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

  1. Who is single?
    Who are the single people in your congregation?
    Consider different types of singleness and their different needs.
  2. Language
    Review the wording and images on your website and noticeboards. What message are you giving out?
    Consider how you use the word "family".
  3. 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
  4. Teaching
    Do you have any single people preaching?
    Choose sermon themes and illustrations relevant to single people as well as couples and families.
  5. 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 most effective way to make positive changes in your church is to use our 5 Steps Audit. This self-assessment 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 UK map! We will also provide access to further training and resources.

  Sign up to receive the audit 

Training

  • Online workshops
    We run regular online workshops that explore the 5 Steps in more detail. We have just held our workshop series in November. Our next repeat will be in June 2022.
  • Further resources
    Check out our resources for churches, including a pastoral guide for leaders.