We've spoken a lot about singleness lately, and are thrilled to be sharing the testimony of an individual from our Churches. Our prayer is that this testimony will provoke thought, discussion and provide a chance for us to improve at sharing Gods love. Thanks to Dani for collecting and sharing this story. If you would like to share your story or opinion, please do here. 
 

My Story: Never Married

While there are aspects of my singleness I would love to change, I can say that I have a level of contentment in my singleness. However I feel most awkward, ironically, in Christian environments.

It is the norm for Christians to marry relatively young and start a family. Churches organise themselves as such, with no specific ministries to single Christians over 30. This means having to choose between being the old guy at a uni or young worker-orientated service or the single guy in a family service.

Neither of these allows me to feel like a fully involved and accepted member.

I really value my relationships with people and my friends are special to me. But while marriage might be a celebration of a specific relationship, for single people like myself it often marks the end of substantive friendships.

For example, my mates who I used to hang out with frequently now have very limited time and opportunity to hang out with me, reducing many of these relationships to lunchtime exchanges on work days.

Personally, I would love church to be a place where we focus on investing in relationships with all of our brothers and sisters, not just spouses.

After all, we will be brothers and sisters in Christ for an eternity and only married for a lifetime.

Read Dani Treweek's article on singleness and how the Church can improve our response to it.