Family Life

12.12.08 | Debbie Fero

Depending on where you search on the web, you can find various statistics on the population of single adults in the United States. Some sites I found stated that there are over 100 million, others say that 44 -50 percent of the population are single adults. Some sites break this number down to tell us that 53 percent of these single adults are women, 64 percent are never married, 22 percent divorced and 14 percent are widowed. Those are some pretty big numbers. But the reality is it all boils down to the number one!

The numbers may change from one year to another. But the need for satisfying relationships never changes whether a person is single or married. In his book "Hiding from Love", Dr. John Townsend says; "Attachment or bondedness is our deepest need. This is because it is also the deepest part of the character of God. During the creation story the only ‘not good' God mentioned in an otherwise perfect universe was that Adam was alone. God wasn't simply dealing with the benefits of marriage in this passage. He was addressing the deeper issue of our need for attachment and relationship."

And once again, you can go to the internet to find any number of solutions to this "not good" that God described in Genesis.  There is EHarmony.com, Match.com, Parents without Partners just to mention a few. But where does a "good" Christian go? There is a definite need in the body of Christ for effectively ministering to the growing number of singles.

I've been involved in a leadership role in a couple of different Singles Ministries and I've found that what works best is to imitate Christ.

Pray - Jesus prayed before preaching, before making major decisions, after healing. He always had a direct connection to the Source of power.

Love - Jesus consistently demonstrated the transforming power of love.  Jesus is love and it is in loving that we are most like Him.

Edification - Jesus was a teacher. He taught about the law, God's kingdom, forgiveness, stewardship and so much more. He taught us how to be like Him.

Service - Jesus came to serve and He understood God's heart for those who served. His life was about doing the Father's work.

Evangelism - Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. It was His mission and it needs to be our mission as well.

Following the Master is always a good thing. Whether you are trying to meet the needs of 100 million or one - the need is real. It was put in our heart by the Creator. And if we imitate Him, we will know how that need for relationship can be met.  

Stay tuned for another article on how to take these five elements and incorporate them into your own singles ministry.