Are Christian Singles Groups a Good Option?
Can singles still meet and marry in a Singles Group or Christian Singles Ministry?
In the Age of Facebook and with Online Dating reaching its 20th anniversary of bringing singles together successfully on the net, are live singles groups still relevant? Are singles groups, events and activities still useful places to meet a potential boyfriend or girlfriend of the same or aligned faith as yours? Are Christian Singles Ministry groups still relevant in this era of Digital Dating? How about these groups being a valid use of singles’ precious time and energy for meeting an actual future husband or wife?
Or should everyone just chill and exclusively rely on using the flirting, mingling, and dating apps on their smart phones?
If live singles groups are still a good idea, then how can you go about finding them and making use of them effectively? With places like Meetup, it seems that there are simply millions of them available now, how can you choose well and not waste your social time with totally wrong groups for you?
Benefits to Participation in Local Groups and Singles Ministry
One of the great benefits of attending and participating in a local singles group is that for the most part, the ambiance is quite comfortable and casual. Singles group membership can bring you an extended social circle of new friends of all different ages. And the studies do demonstrate that couple who get married still often originally met each other through mutual friends.
With that being the case then, the more friends with more variety to your circle of friends then, the better. Just do aim to acquire friends where the group isn’t too insular, or you defeat the very purpose. You want to aim to extend your friendship circle to have a broad reach.
Do Modern Marriages Still Result from Singles Meeting in a Local Group or Singles Ministry?
Additionally, case study after case study, many couples and marriages formed between a man and a woman who met and got initially socially acquainted through their participation in singles groups.
I can personally bear witness to this and attest to it having participated in a super Christian Singles Ministry group within a very small but quality little local Church in San Francisco.
What Works for Singles to Use Christian Singles Ministry and Small Groups?
Two things to remember about attending, belonging attending local Christian Singles Ministry group are:
- The Primary Goal of the Group is fellowship.
- To result in a Relationship, possibly marriage takes regular attendance and participation over time.
Keeping the Focus of Singles Ministry on Fellow and Ministering
The first goal of any Christian Ministry is fellowship among the faithful. One of the best and most attractive features of attending any of the Christian Singles Ministry event, occasions, and outings is that it is a low pressure environment.
Hopefully you have good Singles Ministry leadership.
The church where I witnessed the starting of the eventually resulting marriage and happily attended their wedding, as really tiny and small the church was, it was one of the pastors and his wife (just that denomination that pastors are male. I’m not espousing that only men can lead, preach, and teach obviously since women can read the Bible and have a mouth that works, too. God created us that way, bless His/Her heart.).
Having a mature (not young, single, and available one’s self) married couple be the primary head and leaders for the group kept things on-target and wholesome. All the single ladies didn’t moon over the Pastor wishfully dreaming of becoming – this is a Christian Woman’s fantasy like Prince Charming is for mainstream single women – a Pastor’s wife.
With that lovely couple in place, we focused on fellowship, fun, and service. In the midst of that wholesome and winsome blend of focus, some romances and marriages resulted directly from the Ministry. But they kept the focus on Serving and Ministering to single members in a whole variety of ways, yes, 75% of which were Singles Socially Mingling events.
Best Personal Results Source from Regular Contact with the Singles Ministry Group
The best Christian Singles groups sponsor and host a variety of activities. Just because the group is small needn’t limit the possibilities to one poorly attended and hardly promoted monthly or quarterly bible study just like all the other bible studies in that church.
Even a very small church, I’m not kidding, we were likely about 100-150 members, can have a vibrant Singles Ministry. So if your church is saying, “We’re too small,” just send ’em over to me and I’ll kick them in the ankles for you with my little soft toe box Sketchers. -Ouch!- (Namely, that would hurt me more than them, but they’d get the message. Maybe I’d even interview them for a YT video and all posterity!) I’ve seen it.
And yes, I’m working on creating and ebook guide with some accompanying videos for inexpensive purchase to help all those singles who have asked about getting some ideas, help, and guidelines for starting and nurturing a solid and thriving Singles Ministry.
Helpful Hint: If you are in a very small church, sister up with other area Churches to co-sponsor larger events like 1-Day trainings with some fellowship time. Yes, I am available as a Teacher/Speaker for those in California, SoCal, San Francisco Bay Area, Las Vegas and the Western states.
Examples: I’ve been training in Precepts Ministries Bible Study, so I have my Bible with me, and can then teach on Dating, Courtship, Mate Selection, Relationships and Christian Marriage and real life Christian Life. You and those other dear churches can mingle your singles for various special occasion dances, special dinners and teachings. Together you can be Tiny AND Mighty in your affect!
Multiple Types of Singles Groups and Ministries: Try ‘Em All Out
There are so many singles groups out there. You will still find Faith Based Singles Ministries. In recent years, many Christian Churches have cut back on their ministry to their single church members. However, there are still many Jewish Singles groups affiliated with local synagogues. Secondarily, some Christian denominations have a single ministry group not directly affiliated with the local church but led by their single church members meeting the spouse mate search of church member singles.
Interestingly enough, you do not have to be a member of the particular faith community to benefit from the singles group in any given Christian denomination.
If you have a singles group anywhere here in The States or our Cousin Country, the great land which brought us that greatest of games… Hockey, Canada, please email me their information and include:
The Name of the Sponsoring Organization/Church/Temple/Faith Group or Not-Affiliated. Please, I am happy to include Jewish singles groups here as well. Just because I’m using a lot of Christian Singles groups terminology because of my personal intimacy with them doesn’t mean I wouldn’t include anyone with a positivity focus. Mazel tov.
The Day of the week/month of the regular meeting or event. See Orange County CA Saddleback Singles Salsa Saturdays for an example.
Full Address and Location: in particular, please well identify the building in which the event is happening so First Time Attendees could readily locate it and not get stuck feeling embarrassed not already knowing the layout intimately.
Time: Starting Time and Ending Time
Contact information, including an email. I’ll cite it carefully here like I do mine so it’s visual and not spam bot friendly.
Please indicate to me in the email anecdotally if the group and event are welcoming to non-denominational attendees, or if they would be mildly ostracized. I’ll find a tactful way to cite the event. It’s just so strangers from elsewhere don’t attend and become mortified, never to attempt event attendance again in the future. Some of the events which are more intimate, like a small group dinner, might need to be more exclusive. See? Tactful.
Age Ranges where relevant. And if certain events, let’s say a dance, is for singles in their 30s, is there a few years either side leeway so that friends can attend together and bolster each other up? Plus, I’m living testimony to God having a sense of humor. Twice the husband the Lord has so definitely hand picked and sent me were significant Age Gap relationships. Wasn’t what either of us was looking for. But we were open to love and His obvious guidance to the LORD’s intended.
Website reference where applicable. If there’s a FB group, I’ll need to be admitted so I can vet it. I’m not looking to skulk for a mate. God already sent me a gem and I’m happy (so’s he!).
Some singles groups examples:
- Singles Groups in Southern California
- LDS Singles Groups
- LDS Singles Groups in Orange County, CA
- LDS Singles Groups in Los Angeles
- LDS Singles Groups in Silicon Valley (San Francisco Bay Area)
- Evangelical Christian Singles Groups
- Evangelical Non-Denominational Christian Singles Groups (Orange County and San Francisco Bay Area)
If you need a Christian Speaker for your group, event, or conference, email me at: April (AT) AprilBraswell.com.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
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