Who
Cares?
Identifying and Enrolling Prospects
Who cares that 62 percent of the unchurched feel the church is irrelevant
(Barna 1990)? Who cares that they believe church people are not loving
and caring, but are concerned mostly about themselves?
Congregations that want to make a difference in people's lives and
in their communities care. Churches that take seriously the growth and
development of people seek to involve them in life-changing Bible study
and Sunday school.
Most people do not seek a church, and most churches do not seek people.
But a recent Gallup poll revealed that 58 percent of the unchurched
in America "could see themselves becoming actively involved in a church
today and are open to an invitation." Reaching, keeping, and discipling
people are most effective when done through Bible study groups or Sunday
school classes.
What Is Enrollment?
Enrollment in Bible study or Sunday school is how the church builds
people. Churches that don't enroll and involve people in Bible study
or Sunday school may attract a crowd, but they will not build people.
Enrollment is the conscious, deliberate effort to involve people in
life changing Bible study so they will be enriched and developed.
Enrollment is a tangible expression of the church's commitment to care
for people. It attempts: (1) to cultivate and nurture the friendship
of those who are enrolled, and (2) to develop their spiritual growth
through ministry, Bible study, and other activities. Enrollment makes
each person the responsibility of a group, class, or department that
will minister to him.
Enrollment provides a prospect pool. As a group or class actively seeks
to build relationships with them, many enrollees will be unable to resist
the invitations and genuine expressions of love and concern. They will
become active members.
Enrollment is an evaluation tool. It helps a church judge its effectiveness
in outreach and assimilation. The enrollment figure helps the church
determine the number of classes and departments and the number of workers
needed.
Enrollment is the basis for projecting growth. Growth ratios based
on enrollment help leaders project worship attendance, Sunday school
or Bible study attendance, income, and conversions.
Enrollment is the basis for the church's care ministry. We enroll people
so we can maintain appropriate contact and minister to them. Without
enrollment, it would be easy to overlook some persons.
The Value of Enrolling People in Bible Study
Of churches that plateaued in attendance and then began to grow again,
78 percent have "increased emphasis upon Sunday school in the past several
years (Kirk Hadaway, Church Growth Principles: Separating Fact from
Fiction. Broadman, 1991). Churches that grow intentionally make
their Sunday school evangelistic. They identify prospects, enroll them,
and actively seek to involve them in regular Bible study or Sunday school
classes or groups.
Churches are stronger when people are involved in Bible study. John
Vaughn, founder and director of Megachurch Research Center, said, "Today's
megachurch is tomorrow's empty cathedral" (Megachurches and American
Cities, 1993). Any church that doesn't take the development of people
through the systematic study and application of God's Word seriously
stands to suffer significant loss of people and effectiveness.
Evangelism and assimilation are more effective when people are enrolled
in Bible study or Sunday school. Research indicates that life changing
Bible study classes and groups are most effective in evangelism and
assimilation. In his book The Growth Spiral, Andy Anderson said
that two out of four people enrolled in a Bible study group are unsaved.
One out of four people enrolled in a Bible study will be saved and baptized
in water within 1 year of enrollment. He contrasted this with 400 persons
not enrolled in a Bible study group. Only one is saved in the same year.
Anderson also said that nearly 100 percent of new converts who are enrolled
in Bible study groups are assimilated into the church. With personal
evangelism, one out of five will be baptized in water. With mass evangelism
and crusades, one out of 10 is baptized. With Sunday school and Bible
study, 9 out of 10 are baptized.
Finances increase when people are enrolled and involved in Bible study.
People who are regular in Bible study or Sunday school and worship attendance
seem to be more obedient to Christ in stewardship. Elmer Towns, church
growth consultant, said that the average per capita giving for worship-only
attendees is 50 cents per week compared to $10 per week for those who
attend both Sunday school or Bible study and worship service.
Enrollment is the first step in getting people to become actively involved
in Bible study and Sunday school.
What Should Our Enrollment Policy Be?
