How can churches better support singles?
Jemima Davis
It can be tough to be single in church. Both British society and our Christian sub-culture see partnerships as “normal” and singleness as “other” or “odd”.
And yet British churches are full of people who are single, be they teenagers, young adults, middle-aged, divorcees, widows, widowers, or retired missionaries. They may have very different experiences of singleness, but they do have one thing in common: they don’t fit neatly into family-centric church activities. Here are five suggestions from a newly-wed former long-time single on how to partner well with singles in your churches.
Monogamy no longer ‘realistic’
Nicola Laver
One in three UK adults no longer believe monogamy is a realistic ideal, a report on marriage and traditional relationship structures has found. It also suggests younger people are particularly cynical of traditional marriage.
The Modern Marriage Report was published following a law firm’s survey of 1,000 respondents across the UK. It says a third of all respondents believe monogamy is no longer a realistic ideal in modern relationships – rising to 42% of respondents in the 18–24 age group.
Considering singleness
Date posted: 16 Jun 2025
Dear Editor,
Thank you to Ann Culley (May en) for her moving letter on singleness and life after mission work. Her words resonated deeply with me. As a child, I felt called to mission, believing it meant overseas service. Instead, I’ve served in the NHS since 2011.