Pastors

Twelve of us sat around a table discussing how to bring single adults into our church. The thoughts they offered traveled familiar paths:

"We have to reach out to singles."

"Our purpose is not to provide a neighborhood dating service."

"We want to help them understand how the gospel intersects their lives."

"If we can meet their needs, the rest will take care of itself."

That evening, like many before, I found myself reflecting on single adults and how our church can minister to them-more specifically, how we can reach them for Christ and incorporate them into the church.

And minister we must, for we know the statistics: by the year 2000, 51 percent of our adult population will be without marriage partners. If the church is to reach out to the majority of adults in our country, we must find ways to minister to singles.

Two Doors

My exposure to singles ministry began when I created a fellowship group for young adults, married and single. Looking back, I see this ministry took primarily a front-door ...

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