Job Description: Sunday School Secretary

In my previous blog post, Job Description: Sunday School Class Secretary, I wrote about the responsibilities of the class secretary. Today’s post, on the other hand, describes the role of the general (total Sunday School) secretary. The Sunday School Secretary supports the Sunday School Director and the Sunday School Growth Team (see Job Description: Basic Sunday School Growth Team for a list and duties) through keeping good records, making reports, and securing needed resources, supplies, and curriculum.

Here are some of the areas in which a Sunday School secretary functions and focuses:

• processes weekly attendance records from all classes–seek to include every latecomer;
• works with classes to maintain accurate and up to date master file member and prospect contact information (Identify and Invite Sunday School Prospects, Part 3);
• transfers, adds, and removes persons from class enrollment according to church policy (see Use Your Sunday School Records to Reach and Care for More People, Part 1 and Use Your Sunday School Records to Reach and Care for More People, Part 2);
• works with classes to order, secure, and distribute needed/requested curriculum, resources, and supplies;
• meets monthly with the Sunday School Growth Team;
• prepares monthly (and annual) reports about attendance, enrollment, prospect, change, and others as requested prior to the monthly Sunday School Growth Team meeting.

MASTER FILES:

In most cases, there are three levels of member and prospect contact information to be kept updated. There is a master file maintained by the Sunday School and/or church office. Then there is a class file that is maintained by the class; changes are reported to the Sunday School Secretary. Then there is an assignment/report copy for members to make contacts with absentees and prospects and to report results of contacts. The class file helps in case the assignment/report copy is lost, and the master file helps for when a class file is misplaced.

MONTHLY, QUARTERLY, AND ANNUAL REPORTS:

The planning team will benefit from regular reports which include (but are not limited to) the following:

• total enrollment and enrollment by age group (preschool, children, youth, and adult) and how much each changed from last month;
• total attendance and attendance by age group and how much each changed from last month;
• number of different people who attended at least once during the month and how it compares to previous month;
• how enrollment and attendance compares to goals set at the annual Sunday School growth retreat;
• number of total prospects and by age group;
• number newly enrolled this month and number dropped this month;
• literature cost per quarter and how it compares to what was budgeted;
• annual summary of the above shared with the Director, Pastor, and church.

This valuable team member can help the Sunday School maintain recognize practices and patterns from member and prospect records leading to more effective ministry. Keep good records. Care for members and prospects. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!