For the Record: the Importance of Sunday School Records

For the Record: The Importance of Sunday School Records

Pastors and General Leadership

For the Record: The Importance of Sunday School Records

Purpose Statement

To create awareness of the importance of Administration in Sunday School/Small Groups.

Before the Session

Focal Wall, Room Setup, & Decoration Ideas

Use a whiteboard, or tear sheet to write out “People Count” but keep it covered up until after the opening activity. Also, write out the scripture passage references on the focal wall.

Resources to Collect & Prepare

Whiteboard, or tear sheet

Blank sheets for making Sunday School Attendance Sheet

Blank sheets for making Sunday School Guest Information Sheet

Blank sheets for making Sunday School Roll Sheet

“Get to Know Me” teacher/member bio sheet

One simple paper or plastic folder for each person

Listening guide

During the Session

Introduction/Ice Breaker

(10 minutes)

As attendees enter the room, encourage them to get to know one another. Give about 5 minutes for the group to mingle in the room. Do not give them any particular instruction other than that. At a particular point let them know that time is up. Have the group be seated and hand them the listening guide, using the back as a Sunday School attendance sheet. Ask them to use this blank side to write down the information needed (name, address, phone #) on the people in the room. They cannot ask each other any questions as they fill out the sheet.

After a couple of minutes, discuss the frustration that they must be encountering in trying to recount as much information as possible about the people in the room, not even knowing they should be collecting information. If you can, tell a story of a time that you have been frustrated by not collecting the information in your Sunday School/Small Group that you needed later. Talk about some common excuses or misconceptions like, “Oh, I have to get to the lesson” or “I don’t have time for all this paperwork…people will think I don’t care about them.”

The point is people will really think I don’t care about them when I make no contact to guests, or completely forget who they are the next week. Even still, how tragic is it when a member could be missing from Sunday School/Small Group for weeks or months and no one is even aware. Today we will renew a commitment to great record keeping, and also a commitment for someone to lead this critical task. Uncover the sign “People Count.” The goal is to no longer let this critical piece to relationships slide.

INSPIRATION

Administration:Biblically

(15 Minutes)

Sometimes a spotlight shines on teaching, or perhaps shepherding in Sunday School, with possibly little attention given to a very critical ministry of Sunday School: Administration.

So what does the Bible tell us about Administration? Divide the group in discussion groups and have them discuss the following passages. Assign one per group and ask them to think about what important lessons we can learn from their passage.

1 Cor. 12:27-31. It is a gift of the Spirit.

Helps/thoughts: There are those who are gifted as administrators, those who help lead, as well as those who shepherd/pastor. While the teaching role in the class is a priority, how can you teach those you don’t know anything about? Who are they, where are they from, how long have they been here? What needs do they have? What’s their address?

Numbers 1:1-4. Numbers are important.

Helps/thoughts: Here is an entire book dedicated to numbers and who is who!

Acts 2:40-41. Numbers in the New Testament.

Helps/thoughts: From the people of Israel to the EarlyChurch, we see the accounting of people. Why? Because every single person counts!

Mark 6:34, 39-40. What did Jesus do?

Helps/thoughts: Looked with sadness at those like a sheep without a Shepherd. He organized people in groups for ministry. He was simply organized.

IMPLEMENTATION

Administration: Practically

(15 Minutes)

Discuss in the small groups:

What are areas of administration in Sunday School/Small Groups?
What areas are impacted by this specific ministry in Sunday School/Small Groups?
What happens to the teacher, church, the class member when this ministry is neglected?

This is important information:

Who is who
Who does what
Who needs what

Activity:

If your group is large enough, divide into groups and assign one of these to each group. Pass out blank sheets of paper for each person.

Work up an ideal Guest information sheet. Why is what you have listed important?
Work up an ideal roll sheet. How would this be helpful when you meet? How could you distinguish members and visitors?
Work up an ideal attendance sheet. What would you want on this and why?

Administration: Next Steps

(20 Minutes)

1. Raise the importance level of this ministry. If it is seen as a bother or unnecessary, it will be. Let your team know, and let guests know, that this information is important. In other words, communicate that every person is important. If you let it seem like a bother, it will be. If you present it as important and critical, it will be.

2. Find someone who will own this important ministry. Perhaps you simply add this to your own role in the class. Whatever the case, make sure someone is aware of and responsible for all the records, from guest information cards, to the Sunday School/Small Group roll with member and prospect lists and contact information.

3. Begin the ministry as soon as possible. You’ve heard the statement “make a plan, and work the plan” it really is great to make a plan, but with no follow-through it is useless. With great records, then you can successfully implement in your Sunday School ministry in these two key areas:

Outreach:

Use the guest information from Sunday School to make the vital 3Cs that week: Card, Call, Contact (personal visit).
Use guest information from the Worship Services to make the same 3C visits.
Use prospect information given by people in your church who know of folks who are new to your area. A friends, family, coworker awareness push with your class or church could be a great prospect boost. Like guest information, this is a great way to make 3C visits.
Use special event guest cards at Fall Festival, Easter, Christmas, 4th of July type events and celebrations to find names of prospects for your class.

*Bonus-give your outreach teams a reason/purpose in making contacts. Supply your teams with fresh church calendars, brochures about your church or your class. Send them with a specific invitation, “In two weeks, we are having a class fellowship…we would love for you to be there.” Give your teams some basic soul-winning material or brochures that they can present or simply leave with the contact. In phone and card contacts, give the same time of information and invitations.

Inreach:

This is ministry to your class; your current roll. Be aware of those who have missed a couple of weeks in a row. Contact them by the 3Cs too, a card, a call, or contact (personal visit). To let them know they are missed.
Be aware of special needs, loss, health concerns of those on your roll and use the 3Cs. Activate people in the class to share in the ministry of bearing one another’s burdens.

*Bonus-give your inreach teams a reason/purpose in making contacts. Likewise supply your teams with fresh church calendars, brochures about your church or your class. Send them with a specific invitation, “In two weeks, we are having a class fellowship…we would love for you to be there.” Don’t send them out to guilt people for not attending, send them out on a mission to simply communicate the person is greatly missed. One great method of reconnecting with folks that I learned from Bob Mayfield is to send folks out with the simple request of asking for any prayer needs that person may have that the class can be lifting up. It engages the missing person, but also engages the class to not forget them by praying specifics for them.

Special Section:

*What if you do not have a Minister of Education, office,or Sunday School Director that gathers and records information for you? The steps in any class are the same. In light of this, if I were responsible for making an ideal Sunday School folder that I took with me every week to Sunday School, I would prepare a 3 ring binder containing:

Your own guest information sheet.
Your own attendance sheet.
Your own complete roll with full contact information.
Your own “Get to know me” bio sheets that you have either asked people to fill out, or that you have gathered through discussion with each person in your class. These sheets would be extremely useful to you or your Sunday School team in helping folks in discipleship, and in ministry needs and opportunities. One thing you could ask each member to give to you is their own My316 Story: How have they personally encountered John 3:16 personally. What is their testimony? (See example “Get to Know Me” sheet)

Activity:

Take the ideas from making guest, attendance, and roll sheets from the earlier activity and make a “Sunday School folder” you could use even this Sunday. Pass out the folders.

May the Lord bless you as you raise the importance of this critical aspect of ministry in our Sunday School/Small Group work.