It seems like a hassle to take attendance each week in a Sunday School class. It takes time each week and there are those people who come in late that never get counted. Is this record keeping really necessary? Why do we need to make sure everyone is counted and marked in attendance? Do we need to keep a listing of class members and prospects? It seems we should just focus on reaching, teaching, and ministering and not worry about keeping records. Are we worshiping numbers?
Without contact information we have no way to make a contact. Without attendance information we do not know who needs to be contacted. Here are few of the reasons that we keep records and why it is important to make sure the records are accurate:
1. Statistics indicate that when a person is enrolled in a Sunday School class there is a greater chance of that person making a decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
2. Having a list of class members helps the teacher and care group leaders stay in contact with the class members to give them important information.
3. Having a list of prospects helps the teacher and outreach leader reach out to those prospects and invite them to Sunday School.
4. Having a list of prospects and class members helps the teacher and care group leaders to minister to people (birthday, anniversary, death, illness, loss of job, marriage or family problems, etc.).
5. Attendance records help us know how a class is doing and which members and prospects need to be contacted. Without accurate records we don’t know who to contact. It is important to get everyone in attendance marked on the attendance record. Most church data systems can produce a list of people in the class with the Sundays those people have been present.
6. Getting accurate information on guests is vital if we are going to follow-up with additional information and make a contact. Make sure you have a guest registration form and that it is fully completed with all of the vital information. Forms without address, phone numbers, and email make it impossible to follow-up with guests.
Generally speaking, I am not as numbers person. Most ministers of education are big on numbers and want to make sure everyone is counted and then produce a pile of reports each week on the numbers. I feel that we need to focus on doing Sunday School right and the numbers will take care of themselves, but that does not mean that numbers and records are not important. Without the records we cannot effectively reach, teach, and minister to people. So, take the time to get the records right each week.
Let me know what you think about keeping records. You may have some other reasons that records are important. Please share your comments below.
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