Good news! From 1985 to 2000, fathers doubled the time they spend caring for their children—from 3 to 6.5 hours, according to the Pew Research Center.
It’s a great time to grab hold of that involvement by recruiting men in your ministry. Here are five of the best tips we’ve published in Children’s Ministry Magazine that’ll help you “beef up” your team.
1. Intentionally recruit men.
Since it’s often easier to get women to join our team, we may overlook some great men who’d say yes if we only asked.
2. Focus on the positive.
No man wants to join a “whiny” team or sinking ship. So don’t focus on what’s wrong. Instead, celebrate how amazing your team is and what God is doing.
3. Pair new male volunteers with male mentors.
Guys like learning from other guys.
4. Recruit guys to male-like roles.
Most guys would probably rather lead games than crafts. There are exceptions but for the most part, don’t recruit guys for traditional female roles.
5. Man up your ministry.
If your annual volunteer appreciation event is a tea, you’re not attracting men. Take a look at your visuals, colors, themes, decor. Is it more attractive to women or men? Ask guys in your ministry how you can make your ministry more masculine–or at least gender-neutral.
Here are more great ideas for recruiting men from Gordon West (the man himself!).
