In this age of specialized ministry, it seems there are few groups for whom churches don’t provide help. But this letter from a subscriber to our sister newsletter, “ChristianityToday.com Connection,” gave me pause for thought:
“For some time I’ve received the Singles Channel newsletter. I’ve noticed there are articles and links for singles, teens, marrieds, divorced or single women, but I’ve yet to see anything addressing older single or divorced men who are alone.
“For some reason, we always seem to be neglected by the church. Most, if not all, single books or chat rooms are for the young single—never for those in their 40s.
“We don’t need help with the sex issue, nor do we need much help in trying to find the right person. But we do need help in dealing with the pain of being alone in middle-age.
“It almost seems as if no one wants to admit we even exist. My wife left me six years ago, and I’ve not yet been able to get over it. The church I was attending at the time never even called to see if I was okay. I was suicidal, and it seemed that no one cared.
“If Christians don’t take care of their own, how can they expect to bring the message of God’s great love through Jesus to the unsaved? I hope you’ll consider some kind of ministry to the older, divorced or single man. It would help. We’re out there.”
Does your church minister to older single men, whether never-married or divorced? Do you know of resources designed for them? E-mail me with your ideas, leads, and resources, and I’ll share them in a future newsletter.
—Kevin A. Miller is executive editor of Building Church Leaders, a lay leadership training resource. To reply, write Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net.
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