By now, you have probably read that close to 40 percent, or 55 million, of the adults in America are single. You have no doubt been drummed over the head with the fact that only 7 percent of American families are the traditional model: husband and wife with two to three children where the father works and the mother stays home.

You have also probably been confronted by single adults in your own congregation who want their own particular needs met but also want to be more integrated into the total life of the church. Christian single adults are tired of being looked upon, in Joe Bayly's words, as "single, saved, and second-class." They are up to their eyeballs with being stereotyped as losers or social misfits with little to offer the Christian community.

For twelve years, I have been listening to and working with single people in two congregations. During that time, I've also been in touch with large numbers of singles across the country. From these relationships, I have tried to develop ...