Originally published Tuesday, 27 March 2012.
With approximately 15 million single parents in the United States alone and the numbers growing daily, it is imperative that every church across our great nation have a thriving single mothers ministry. 67% of all single mothers do not actively attend a local church (The Church and the Single Mom, Carepoint 2011). And whether you are a single mother or simply know one, as Christians, that statistic should concern all of us.
1.. There are approximately 9 million single parents not attending a local church. What a huge opportunity to grow your church!
2. The single parent family is the modern-day widow and orphan. The Lord has a heart for the fatherless. Single Moms Ministries do NOT endorse divorce or unwed pregnancy. It merely provides support for the 15 million mothers who find themselves there.
3. A single moms' ministry IS NOT the same thing as a singles' ministry. Single moms need a place to connect that is gender-exclusive, where they can share the real-life concerns they carry when parenting alone.
4. Divorce Recovery is a great class offered at many churches (and we recommend it for any divorcing mom) but there are two problems. After the class is over, what do the divorcees do then? They need long-term support. Additionally, not every single mom is a divorcee.
5. A 10-week class offered to single moms isn't enough. Single moms need to connect long-term, so that they may have support when parenting their toddler, pre-teen, or teen. We highly recommend long-term support ministries, in hopes that single moms' feel connected to their local house of God.
Jennifer Maggio is considered one of the nation's leading authorities on single parent issues. She is the founder of The Life of a Single Mom Ministries, a nonprofit developed specifically to equip churches on how to best launch or grow a support group for single parents, meet their needs, and develop single parent events. She has been featured on more than 100 radio and television shows. She is an award-winning author and speaker who is endorsed by the nation's largest churches and ministries. For more info, visit http://www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
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