Do You Need Sunday School Prospects, Part 2

In Part 1, I shared that to be in a growth position, Sunday School classes need prospects equal at least to your Sunday School attendance. Ideally, prospects would equal your enrollment. These are persons for whom you have names, contact information, ages, and as much church background/involvement information as possible. They should be in your community or within the ministry reach of your church.

I went on to say that without intentional efforts to discover prospects, Sunday School enrollment and attendance will tend to plateau or decline. And more than numbers, there are people who need Jesus and others who need to learn how to live like Him. I mentioned that Richard Dodge of LifeWay Christian Resourceswrote an article entitled Twelve Prospect Discovery Ideas. In Part 1, I shared the first six of his twelve ideas. In Part 2, I will share his final six ideas in all capitals followed by my commentary:

• FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITY. Josh Hunt says there is power in the invitation to a party. What if your church threw an appreciation party for teachers, firemen, policemen, doctors/nurses, factory workers, farmers, or others? These can be great opportunities to connect. Some will have a first-time positive experience in your facilities and with your people. You may be able to get contact information by having a drawing where a registration card is required.
• SHORT-TERM STUDIES. Offer subjects that meet needs of people in your community (parenting, finances, aging issues, etc.). Promote the event in the community and extend invitations to friends, relatives, neighbors, and associates. Register all participants. You might consider offering the study off-site.
• PUBLIC SOURCE CONTACT INFORMATION. There are groups like LifeWay Prospect Services that collect contact information from public sources for newcomers in your community. This contact information is for sale. If you have church members who work at utilities or banks, you can ask for contact information for new customers and welcome them to the community.
• HOUSING INDUSTRY CONTACT INFORMATION. Talk to realtors in your church. Ask people to watch for people moving into their communities. Ask insurance agents about new home owners. Check with builders. Welcome and invite newcomers you discover.
• DOOR-TO-DOOR SURVEYS. As was said about the telephone survey in Part 1, keep the survey simple. Genuinely seek their input. Offer relevant services. If they are interested, provide information about the church and add the individuals to the prospect list of the appropriate age group class. Focus on a small section of your community. You might even target a particular age group in this effort.
• INTERNATIONAL GROUP CONTACT INFORMATION FROM COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. Some community groups desire to partner to help internationals. Offer English as a Second Language groups. Work to discover needs. O ffer services to address these needs.