by Robin Landry

Created on: January 19, 2009

Should the church have a Single's Ministry? Although many church leaders seem deeply divided on this issue, I believe that the answer to this question is unequivocally "Yes".

Why? First, I think it is a matter of sheer numbers. According to a 2004 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau there are approximately 95.7 million single adults in the United States. That translates to about 43% of the population. However, single adults, and especially single men, seem to have some of the lowest rates of church membership and participation than members of other demographic groups.

In his book, "What People Ask About the Church" author Dale Robbins indicates that the number one priority of the church is to "proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and make disciples of all kinds of people. If the church is to achieve this mission it cannot afford to leave such a large segment of the population untapped. Single's Ministries that include a healthy combination of social activities, evangelism and outreach to the single community accomplish two purposes. Not only do they serve the very real need of providing an alternative to bars and clubs as a way for singles to meet and socialize they also provide a non-threatening method for evangelizing to this group and helping to attract and retain them within the church.

This idea also goes hand in hand with Robbins' second assertion regarding the mission of the church to "serve as a community of fellowship and worship." As a grade school student I can remember having many fun experiences in Sunday School and Children's Church. Youth Group, Baptist Training Union and State Youth Convention events of my high school and college years still provide me with memories of important bonding experiences as I grew in both maturity and in faith alongside my peers. But as I moved into the period of singleness between my graduation from college and my first marriage and especially during a second 12 year stint as a single person following my divorce at age 30 the opportunities for bonding with similarly situated peers within the church were rare.

While some religious leaders argue that providing separate fellowship and worship opportunities for singles opens the door to too much segregation and the development of competing "factions" within the church I would have to disagree. Without opportunities for singles to fellowship with one another and to provide advice and support for the challenges along the Christian walk that are unique to single people,

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