Singles Ministry – Saved and Single
The Singles Ministry is one of the influential ministries dedicated to reaching out to single adults and youth. The Singles Ministry allows God’s people to understand that they are. This is not for them to be labeled or seen as unmarried people, but are undergoing a process. This process has many stages and seasons in which God prepares the person for holy companionship as well as building a relationship founded on Christ first.
CREATE A CHURCH THAT FINDS VALUE IN SINGLES
Most of the pastors we interviewed ranked this concept as the No. 1 element. “I think there is a prevalent preconceived notion that if a person hasn’t been married by the time they’re middle-aged, it’s because they’re socially awkward,” says Jonathan Damiani, executive director for Crossfire. “Sure there are socially awkward singles, but there are plenty of socially awkward married people too.”
Other pastors identified three specific action points for developing a singles-friendly environment churchwide:
• Preach positively about singleness. “[Senior or teaching] pastors really need to consider how they can affirm single adults,” says Susie White, singles pastor at Christ Church Episcopal in Plano, Texas. “When was the last time you heard a sermon on the high calling of being single?”
• Don’t segregate singles. “Our church doesn’t want the singles program to become its own subculture,” says Ramon Presson. Single adult and college minister at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn. “It wants them to be a part of the church. Just like married adults are a part of the church. The operative word is adult not single.”
• Put singles in positions of responsibility. One of the ways Presson’s church affirms the value of single adults is by putting them in positions of significant responsibility in the church. “We’ve got more single adults serving outside our singles ministry than in it,” Presson says. The church asks singles to serve on its personnel committee, the deacon board, etc.
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