Five Tips for Making Record Keeping Easy

Written by Wayne Poling

For efficiency, Sunday School departments need an effective Sunday School record-keeping system. Use these tips to help make great record-keeping a reality:

Identify the information you need to collect. A good records system includes an up-to-date member roll and prospect file. Every name in the member file and prospect file represents a person who needs a regular personal encounter with God and the ministry of a concerned Sunday School class. The member and prospect data in your records tell who people are, where they live, what their spiritual condition is, and to which group they have been assigned. Weekly individual member and class records tell who is and who is not present. Record-keeping becomes a way in which leaders have accountability for members, and members become accountable for commitments they have made to their class, church, and God.

Class Record Book: No. 82 for Adult Classes

Select a records system that fits your church's needs. Your record system should record pertinent personal, family, spiritual development, and Sunday School participation for every individual.

Gather the information you need to update your records. If your church is like many churches, you will need to obtain more information in order to be able to update your records. One of the best ways to do this may be to re-register everyone for Sunday School. This does not mean beginning again with your Sunday School enrollment, but re-registering everyone and updating information. To do this, here are some steps you may want to follow:

• Select two consecutive Sundays for the process.
• Orient your leaders to the process.
• Ask every Sunday School teacher to have each person enrolled in his or her class fill out a new enrollment card on one of those two Sundays. Make sure that all of the information is completed on the enrollment card, including date of birth information.
• Ask teachers to follow-up with those in their class or department who have not completed the re-registration.
• Using the information gathered, update all of the registration information. Prepare the individual member record cards and class files. You will want to make sure that your records system has in place a way that every teacher has full access to the attendance pattern of every member and knows when they are absent and present.

Develop a written policy for Sunday School records. Include in the policy how new members are to be enrolled, how members may be dropped from Sunday School, and the process for handling Sunday School records on Sunday morning and other times.

Plan a specific training time. Make a specific effort to educate everyone that has any form of responsibility for Sunday School.

Wayne Poling is Sunday School/FAITH ministry specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources, Nashville, Tennessee.