Going to church alone is hard. Having to summon the courage to go to another wedding while still single can be exhausting and defeating. Hearing about a friend’s engagement or pregnancy can exacerbate feelings of being left behind. Church culture may unintentionally make single adults feel like second-class citizens. Navigating the reality of a limited Christian dating pool is difficult. Loneliness is common and yet the grief is usually unspoken, unclear, and ongoing. 

As a counselor, I have counseled many singles and heard deep struggles from single adults:

• How hard it is to wait on God and feeling angry toward God when it does not seem like getting married is asking for much

• How hard it is to be getting older and having the biological clock ticking

• How difficult it is to talk about their struggles as singles with their church leaders

• How well-meaning people try to "solve the problem" by matchmaking, thereby overemphasizing the single person’s relationship status as an identity

• How hard it is to maintain friendships with couples with children because their life stages and daily lives and schedules are so different

This toolkit provides an invitation to create a community that better serves the practical and deep heart needs of single people in your ministries.