5 Valuable Perspectives Singles Bring to the Church

5 Valuable Perspectives Singles Bring to the Church

Single, unmarried, widowed, divorced, single parent. These are a few ways to define singles in the church. As multifaceted members of the body of Christ, singles play an intricate role in the church. They are Sunday School teachers, Bible students, choir members, and so much more. Single congregants serve the Body of Christ inside and outside the church walls to continue to build the Kingdom of God for His glory. Singles play an intricate part in the Body of Christ; however, they are often overlooked and undervalued simply because of their relationship status. While the oversight of singles may not be intentional in houses of worship, it is evident that the needs and perspectives of singles often fall by the wayside. This narrative must change. As people of God, it is crucial to understand that God gifts everyone in different ways. Each way that someone is gifted is important, and each individual use of their gifts builds God's Kingdom in a different manner that will bless someone's walk in discipleship. When it comes to being single in the church, it can be difficult to focus on the work of Christ when you're constantly being reminded of your relationship status rather than being uplifted for who you are in the Lord. What many churches often fail to realize is that single congregants have so much to offer their church communities. Their ideas, work ethic, time, and relationship status should be valued more than it is. If you're wondering what perspectives singles bring to the church's growth and how you can honor them, look at the list below.

Let's begin with community fellowship. Fellowship is defined as friendly, shared interactions or associations with people with the same interests or beliefs. Community life within the church is vital to singles' walk in discipleship. It helps them remain healthy in the spirit, draw nearer to God, and become strong in their faith. Unmarried members of the Body of Christ can benefit and contribute to the work of God in many ways. They can actively participate in small groups. They can lead small groups that are specifically designed for singles. They can lead and organize ministry activities and so much more. While singles can contribute their time and talents to the church community, it's also important to recognize that singles deserve to be properly nurtured by their church communities. Church leaders, teachers, and even married couples should ask singles how they can help them with their walk in discipleship, rather than attempting to find ways to alleviate their singleness. They should also ask singles what their needs are for growing in the Body of Christ and implement them accordingly. Church communities are families for believers. Everyone needs each other to survive and thrive, and everyone's perspectives should be heard and honored.

Reaching the masses and spreading the good news is important. It encourages people and brings individuals to Christ. Singles can help the church reach a broader audience because they have diverse experiences and interact with people from different walks of life. For example, many singles are dating, divorced, widowed, single parents. Many are a part of travel groups, cooking clubs, or different social groups outside of the church. As singles play a part in each of these communities, they can invite them to church for service, influence the unsaved to accept Christ, or encourage wayward members to reconnect with Christ. Singles are active individuals who grasp life to the fullest beyond the walls of the church and can bring a more diverse group of people to the Body of Christ.

How to Include Single Perspectives in the Church

If you're wondering how to include the perspective of singles in the work of the church, here are a few ways to do so.

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    1. Identify leadership roles suited for singles.

    Leadership roles require a person to possess a certain character. It calls for them to be empathetic and humble. It calls for them to exude love and kindness. But most importantly, a good leader must walk in the vision that God has placed before them no matter what comes their way. Many singles in the church often take the backseat. However, singles in the church can lead productive ministry work for the Lord when placed in the right area. Singles can be prayer ministry leaders, pastors, deacons, worship leaders and so much more and should not be pigeonholed into stereotypical roles in the church. Everyone is gifted and should be able to lead ministry work, no matter their relationship status.

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    2. Have meetings specifically for singles to express their needs.

    Outside of singles ministry gatherings and other ministry meetings, churches should have meetings for singles about single needs in the church. Many churches and their leaders often overlook the consistent, deep-rooted needs single members of their congregations have. This happens more often than not simply because they base the needs of current singles on what they needed from the church when they were single. Times have changed, and so have the perspectives of singles. Take some time each month to intentionally plan to meet with single congregants and get their perspectives on ministry work, sermons, community outreach, and anything else concerning them. It's important to intentionally hear the perspectives of every member of the Body of Christ in order to effectively minister to them. Effective ministering leads to effective ministries. Effective ministries lead to effective ministry workers. Effective ministry workers lead to stronger churches and surrounding communities.

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    3. Create stronger single ministries with purpose.

    Singles ministries serve a great purpose in the church, just as other ministries. However, many single ministries in churches tend to focus on singles getting married or on how to be content during their season of singleness. While these are necessary things to focus on, singles require so much more. Singles may have specific needs they are afraid to express for fear of being judged, and churches must be mindful of them. Including the perspectives of singles in the church can help the church meet their needs. It also helps others learn how to help singles with their walk in discipleship. One way to create a stronger singles ministry with a purpose is to have a single congregant lead the singles ministry. Who better to lead singles in a ministry designed for singles than someone who is unmarried and can relate to other singles toa certain degree? Another thing to consider is creating workshops focusing on hidden issues singles have beyond finding a mate. However you plan to continue, begin or reshape your churches singles ministry, be sure to have single perspectives at the forefront of the ministry.

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    4. Listen to ideas singles have to enhance ministry work.

    Listening to the ideas of singles can enhance the work of the church in many invaluable ways. For starters, singles can bring more creativity to ministry work. Their ideas can impact the overall well-being of the church, and their ideas can provide a clearer perspective of how activities can flow. Take some time to ask singles their perspective on things, listen to them carefully and apply their ideas to ministry work. Everyone's voice is valuable to God. Therefore, every voice should be heard in His house.

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    5. Address conscious and unconscious bias about singles.

    Church communities are intentionally designed to be a safe, sacred space. It's the space where the people of God should not be judged; unfortunately, this is not the case in most places of worship. Singles are often subjected to biased opinions about who they are as people of God because of their relationship status. They're often seen as people who are lonely, desperate for marriage, or unsatisfied when this is not always true. Addressing conscious and unconscious biases about singles in the church from their perspective will give everyone the clarity they need about who singles are in the Body of Christ. Not only will doing this provide clarity about singles, but it will also bring congregation members closer because everyone will have a better understanding of who people genuinely are beyond their relationship status.

    The Body of Christ is one unit created to uplift each other, grow spiritually, and witness to the unsaved. Everyone has something to contribute to its growth inside and outside of the church walls. The perspective of singles is invaluable to the church's growth and should be treated as such. As previously stated, everyone's perspective is valuable in the Body of Christ, and no one should be overlooked. God is of no respective person. He doesn't care about the relationship status of His people. We are all precious in His sight and should be valued by each other as He values us. There is so much work to be done for the Lord and everyone has a gift to be shared, no matter what their relationship status is. Take some time to hear the perspectives of the singles in your church. You'll be glad you did.

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    Crosswalk Contributor Liz LampkinAuthor Liz Lampkin is an experienced writer, teacher, and speaker. She is an advocate for singles who encourages them to live their best life God’s way. Follow her on Instagram @Liz_Lampkin.