Here are 5 ministry tips you can try if you’d like to get more men serving in children’s ministry.

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 my church, we’re evening the odds. Currently, men make up 45 percent of the children’s Sunday school staff. Here are 5 things I’ve implemented to improve our ratio.

5 Ways to Get More Men Serving in Children’s Ministry

1. We invite men into the crucial work of children’s ministry.

Few men (or humans in general) are motivated by a sense of guilt or a desire to rescue a desperate situation. Volunteers want to be a part of something meaningful. Meaning is magnetic. So many of the all-too-common methods of recruitment that simply focus on the vacancies on the kidmin team just don’t work. Many people are 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 like open houses in the classrooms, children singing in services, testimonies from staff or children, or student projects and/or pictures posted in view of the Sunday morning foot traffic. We want men—and all potential volunteers—to catch the vision and excitement of children’s ministry before we ever ask them to help out.

2. We abandon the tired stereotype that children are “women’s work.”

Men need to know that children’s ministry involves other men from the church. 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 one woman. At the beginning of this term, we had to specifically 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 ratio. The people serving on your team make an impact on how a ministry is viewed—very much including who’s represented in your volunteer pool.

3. We show men their unique role in the classroom.

Children need to see men in the classroom. Many children have no male role model at home. In one church I served in, as many as 80 percent of the children came from single-parent homes—most had absent fathers. Even for students who live with both parents, male role models simply add to the classroom dynamics. Kids need to see men excited about God and men who believe in and honor the value of what kids add to the church community.

4. We encourage men.

Some men may be insecure about their abilities in working with children. Those worries may cause them to avoid situations where they feel inadequate or inferior. So we encourage an atmosphere that isn’t demeaning.

Shortly after my daughter was born, I fed her a bottle in the church nursery. One of the nursery workers joked about my awkwardness in burping the baby. It took a few weeks before I was willing to feed her in the nursery again! If one careless remark can intimidate the children’s pastor (me), think of the damage insensitivity can do to well-meaning novices.

Mindfully watch for any volunteer who may need extra doses of affirmation because they’re treading in unknown waters. All your volunteers need to know they’re accepted and valued—especially by others in the ministry.

5. We give men ownership.

In the children’s ministry at my church, once we get a man involved in ministry, we aim to keep him involved. Again, as for many humans in general, an important way to do this is to make space for volunteers to have a sense of ownership. We show trust and respect by including all our volunteers in the goal-setting process and ministry evaluation.

Apply these principles in your volunteer recruiting and retention efforts, and you’ll see impact. You’ll attract and keep capable volunteers—men and women alike.

Gordon West is co-founder of KidZ KaN Make a Difference and KidZ at Heart International (kidzatheart.org).

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