I joined St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church’s Theology on Tap to discuss discernment and vocational singleness.

Watch the recording at https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=416506443064245

Toward the end of conversation, someone asked how churches can better SUPPORT those called to vocational singleness. I offered two suggestions, and we cried.

1️⃣ Gather single adults in your church and LISTEN to them. Ask them what they need. When they resist being served by their church, assure them that they deserve to be loved. And then do something about it. Take real steps to meet their needs.

2️⃣ Ask them how they would like to serve. Yes, churches can go too far assuming, taking, and demanding from single people. But one of the ways a lot of single people feel PART OF their church is by getting involved. They want to GLORIFY God with their availability in singleness. Let them!

Ideally, our churches would be places where children hear about the possibilities of BOTH vocational singleness and Christian marriage.

Ideally, parents would teach their kids to anticipate the day when they would ASK which vocation God has for them.

Ideally, pastors would teach kids HOW TO DISCERN with God—how to offer Him questions and seek His wisdom.

And ideally, every Christian would discern earnestly in their 20s and MANY MORE Christians would accept a call to vocational singleness.

More vocational singleness in our churches would also mean MORE SUPPORT for anyone who is single longterm, including widows, divorcees, gay Christians following a traditional sexual ethic.

Watch the recording at https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=416506443064245