OATS: The Oklahoma/Arkansas/Texas Regional Training Institute

Study Circles and Intensive Courses

"Among the initial goals for every community should be the establishment of study circles, children's classes, and devotional meetings, open to all the inhabitants of the locality.", Universal House of Justice, January 9, 2001

Most courses are offered as study circles. A study circle consists of:

"As a study group advances through the sequence of courses, the capacity of each member to serve the Faith increases, and various institutions and agencies step in and help the participants to put into practice what they have learned.", on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, Training Institutes, April 1998

Intensive courses may be desirable for those who can schedule large blocks of time for this immersion experience. Rather than learning, practicing, and applying skills in 2-3 hour blocks on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, one or more weekends are devoted to training. Similar to study circles, intensive courses consist of: