The bishopric may call a ward Sunday School secretary to assist the Sunday School presidency. The Church Handbook of Instructions describes the duties of the secretary as follows:

• Consult with the presidency to prepare agendas for their meetings.
• Attend presidency meetings and keep minutes.
• Keep Sunday School attendance records. This includes preparing class rolls and distributing and collecting them each week. (In units that use automated membership record systems, a ward clerk could provide computer-generated class rolls to the secretary.)
• Review class attendance records with the Sunday School presidency, focusing on members who are not attending class or are attending irregularly.
  (See Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders [1998], 242.)

As you serve as a ward Sunday School secretary, you may find the following suggestions useful.

1. Participate in presidency meetings. The primary duty of a ward Sunday School secretary is to assist the Sunday School presidency. The secretary consults with the presidency to prepare agendas, take minutes, and prepare reports (see Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2, 242).

2. Keep current and regularly review a roster of all Sunday School teachers and class members. The Book of Mormon prophet Moroni taught the importance of record-keeping as a means of blessing the people. Pay particular attention to the words having to do with naming and numbering:

"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith" (Moroni 6:4).

3. Prepare an agenda under the direction of the ward Sunday School presidency. Preparing an agenda is a helpful tool for conducting effective presidency meetings. The following is one suggested form for an agenda for a Sunday School presidency meeting:

AGENDA FOR PRESIDENCY MEETING

Date:
Presiding: (name)
Conducting: (name)

1. Opening prayer: (name)
2. Spiritual thought and/or leadership training: (name)
   • Place a copy of the spiritual thought here. Doing so will enable those who attended the meeting to leave with a quote from the Brethren or a scripture that can be used in other training or at home. This could also be done with the leadership training.
3. Review of the minutes from the previous meeting.
4. Calendaring items:
5. Discussion of how to fulfill Sunday School responsibilities (may include making announcements, reviewing teacher improvement, orienting new teachers, counseling with and providing ongoing support to each teacher, discussing how to help meet the needs of individual members and gospel teachers, discussing the meetinghouse library, planning for upcoming activities, reporting on assignments, and making new assignments)
6. Closing prayer: (name)

To view a collection of ideas and suggestions designed to help, inspire, and motivate gospel teachers throughout the Church to improve the quality of teaching in classrooms and at home, visit "Helps for Teachers."