singles and the church

Some good discussion here about being single in the church and some of the issues faced, though it doesn't add a whole lot to the discussion that I and other singles I've known aren't already aware of. But it does remind me that I really, really ought to write one of those tediously long posts about it sometime. I can relate firsthand to a lot of the experiences and frustrations shared by commenters.

I think someone summed it up well with the "singles are invisible" comment. We're there physically and involved in church activities and all, but oftentimes that's about where the connection to "the body" ends. The emotional and spiritual ties--i.e. the more meaningful ones--just aren't very deep. The modern church, at least the prevailing examples I've seen of it, really doesn't know what to do with singles, especially this burgeoning, never-seen-before demographic of older Christian singles, and especially since many of them aren't all-out intent on getting married. Compounding the problem is the fact that a lot of singles don't know too well how to integrate with a church, or at least (especially?) a church culture, that seems (to them) to be designed and run for married folks. Not that either side is at fault necessarily, it's just one of those weird things where there's a gap between people at different stations in life and nobody knows how to bridge it. But, for better or for worse, it does have huge implications for the future of the church and its ability to both care for its own and reach out to those outside its ranks, especially in our society. And by extension, it has huge implications for the future of the society as a whole.

Anyway, further discussion is for another time. I'm hungry for a decent, good-size meal--and me being a single guy with minimal cooking skills, that obviously means I need to leave the house to forage for some good eats...