Isn’t It Time the Church Gave Singles a Break? (editorial from another blog)

Isn’t It Time the Church Gave Singles a Break?

(Link): Isn’t It Time the Church Gave Singles a Break?

AUGUST 30, 2013
BY JAYSON BRADLEY

Christians gather for worship, it’s around the things we have in common.

A common savior. A common grace. A common spirit. A common commission.

The differences fade away. The dividing walls of hostility are torn down. People separated by things like race, gender, and economic status gather around a common table.

So why, when we have so much in common, do we spend so much time in worship focused on roles we don’t all share? Not everyone attending a Sunday service is married. We’re not all parents. We’re not all employed at nine-to-five jobs. And yet, while a majority of the Scripture applies to every single one of us, we spend a lot of time focused on responsibilities that don’t.

Now don’t get me wrong. Our roles are important, and allowing Scripture and community to inform the way we carry out our individual duties is an integral part of our maturity. But isn’t the entire community better served by focusing our worship around discussions that are mutually beneficial?

When I pastored, I refused to preach on roles. Here are a few reasons why:

1. It’s not equitable
I have heard so many messages on marriage in church services. I have sat through multiple-week-long series on how to have a good marriage. But in twenty-one years I have maybe sat through two sermons on being single, and one of them was in a college ministry (and, incidentally, it was really about saving yourself for future spouses).

2. The lack of equity creates a false standard
Marriage is not the Christian standard for being. There are people who will never get married. When we spend an inordinate amount of our corporate time focused on this one area, we communicate that somehow those who have yet to find a spouse, have chosen to stay single, or have lost a spouse aren’t really living the Christian ideal.

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Related material on other sites:

(Link): Driscoll: Single men “cannot fully reflect God”
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Related Posts (on this blog):

(Link): Good Posts on Singleness from ‘Crumbs From the Communion Table’ Blog

(Link): Single Adults – Why They Stay and Why They Stray From Church – Book Excerpts

(Link): The Netherworld of Singleness for Some Singles – You Want Marriage But Don’t Want to Be Disrespected or Ignored for Being Single While You’re Single

(Link): Never Married Christians Over Age 35 who are childless Are More Ignored Than Divorced or Infertile People or Single Parents

(Link): Why Even Middle Aged Married with Children Christians Are Leaving Church – Not Just Unmarried Singles | 40 Somethings Gen X Quitting Leaving Church