Open enrollment is the best policy. Open enrollment means you will
enroll anybody, anywhere, at anytime as long as the person agrees to
enroll. It further means you will remove names from the roll only when
the persons have died, moved out of the area, joined another church,
or asked to be removed.
Open enrollment is a practical way for the church to be true to Scripture
and the commands of Christ. Jesus said, "Go out into the highways and
hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (Luke
14:23).
This policy begs the question, why do we need to enroll anyone? We
enroll people so we can minister to them. We remove them when we can
no longer minister to them.
The enrollment policy should also include appropriate follow-up. The
4 to 6 weeks following enrollment are critical to ensuring that the
enrolled person becomes actively involved. Phone calls, personal visits,
and mail are practical ways to follow up. Studies show that 80 percent
of those enrolled and followed up will attend.
How is the follow-up done best? Once a person enrolls, he should be
assigned to a group, class, or department. Kirk Hadaway, a church statistician,
said, "Increasing one's enrollment will not affect Sunday school attendance,
nor the growth of the church, unless continual efforts are made to visit,
invite, and involve persons who are enrolled, but who do not attend"
(Church Growth Principles: Separating Fact from Fiction. Nashville:
Broadman, 1991, p. 51).
How do we know we are enrolling enough new people? As a rule of thumb,
enrollment should be twice the number in attendance. "Enrollment is
the base from which you work. Determine your attendance goal and then
double that to get your enrollment goal. Enrollment should be not more
than twice average attendance and not less than 70 percent more than
your average attendance. For example, if your present attendance is
50, your enrollment should be between 70 and 100. These enrollment goals
alone will not increase attendance, but they are the place to start.
The primary reason for focusing on enrollment is to help each class
become more aware of the people they are responsible for and thus take
action to care for and minister to them" (Focus on Administration,
Springfield: GPH, 1993, p. 63).
Whom Do We Enroll?
Lost persons need to be reached. People in every church have friends,
relatives, associates, and neighbors who do not know Jesus Christ as
their personal Savior. Studies show that the church's extended potential
congregation is at least six times larger than the average adult attendance.
It is estimated that every person who has been a Christian for 2 years
or longer still has between six and eight unchurched contacts. Those
who have been Christians for less than 2 years average 12 unchurched
contacts.
Generally this group of people is the easiest to reach. Opportunities
for ministry to prospects include times of crisis, tragedy, or transition
such as death, illness, family problems, financial need, loneliness,
changing jobs, children starting school, or graduation.
Those who attend worship services only need to be enrolled. In 1989
and 1990, the Search Institute conducted a study of six different denominations
regarding the value and impact of Bible study and Christian education
in the lives of constituents. They found that churches with a strong
systematic study of God's Word through Christian education (Sunday school)
had teenagers and adults whose faith was stronger and more viable, who
were less likely to leave their faith, and who were less likely to be
at risk. They were less likely to get involved in drugs, alcohol, and
illicit sex. People in these churches had a more developed, integrated
faith. Their faith, spiritual growth, and development activated their
everyday lives.
Whenever guests are present at a church activity, explain the benefits
of enrollment and provide opportunity for them to enroll in Bible study.
This includes the preschoolers, children, and youth who attend special
ministries such as VBS, kids crusades, camps, and midweek programs.
Non-attending parents of children and youth who attend Sunday school,
VBS, or other activities also are good candidates for enrollment.
Methods for Prospecting and Enrolling
TeleTOUCH. This method uses the telephone to identify prospects.
Contacts who do not attend a church regularly are asked if they would
like to receive information about the church and Bible studies. The
TeleTOUCH Manual from Sunday School Promotion and Training Department,
($2, #714-899) is an effective tool for setting up this type of outreach.
Enrollment campaign. This is an annual or semiannual effort
intentionally designed to find prospects and enroll them in Bible study.
The morning worship service is a good place to begin this people search.
In addition, encourage members to carry enrollment cards always. They
should pray for opportunities to reach out to unchurched people and
enroll them.
