Single Friendly Church Week
27th September – 4th October 2026
Why Single Friendly Church Week?
Right now, many single people are leaving church feeling unseen, isolated, and unwelcome. Not because their faith has wavered - but because the communities that should embrace them have overlooked them. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that around 8.6 million people across the UK now live alone, and that number is growing in every age group. Research from over 3,000 single Christians tells us that far too many feel their church culture is not invitational to their experiences.
Single Friendly Church Week is our moment to change this. For one week, churches, leaders, and individuals across the UK are coming together to say clearly: single people at every stage of life are welcomed, valued, and included here. Whether you've never married, dating, divorced, widowed, a single parent, or single in church, you belong at the heart of Christian communities, and not on their edges.
Together, we can inspire a culture shift that helps every person in your congregation truly flourish.
Your church is invited!
This is your invitation to be part of the movement. Taking action during Single Friendly Church Week doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to be intentional. You might run a conversation in your small group, review the language on your website, lead a reflection during a Sunday service, or simply open your doors in a new way. Small changes make a big difference.
Together, we can inspire a culture shift that helps every person in your congregation truly flourish. Join us this Single Friendly Church Week, download our free resources, and help us build a church where everyone belongs.
How to Join in
Single Friendly Church Week 27th September – 4th October is a week for churches to celebrate their single friendliness. We want to make sure you have all of the resources you need to take part in whichever way suits your church community, so have created a variety of things to help you.
Explore ways to join Single Friendly Church Week with our free Resource Pack. You can also book a Zoom call with our Church Engagement Manager Liz to discuss how your church can get involved.
DOWNLOAD RESOURCES BELOW:
Quick Links:
Download Resources Guide:
Messages of Support:
General Secretary of Churches Together in England, and Patron of Single Friendly Church Network Bishop Mike Royal
"As patron of Single Friendly Church Network, I encourage all Christians to pledge to engage with Single Friendly Church Week and the Belonging Conference this year. We want to see our churches valuing everyone who walks through the door, regardless of their stage in life, representing a open-hearted world we seeking to reach - the Kingdom of God. This is an opportunity to really welcome those in your congregations who feel unseen".
Caroline Stead
Vice President of Methodist Conference 2026-2027 
“I was at the Methodist Conference in 2024 and heard the National Singleness Report and how important it is to welcome single people. So when I saw the Single Friendly Church stand was at conference in 2025, I thought, 'Let's get our church registered, because we are single friendly so we might as well shout about that fact!' If all churches shout about the importance of single friendliness, then people won't feel that they can't come because they're on their own. This is a really important campaign.”
Bishop Karen Gorham
Acting Church of England Bishop of Salisbury, and Bishop of Sherborne in the Church of England
"Three years on from the Church of England's Love Matters report, which reminded us of the wonderful variety of different types of households, it is great to see Single Friendly Church Network going from strength to strength. I would encourage you to engage in their new, upcoming Single Friendly Church Week. I'm grateful for this work and the way it reminds us of our shared commitment to the flourishing of all.”
Major David Betteridge
Director of Family Ministries at The Salvation Army
"At The Salvation Army, we promote a God-given understanding of family, recognising that everyone has value, belongs to the family of God and that we have a responsibility to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is why we really want to recommend Single Friendly Church Network to all Christians and all church communities as their work is so important."
Nick Hughes
South East Area Lead in the Assemblies of God Church UK“I encourage you to check out the Single Friendly Church Website as singleness is an area that all churches should be engaging with - plus the resource are all free!”
Bishop Sophie Jelley
Church of England Bishop of Coventry
"I am encouraged to see that the Single Friendly Church Network has arranged a conference and a week for churches to focus on supporting those who live alone. Given that most of us will at some point live alone in our lives, it is so important that this area of awareness and support is strengthened within the mission and ministry of the local church.”
The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury DBEArchbishop Sarah Mullally
I’m so pleased that the first ever ‘Single Friendly Church Week’ will be held 27th September to 4th October this year. Together, we can inspire a culture shift that helps every person in your congregation truly flourish. Join the Single Friendly Church Week and help build a church where everyone belongs.
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