greet the seminar attendees, and make them feel welcome. The atmosphere at such a gathering should be similar to the United Youth Camps “zone”—a safe place to come and learn.

Connect on common ground.

Employ the “principle of relatedness” by being all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Get acquainted with seminar attendees. Learn a little of the person’s background, interests and particularly what interested them to attend the seminar. If you have something in common, mention it in conversation. Help them feel comfortable and among others who understand and appreciate them.

Be quietly confident.

God has opened your mind to know and understand His truth, but the new person is just beginning his or her journey toward the Kingdom of God. Pray for the kind of confidence that comes from the qualities of faith and peace of mind (Philemon 6-7 and Hebrews 12:14). Strive to make others feel at ease at the seminar. Answer what questions you can and positively refer the person to one of the elders when you don’t know the answer.

Don’t denounce or shock.

The Athenians worshiped all kinds of false gods, but Paul found a positive way to begin his talk to them, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:22-23). Granted, their religion was false, but at least they were religious—that’s a start. As Christ works with people, they will come to understand how much their world is in error—just like we or our families did in our early days in the truth.

Avoid church-speak.

Our Kingdom of God Seminar attendees will not readily understand “the Feast,” or “first tithe,” or any number of other words or phrases that serve as our internal, verbal shorthand. It takes some mental gear shifting to remember to speak in the basic terms used in the Bible or in popular language. Those who respond to God’s calling will learn our church-speak soon enough.

Be of good cheer.

Our purpose is to ultimately overcome the world with the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ has overcome the world just that way (John 16:33), and we must seek His help to do the same today. Good cheer is infectious and encouraging!