On Mondays I share a quote from a book related to Bible study and/or general leadership. Today’s book is an oldie but a goodie. Listen to the words of a Christian education hero of mine. Here are the words of Harry Piland, a former director of Sunday School at the Baptist Sunday School Board, now LifeWay:

We have seen from Scripture that we are to reach out into a world of unsaved people with the good news. We must gross geographic, cultural, and racial lines. The gospel is indeed for all persons and all places. No one is excluded. The ‘whosoever will’ in John 3:16 makes the truth absolutely clear. Surely Christ’s death on the cross was for each person. That is the good news of the gospel.

One of the best ways to reach out and touch this vast unreached population is to get people involved in Bible study. We can do so much by enrolling them in Sunday School, for Bible study is precisely what Sunday School is all about. One of the first steps in reaching out to them is to enroll persons in Bible study.

Piland was a strong advocate of enrolling people in Bible study. He saw enrollment as the beginning of the reaching part of the Sunday School. Although the quote above was written in 1980, it rings true today, almost 40 years later. Basics work. Some things are timeless. What was old is new again.

How many people have you and your group enrolled since January? Do you have an artificial waiting period before someone can join (like an unwritten rule that says, “when a person visits 3 or more times, we’ll enroll them”)? Or do you try to enroll the person on their first visit to your group (which is the preferred method)?

If your group is going to reach people for Christ, you’re going to enroll people in your Bible study group. To do this effectively, simply:

1. Invite every guest to enroll on their first visit.
2. Have information cards available each time your group meets.
3. Learn to make this invitation a part of your conversation with every guest.

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