Recently Dr. Steve Parr produced a powerful brochure titled, "The Enrollment Brief: A Challenge to Georgia Baptist Sunday School Leaders." In this newly produced material, Steve asks the question, "What would happen if 100 Georgia Baptist leaders committed to lead their churches and those over whom they have influence to enroll 1,000 people in Sunday School in one year?" This number would include "all, 'open groups,' including cell groups, home groups, Sunday morning adult Bible Study, and/or any other name a church associated with its 'open group' strategy known in most churches as 'Sunday School.'"

Dr. Parr points to the importance of such an emphasis as he reminds us that the theme for 1954 was, "A Million More in 54." In that one year, there was a record enrollment gain of 63,426. It might surprise you that the accumulative average annual gain since 1960 has been 2,900. If all of our Sunday School leadership in the state would get behind Steve's emphasis of having 100 leaders committed to and leading their churches and those whom they influence to enroll 1,000 people in Sunday School could result in an increase of over 100,000 in a single year.

While our Georgia population has grown 64 percent over the past five years, enrollment in Sunday School has increased by only 22 percent. As a matter of fact, 312,036 of our members who live near our churches are not assigned to any class or group for ministry. In 2003, the Southern Baptist Convention experienced a net gain of less than 20,000 in increased enrollment in Sunday School. It took 2 churches to enroll 1 person in Sunday School.

To me this is very surprising. Frankly, I was shocked to learn that that year the increased enrollment in Sunday School among our Georgia Baptist churches made up 63 percent of the total net enrollment for all the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2004, Sunday School growth in Georgia represented 54 percent of the total growth in Sunday School in the Southern Baptist Convention. It is possible to look at those statistics, to consider our work being done in Georgia as outstanding and be lulled into complacency.

Actually, it should be unacceptable for us to have been so profoundly committed to Sunday School throughout our history to see the reality that it took 2 churches to enroll 1 person. At the same time, our average increase per Georgia Baptist church was 3.5 percent in enrollment.

What is so important about enrollment? Enrollment is a tool that enables a church to reach, assimilate, minister, and teach God's Word to the members and to the community. Enrollment is actually the measure by which you can track your progress in Sunday School and see results. Further, it is the core of a comprehensive strategy to help our churches in their commitment to be Healthy Kingdom churches by teaching the Gospel to the maximum number of people and through our Sunday School ministry to see people being added to the church.

When a person is enrolled in Sunday School, that person can be prayed for regularly, consistently invited to participate in fellowship opportunities and form meaningful relationships, be encouraged to study God's Word thus strengthening their relationship to God, to family, and to Kingdom service, and finally to be challenged to be engaged in evangelism and outreach.

Some may be asking the question if simply adding names to the Sunday School roll will increase attendance. The answer to that is "no." If you could increase the attendance by simply adding names to your roll you might get the phone book out and start adding names from the phone book onto your Sunday School rolls. Dr. Parr suggests that the two following statements are equally true:

1. Increasing the enrollment will not automatically insure an increase in attendance.

2. You cannot experience sustained growth in attendance without increasing the enrollment.

Let me conclude by quoting an important paragraph from Dr. Parr's brochure.

"Healthy Sunday Schools tend to be more aggressive in Sunday School enrollment. They recognize that the attendance will not grow if the enrollment remains stable. They understand the thermostat principle as it relates to the attendance in Sunday School. A thermostat is a mechanism utilized to adjust the temperature of a room that is too cool or too warm. The thermostat can be adjusted to raise or lower the temperature of the room. Likewise, the attendance can be lowered or raised with the mechanism of enrollment.

Every church that has experienced an increase in enrollment over the past five years has also experienced an increase in Sunday School attendance. Every church that has declined in enrollment over the last five years has also declined in attendance. Those that have maintained the enrollment during that time have a plateaued attendance. You may observe a church that increases enrollment and declines in attendance over the course of a year. However, over a longer period of time the attendance will conform to the direction of the enrollment.

Check this for yourself. Compare your current Sunday School enrollment to five years ago. Did your enrollment increase, stabilize, or decrease? Did your attendance follow the same trend?"

Steve Parr's point is crystal clear - the more we enroll, the more we grow!