Operation Andrew. Members identify four or five friends, relatives,
associates, and neighbors not currently enrolled. During a 3-month period,
they specifically pray for and reach out to these persons.
Encourage everyone to carry enrollment cards. They should pray for
and seek opportunity to reach out to unchurched people. An intentional,
sensitive effort should be made to enroll them.
Outreach Bible studies. This strategy seeks to involve unchurched
people in a 3- or 4-week basic Bible study. The objective is to reach
them where they are and lead them to more active involvement in Bible
study.
The welcoming process. Invite guests to enroll in Sunday school
at the welcome center, in classes, or in worship services. Obtain parental
consent before enrolling children.
Becoming a member. Encourage everyone who requests church membership
to enroll in Bible study or Sunday school. Criteria for membership should
include a commitment to be involved in regular Bible study.
Training Members To Enroll Prospects
Relationships are the most effective basis for reaching and enrolling
people. Teach your members to be alert to opportunities that will help
them develop these valuable relationships. Share the following instructions
with them.
Whenever you meet a guest in a service, class, or event, ask the person
to enroll in Bible study or Sunday school. You might say, "We're glad
you're here today. We want to do our best to help you in any way we
can. If you have a need, we want you to feel you can count on our church
to help.
"Our Bible study groups are a caring arm of our church. Enrollment
in Bible study shows your interest in becoming all you can be and our
commitment to help you. We would like for you to be a part of our group.
Would you like to enroll in a Bible study?"
It is positive to assume they would like to be part of your group.
In some instances, people will prefer not to enroll, but they will register
as guests. If this happens, say something like, "I understand your need
to find out more about the church before you make a decision. Perhaps
you will want to enroll at the end of the class or in a week or two."
Here is a sample script for prospecting and enrolling by telephone
or door-to-door. (The TeleTOUCH Manual has additional information
on this subject.)
"Hi, my name is _________ . I'm from [name of church] located
[give directions from a easily recognized landmark]. We are
doing a survey in this area. May I ask you a couple of questions?"
If the person says no, thank him and leave, or give appropriate
literature and leave.
If the answer is yes, continue with the following:
"Do you attend a church on a regular basis?"
If the contact says yes, you respond, "It's great to find other
people in our community who have a strong faith. We are attempting to
locate people who are not involved in a local church."
If the answer is no, you will reply, "Our church is interested
in the people and families of our community. We want to be of service
to you and help you as much as we can. Because you don't attend church
regularly, we would like to be available to you if you ever experience
a need. You can count on us to help you as much as we can.
"We would also like to keep you informed about upcoming seminars, classes,
programs, and activities that might interest you. This service is provided
through the Bible study groups in our church. Our commitment to you
involves three things:
- If you call, we will do our best to help you.
- With your permission we will provide you with information about
upcoming seminars, classes, programs, and activities that may interest
you.
- With your permission we will contact you periodically to see how
you are doing.
"May we enroll you in one of our Bible study groups, so you can contact
us if ever you have need? Will you give us permission to contact you
periodically and provide you with valuable information about upcoming
seminars, classes, programs, and activities?"
If the person says no, ask, "Which of the three options do you
prefer not to be a part of?" (Attempt to get the person to permit you
to send information about the church and activities. You may also ask
if there are children in the home and if you might enroll them in Sunday
school. If the persons respond favorably, get information about the
children and ask if they would like to attend Sunday school this week.
You may offer to arrange transportation if needed.)
If the person agrees to be enrolled, ask for names of all family
members and check the address to which you will send information about
the church. (See the sample enrollment card.)
Thank the person for speaking with you.
When you identify and enroll people in life-changing Bible study, you
are saying that your church cares.
For more enrollment information:
The Church Growth Spiral Manual. Springfield, Missouri: Sunday
School Promotion and Training, 1993.
The Church Growth Spiral Kit. Springfield, Missouri: Sunday
School Promotion and Training, 1993.
Focus on Administration. Edgerly, George, Efraim Espinoza, and
Steven Mills. Springfield Missouri: Gospel Publishing House 1993.
