Baha'is do seek to make converts but not by force. They "teach" the word, then if a person likes what they hear, they are supposed to seek more. Here's a few quotes about
"teaching" the Baha'i Faith.
"Whosoever ariseth to aid our Cause, God will render him victorious over ten times ten thousand souls, and, should he wax in his love for Me, him will We cause to triumph over all that is in the heaven and all that is on earth."
(Bahá’u’lláh: cited by Shoghi Effendi in, Messages to the Bahá’í World, p. 101)
"In the Aqdas Bahá’u’lláh considers teaching as a spiritual obligation imposed upon every devoted believer and servant of His Faith. Should the friends become fully conscious of this duty and arise to do their share, this Cause will soon permeate every home throughout the world and the Kingdom of God will be established."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer: Bahá’í News,
No. 85, p. 8, July 1934)
"The sanctified souls should ponder and meditate in their hearts regarding the methods of teaching. From the texts of the wondrous, heavenly Scriptures they should memorize phrases and passages bearing on various instances, so that in the course of their speech they may recite divine verses whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses are the most potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman. So potent is their influence that the hearer will have no cause for vacillation…."
(Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 200)
"Shoghi Effendi has seen, through the experience of the international teachers that keep him informed regarding their activities, that intensive work is ultimately of a more lasting nature. It has proven to be far better that a teacher should spend a month or two in one center and wait until a group is formed, than to cover a large area and not stay enough in a center to help the progress of those interested to the stage that they would feel themselves able to embrace the Cause and identify themselves with it."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, May 30, 1932: Bahá’í News, No. 67, October 1932, pp. 4-5)
"The more one observes the conditions of the world and the terrible problems confronting humanity, the more deeply one realizes that the only remedy is that which Bahá’u’lláh has brought, and yet, alas, the masses of the people seem to not yet be aware that the way out of our problems can only be a divine way, given by something far greater than human understanding! However, many souls are seriously thinking and seeking, and the Bahá’ís must try to bring the knowledge of the teachings to all, so that those prepared to accept may not be denied the Message!"
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer: Ibid., p. 72)
"The responsibility of the Bahá’ís to teach the Faith is very great. The contraction of the world and the onward rush of events require us to seize every chance open to us to touch the hearts and minds of our fellow-men. The Message of Bahá’u’lláh is God's guidance for mankind to overcome the difficulties of this age of transition and move forward into the next stage of its evolution, and human beings have the right to hear it. Those who accept it incur the duty of passing it on to their fellow-men. The slowness of the response of the world has caused and is causing great suffering; hence the historical pressure upon Bahá’ís to exert every effort to teach the Faith for the sake of their fellow-men. They should teach with enthusiasm, conviction, wisdom and courtesy, but without pressing their hearer, bearing in mind the words of Bahá’u’lláh 'Beware lest ye contend with any one, nay, strive to make him aware of the truth with kindly manner and most convincing exhortation. If your hearer respond, he will have responded to his own behoof, and if not, turn ye away from him, and set your face towards God's sacred Court, the seat of resplendent holiness.' (Gleanings CXXVIII)"
(Extract from "Statement of the Universal House of Justice Regarding Teaching the Faith", op. cit. No. 2003)
And on "
Mass Teaching"...
The
Universal House of Justice wrote the following regarding the importance of teaching on a mass scale in a 1964 message:
"When the masses of mankind are awakened and enter the Faith of God, a new process is set in motion and the growth of a new civilization begins. Witness the emergence of Christianity and of Islam. These masses are the rank and file, steeped in traditions of their own, but receptive to the new Word of God, by which, when they truly respond to it, they become so influenced as to transform those who come in contact with them.
[1]
In a 1967 letter the Universal House of Justice wrote:
"The paramount goal of the teaching work at the present time is to carry the message of Bahá’u’lláh to every stratum of human society and every walk of life. An eager response to the teachings will often be found in the most unexpected quarters, and any such response should be quickly followed up, for success in a fertile area awakens a response in those who were at first uninterested."
[2]
While the concept of mass teaching is explicitly focused on the expansion and growth of the Bahá’í community the Universal House of Justice also noted the following in a 1966 letter to National Spiritual Assemblies engaged in mass teaching:
"While this vital teaching work is progressing each National Assembly must ever bear in mind that expansion and consolidation are inseparable processes that must go hand in hand. The interdependence of these processes is best elucidated in the following passage from the writings of the beloved Guardian: “Every outward thrust into new fields, every multiplication of Bahá’í institutions, must be paralleled by a deeper thrust of the roots which sustain the spiritual life of the community and ensure its sound development. From this vital, this ever-present need attention must, at no time, be diverted; nor must it be, under any circumstances, neglected, or subordinated to the no less vital and urgent task of ensuring the outer expansion of Bahá’í administrative institutions. That this community … may maintain a proper balance between these two essential aspects of its development … is the ardent hope of my heart.” To ensure that the spiritual life of the individual believer is continuously enriched, that local communities are becoming increasingly conscious of their collective duties, and that the institutions of an evolving administration are operating efficiently, is, therefore, as important as expanding into new fields and bringing in the multitudes under the shadow of the Cause."
[3]
So just like playing word games with "Claims" vs "Beliefs", the game can also be played with "teaching" and "proselytizing", "converts" and "finding those souls that are ready to join (what they call) the cause of God" So, technically, I guess a Baha'i could say they don't "seek" converts, but they do.
