5 Steps to becoming a Single Friendly Church
We invite churches to take 5 Steps to become a Single Friendly Church. These Steps cover 5 key areas of church life where single people are often not considered or feel excluded.
The 5 Steps help you to make small changes in each of these areas that will make a big difference to single people’s experience of church.
The 5 Steps
- Who is single?
Who are the single people in your congregation?
Consider different types of singleness and their different needs. - Language
Review the wording and images on your website and noticeboards. What message are you giving out?
Consider how you use the word "family". - Welcome
Do you notice and welcome those arriving alone?
Is there a social opportunity after the service?
Are single people included in the social life outside of the church? e.g. invitations of hospitality - Teaching
Do you have any single people preaching?
Choose sermon themes and illustrations relevant to single people as well as couples and families. - Leadership
Do you have single people in leadership positions? E.g. service leading, small groups
Each Step can be looked at in as little or as much detail as you like – the greater the detail, the greater the transformation in your church.
The 5 Steps Audit
The best way to engage with the 5 Steps and make positive changes in your church is to use our 5 Steps self-assessment audit. This audit will help your church to:
- Increase your awareness and understanding of what a Single Friendly Church looks like
- Recognise what you are already doing well
- Identify areas that need further thought or action taking
Churches that have successfully completed the audit and committed to making changes will be invited to become a Single Friendly Church and feature on our map of churches! We will also provide access to further training and resources.
If you'd like to use the audit and become a Single Friendly Church register today
Further Resources
- Online workshops
We are running two interactive online workshops in March that will explore the 5 Steps in more detail. They will be interactive sessions with opportunities to brainstorm ideas with others.
Weds 3 March, 11am: Language and Welcome in a Single Friendly Church. Sign up
Weds 10 March, 11am: Teaching and Leadership in a Single Friendly Church. Sign up - How many single people are there in your area?
40% of society is single – but in the church it is often much lower. You may wish to investigate how your church demographic compares to your local area demographic, to see if there is a certain group you are currently not reaching. You may find you have more single people in your area than you think!
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