They are doing this to find the "real" substance of Jesus" words. Another goal of the Seminar was to create a form of education with meaning of the work that would be firm and accumulative. This meant their work would give credence to the future of scholarly teachings.
Funk put much credit to the Fellows that at that time were members of the Seminar. He pointed out that the Fellows of the group had written more than 60 books. Funk goes on to indicate that when taking a tally of the Jesus customs, the Seminar would proceed carefully in laying a base. This would validate the efforts and work of the Fellows.
The work of the Seminar according to Funk is working to frame the various unique findings with the greatest degree of intellectual objectivity. The results should be a well-researched compromise of an end result that would be accurate and powerful enough to withstand criticism.
In reading the opening remarks of Funk at the Seminar in 1985, he compared the issues of Jesus to the climbing of Mt. Everest. He also says that because the questions that will be asked are sacred, the attempt will seem blasphemous to some. He outlines the plan as making the simple complex.
Funks opening remarks progress smoothly through the aims of the Seminar. He states that since the Bible has a beginning (creation) and an ultimate end (heaven) with Jesus of Nazareth being the middle, we believe it to be a true story. To Funk it is a fiction that is in need of a new rendition of the middle, i.e. the Jesus story. The Seminar is not concerned so much with the beginning or ending of life but with the rewriting of a new epic story of Jesus.
However, not just any fiction (epic story) will do. We require a new liberating fiction, one that squares with the best knowledge we can now accumulate and one that transcends self-serving ideologies. We need a fiction that we can recognize to be fiction. .
Funk stated that the fictions of science are not adhered to when they are not applicable to our life.