Historically, children's ministry has been predominantly staffed
by women. According to George Barna, "Women are almost twice as
likely as men" to teach Sunday school. But in our church, we're
evening the odds. Currently, 45 percent of our children's Sunday
school staff is male.
Here are 6 things we've done to improve our ratio:
1. We help men view children's programs as significant ministry.
Men want to be involved in valuable, important endeavors. Men are
conquerors. Give them a challenge, and they'll rise to the
occasion. Few men are motivated by a sense of guilt or a desire to
rescue a desperate situation. So the all-too-common methods of
recruitment just don't work on men. They're savvy enough to know
that if the children's pastor is begging for volunteers, something
must be wrong with the program.
So we've changed our recruiting strategy. Before each recruiting
appeal, we create several photo ops so people can see the exciting
work accomplished in young lives. We have monthly nonrecruiting
events-open houses in the Sunday school rooms, children singing in
worship services, testimonies from staff or children, or student
projects and/or pictures posted in view of the Sunday morning foot
traffic. We want men to catch the vision and excitement of
children's ministry before they're ever asked to help out.
2. We abandon the stereotype that children are "women's work."
Men need to know that other men in the church are involved with and
excited about kids. So we get men to recruit men. And it works.
Unlike the traditional Sunday school room, our fifth- and
sixth-graders are taught by seven male teachers and only one
woman-talk about change! At the beginning of this term, we had to
actively recruit a woman teacher for our toddler program, since
we're convinced men and women are important at each age level...and
we already had three male teachers!
Take a look at your ministry to see if it has a predominantly
male or female flavor. Little things make a significant impact on
how a ministry is viewed. We've reprinted the children's ministries
letterhead-forever rejecting the previously pink stationery! When
referring to children's teachers in print or from the pulpit, we
deliberately choose masculine pronouns. Most importantly, we
highlight male workers through testimonies and newsletter articles
whenever possible.
3. We show men their unique role in the classroom. Children need
to see men in the classroom. Too many of our children have no adult
male role model at home. In one church we served in, as many as 80
percent of the children came from single-parent homes-most of those
had absent fathers.
Even for students who live with both parents, male role models
add something special to the classroom. Discipline problems are
reduced when a man is present in a children's class. A male teacher
provides a healthy balance to his nurturing female counterpart when
he helps the child explore and take risks.
The absence of men in most children's ministries communicates a
message we don't want to pass on. It's a hidden curriculum that
subtly teaches children that Christianity is women's business.
Little girls are subconsciously programmed to believe that few men
are truly capable of being spiritual leaders. And little boys leave
Sunday school subtly convinced that real men rarely get involved in
church and are almost never excited about God.
4. We encourage men. Unknowingly, competent women leaders can
frighten off male volunteers. Many men are insecure about working
with children. And some men are intimidated by naturally nurturing
women who work alongside them in the classroom. Men are competitors
who all too often avoid situations where they feel inadequate or
inferior. So we encourage an atmosphere that isn't demeaning.
Shortly after our daughter was born, Gordon fed her a bottle in
the church nursery. One of the nursery workers joked about his
awkwardness in burping the baby. It took a few weeks before he was
willing to feed her in the nursery again! If one careless remark
can intimidate the children's pastor, think of the damage
insensitivity can do to well-meaning novices.
Male volunteers need extra doses of affirmation because they're
treading in unknown waters. Men need to know they're accepted and
valued-especially by other men in the ministry. Recently, when
asked why he continued to be active in children's ministries, one
veteran leader in our program responded, "Because the children's
pastor told me I'm good."
5. We provide men with strong leadership. A capable
leader-whether male or female-is very likely to have male
volunteers who want to follow. But a poor leader scares men away.
Women who serve under weak leaders will often step forward and help
the leader be successful. But when a man is asked to follow a poor
leader, he often chooses to avoid inevitable conflict by leaving
the ministry. To attract and keep men, we must guarantee them an
efficient ministry experience.
6. We give men ownership. Once we get a man involved in
ministry, we must keep him involved. For a man to remain, the
ministry must become his. To do this, we show trust and respect by
including him in the goal-setting process and ministry
evaluation.
Gordon and Becki West are co-founders of KidZ KaN Make a
Difference and KidZ at Heart International
(kidzatheart.org).
GENDER BIAS QUIZ
Take this quiz to see if your recruiting invites or repels
men.
1. Do you ask men to perform roles traditionally filled by
women?
2. Do you appeal to the conqueror in men by communicating that
children's ministry is a mission worthy of their time and
efforts?
3. Do men recruit other men to join your children's
ministry?
4. Does your printed correspondence have bright colors and bold
images rather than pastels and feminine images?
5. From the pulpit, do you refer to teachers as "he" as often as
you refer to them as "she"?
6. Do you encourage couples to minister together?
7. Do you provide female teachers in classrooms with all male
teachers?
8. Is your ministry well-organized to impress and captivate busy
men?
9. In your training, do you carefully weed out demeaning jokes
or references to men's weaknesses?
10. Do you give men decision-making power in their
ministries?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you're on your
way to a more balanced volunteer staff. If not, remedy areas where
you answered no so men will want to be part of your team.
