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Last month I wrote about why it is important to have a healthy single’s ministry in your local church. (Click here to read that article.) I also talked about the wonderful purpose that God has for every unmarried adult in our churches. So now that you want your church to have a healthy single’s ministry, your next question is, “Where do I begin?”

Single adults are some of the most diverse individuals within our local churches and communities because of all the different transitions that have happened in their lives. There is just no way to have a “one-size-fits-all” singles ministry that will ever meet the needs of your ever-growing single adult community.

So who are single adults? No single definition works. Single adults in our communities come from every ethnic, socio-economic, and age group. Some of them engaged, dating, divorced, widowed – and some may never marry. Singles are very diverse. But the more important question is, “Who are your singles?” Don’t just create a single’s ministry. Create a purposeful single’s ministry. Start by identifying your target audience: singles in your church and in your community. Here are a few steps to get you started.

Step one: The first question that we need to ask is, “Who are the single adults in our church?” This is the most basic question because it will allow you to identify your first target audience. If you do not know who your target audience is, it is going to be really hard to ever hit it.

Step two: When you have identified a good group of single adults in your local church, gather them together to ask them a series of questions. Following is a list to get you started. Remember, though, that you know your community and will know what other questions are important to answer.

• What is your age?
• Have you been divorced or widowed?
• What are your biggest needs?
• What are your struggles?
• What are your desires? 
• What value do you feel the church places on single adults?
• What would a single’s ministry look like that you would invite your friends to?
• What transitions have you faced in your life?
• Is childcare currently an issue for you “if” we were to have a gathering during the week?

Step three: Begin compiling the data that you have received in an Excel spreadsheet or another form of trackable data. It is always important to track these types of meetings when you are gathering data. I recommend asking the single adults you have gathered to complete a written survey or online survey, rather than just talking through the answers to your questions. Conversations are good, but don’t trust your memory. You will have every intention to remember the information that people tell you in these meetings, but intentions don’t launch ministries.

Step four: Gather similar information from your community. There are many resources that are available to you. Following are some Web-related resources:

• www.nationmaster.com
• www.census.gov
• American Fact Finder
• Your local city government will have data
• Sometimes the Better Business Bureau will have local data
• Believe it or not, apartment locators have their hands on some pretty good data. 
• There are many for-profit organizations that can run reports for you with the data points you have requested. The benefit of these organizations is that oftentimes the names and addresses of people who fit within your target audience come with the reports, and you don’t have to do the research yourself. The negative is that they do have a cost. 

Step five: Re-gather your singles and present the data that you have compiled from the community as well as the data from your local church. Get everyone’s feedback and allow them to voice areas that need further refinement. At this meeting you will begin to set the tone and get your singles excited about this new ministry. 

Step six: At your second meeting (See step five), begin noticing people who demonstrate leadership skills. These are the people who you will need to begin gathering by your side to get this new ministry up and running. I highly encourage you to administer the S.H.A.P.E. assessment, so that you can get their profiles to see exactly what their S.H.A.P.E. profiles are and where they best fit. Gather information on their involvement levels. Sometimes people just want to talk and not do anything. Filter these individuals out at the beginning.

Step seven: The most important people on your team will be the ones who oversee your singles small groups. Remember, this ministry is one “of” small groups not just “with” small groups. More than likely, as you launch your new purpose driven singles ministry, you will have centralized and decentralized pieces. The decentralized piece (small groups) will be the place where single adults are able to authentically connect with a group with whom they “do life together.”

I hope you found this article practical. I know that every church and community is different, but these steps can be tweaked and applied to every situation. Next month, I will discuss the next step – developing the “program” side of your ministry using the data that you have collected. If you reach out to single adults within your local church and your local community, but then don’t have a meaningful ministry for them, all of your work has been done in vain.