History
How it all Began
As a teenager, Bill Gothard was concerned about the wrong choices many of his classmates were making for their lives. He began to present Biblical principles to them through weekly meetings in his home, radio broadcasts, retreats, and other projects.
In 1961, Bill was ordained and commissioned by his church to enlarge his youth work to inner-city gangs, school groups, and church youth groups. Four years later, Bill was invited by the college from which he graduated to teach a course in "Basic Youth Conflicts".
His first class consisted of forty-five college students, pastors, and youth leaders. He taught them the Biblical principles he had learned during fifteen years of youth work. Those who attended received great personal benefit from what they learned and told others about the course.
Soon the course grew into a seminar with 10,000 to 15,000 people attending from all walks of life, all age groups (teens and above), diverse church backgrounds, and different professions. Today, over 3,000,000 people have attended the Basic Seminar worldwide.
