With all of the buildings they have built and must maintain, and all of their far-flung activities, it is no wonder that the sans-Guardian organization has sought for a long time to increase their enrollments because, since only Bahá'ís can contribute money, they have a strong financial pressure to make sure their numbers increase. They need to have a larger pool of recruits from which to seek donations. In my opinion, this is a purely materialistic approach not worthy of Bahá'ís.
The OBF seeks to teach its interpretation of the Faith, but it does not do so for the purpose of enrollment. In other words, as the name "Orthodox" implies, the Orthodox Bahá'ís do not proselytize. They just teach. This teaching is to spread the divine remedy for healing the ills of humanity far and wide, to give as much information out to as many people as possible about the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. If there are people out there who wish to seek, to understand, and to apply these Teachings, and they decide to join with us in our community of defenders of the Greatest Name, we are most happy to have them. But we don't want enrollment for enrollment's sake. We do not want people signing up just to swell our mailing list so we can send appeals to them for money. Unfortunately, there are very few people in the United States who are interested in the Teachings, and that is why our numbers are so few. Nevertheless, we know we are doing our duty to just be out there making the information available and teaching to everyone and anyone who wants to know the truth.
"Look ye not upon the fewness of thy numbers, rather, seek ye out hearts that are pure. One consecrated soul is preferable to a thousand other souls" `Abdu'l-Bahá says (Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 80-81). He exhorts us not to despair over this and puts our present situation into historical perspective when He says: "do not be discouraged because you are few or because people think that your Cause is of no importance. If few people come to your gatherings do not lose heart, and if you are ridiculed and contradicted be not distressed, for the apostles of Christ had the same to bear" (Paris Talks, p. 117). The Master even goes on to point out that it is the enemies of the true Cause of God who are more likely to have large numbers: "But always the greater the cause the more do enemies arise in larger and larger numbers to attempt its overthrow! The brighter the light the darker the shadow! Our part it is to act in accordance with the teaching of Bahá'u'lláh in humility and firm steadfastness" (Paris Talks, p. 106).
It seems to me that this spiritual approach to the idea of enrolling believers is the appropriate way to think about this. The sans-Guardian Bahá'ís and their obsession with enrollments is false and demonstrates they have strayed from the Teachings and are of the lost.
