How many sermons have you heard (or preached) in the last year on marriage, children, parenting? And how many have been on singleness? If your experience is anything like mine, the disparity is probably pretty great. With the exception of a few strong singles ministries at the largest churches, single Christians often find their struggles–and blessings–neglected at the expense of the married couples and families.

So many churches are structured around the family unit, and that's a good thing. Families are important, and for the majority of people in most churches this is the context in which spiritual formation happens. But this is not true for everyone. And single people also need to know how they fit into the church, and how God speaks into their particular situation. This begins in the pulpit.

I was actually surprised to learn that John Stott, the evangelical statesman who recently died, never married in his 90 years. In an article for Christianity Today, Al Hsu shares Stott's wisdom ...