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These ideas are a collaboration of the thoughts and ideas of a variety of ministers who have led many newcomer's classes.

The mission of Newcomer's (a.k.a. Inquirer's, Discovering Membership) Classes:

• Classes directed toward persons who have recently been baptized or are attending church regularly and have not been baptized.
• Teaching people who want to know more about the basic teachings, concepts, and values of the New Church.

Goals of classes:

• To help people feel comfortable talking about the New Church understanding of Christianity.
• To lead a person who attends our church to become a member through understanding and hopefully baptism.

Audience:

• "Newcomers," baptized or not, are encouraged to attend so that they can gain clarity about New Church faith.
• Encourage everyone to attend. Those who are new to the Writings and the New Church have much to teach those who were born or grew up in the Church about the distinctions that exist between New Church Christianity and fundamental Christianity.

The importance of Newcomer's Classes:

• The New Church is an intuitive religion: everyone knows it deep in them. Everything is simple. It is when the simple things are attacked that they get complicated. This class presents things in a way that is not attacking.
• To introduce someone to the Church and its teachings so they can make an informed decision on our beliefs and membership.
• Gathering people who are attending the class into a group for fellowship.
• A Newcomer's Class provides an opportunity to get people other than the pastor to talk, practice explaining, and witness to one another about their faith and their journeys with the faith and teachings.
• So that as people connect with the congregation, they can feel confident that they know our basic beliefs.

Possible format of the classes:

• Classes should be an hour long.
• Open with reading(s) from Sacred Scripture.
• There can be open or a led discussion, the use of PowerPoint or a video.
• After class, provide a time for mingling and informal fellowship with refreshments.

Topics to explore:

• Holidays
• Festivals
• What the Church is
• Church history
• The Lord
• Heaven and Hell
• Marriage
• Divine Providence
• Sacraments
• Spirituality that Makes Sense by Rev. Doug Taylor.
• Free Will
• The Trinity
• The Atonement
• The relationship of the General Church and your congregation
• Core purpose (Helping people experience heavenly joy)
• Five core values:
  • Honoring the presence of the Lord
  • Seeking guidance from His Word
  • Living and Growing spiritually
  • Accepting all into spiritual community
  • Serving others
• Who is Swedenborg and who cares?
• What is so new about the New Church?
• Why haven't I ever heard of this Church?
• The Second Coming has happened?

Advertising:

• Announcements after church, signs, posters, invitation letters and notices in the newsletter.

How to Maintain Attendance:

• Have attendees sign up for a unit (five or six weeks with a fluid progression of topics), so that they feel a part of the group and feel a commitment toward it.

Challenges:

• Members using jargon
• People drawing false connections between the New Church and other religions they have been part of.
• Some enthusiastic participants aren't always stable because they flip from one belief to the next, not fully accepting one religion.
• Conflict between New Church teachings and the culture of the local congregation.
• Keeping everyone "up to speed' on scripture and the Writings. Some participants are avid readers and others are not.
• Finding a time when everyone can attend.

Strengths:

• The class is helpful in setting up the opportunity to make new members and grow the church.
• Provides an awesome opportunity to prepare individuals for the commitment of baptism.

Things to know:

• Having classes open to existing members as well as new members can teach both parties new ideas very effectively. However, the newcomers can bring in ideas that don't necessarily hold with New Church doctrine. And existing members can use jargon that will not be understood by the newcomer.
• There are patterns to attendance. The start will be slow, and classes will fluctuate. But keep offering it; people know they need it but will take a while to catch on.
• Use vocabulary anyone can understand. Be able to relate New Church concepts to the concepts of general Christendom and to life.
• Follow-up with those who drop out, those who show interest but don't come, and existing members who think that class doesn't have a space for them.
• Be a stimulator of conversation, not just a lecturer.
• Include Church members as leaders as well as participants of the classes.