Singles Ministry: 'We Can Do More Together'

WALNUT CREEK, CA (March 18, 2005) - In a culture with an ever-increasing amount of singles, the church is often unprepared to offer viable ministry to an aggregate that spans many ages and life situations.

In Northern California, three Evangelical Covenant churches and a Presbyterian congregation have combined forces to strengthen their singles ministries through an initiative called True North Fellowship, which is led by ordained Covenant minister Jane DeYoung. Participating congregations include Hillside Covenant Church and The Creek, located in Walnut Creek; Hope Center in nearby Pleasant Hill; and the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.

The ministry, begun in January 2004, reaches out to people living in the East Bay suburbs; however, some come from as far away as San Francisco and San Jose to participate in events. Large-group gatherings, Bible studies and fun events are part of True North Fellowship, which includes about 600 individuals on its mailing list.

A member of Hillside Covenant, DeYoung (a single woman) finished her seminary education in the spring of 2003 after completing an internship working with small group ministries at Hillside. While she originally attempted to avoid being "type cast" as a singles ministry pastor, she says she began considering leadership in that area two years ago.

DeYoung is not convinced that the True North model is the only paradigm that can work for singles ministries, but with a steadily rising number of singles – 46 percent of adults in the U.S. are single according to 2000 census statistics as opposed to 4 percent of the population in 1900 - ministries like True North's will become even more important in the future.

"I was taking a walk one day and I started thinking about the relatively isolated nature of the local church and how we rarely work together," she said. "It struck me that together we could do some wonderful things for the Kingdom that we can't do alone. As I continued thinking and walking, it occurred to me that the most obvious place for such a cooperative effort is in singles ministry.

"Personally, I had always refused to accept the label of 'single,' so I was shocked to find myself getting excited about the possibility of leading a multi-church singles ministry," she continued. "But the ideas kept coming. Pretty soon I just stopped walking and laughed out loud. I was getting the feeling that this was what God was calling me to do, and I just found it funny. But within a few weeks, I was talking to other people about the idea, and by the time I graduated, I had committed myself to starting this ministry rather than seeking a position in a church."

After consulting with colleagues and friends, DeYoung began organizing a leadership team and helped coordinate pre-launch events in the fall of 2003. The ministry's launch event drew 180 individuals and a regular calendar of monthly events was in place shortly thereafter.

True North Fellowship now has a board of directors to assist in developing its financial support base and in becoming an independent non-profit organization. It currently works under the umbrella of the Renewal Project, a ministry that provides coaching and consulting services for local churches, directed by Covenant pastor Doug Stevens.

The first-year ministry costs included DeYoung's salary plus $8,500 in ministry operating expenses. Contributions from the four supporting churches covered about 25 percent of these costs. Walnut Creek Presbyterian also contributed the use of its facility at no cost. Donations from individuals, along with DeYoung's part-time 'tent-making' work, made up the difference.

On the fourth Friday of each month, True North Fellowship hosts a large gathering called "The Feast" and worship attendance is usually between 90-120 people. DeYoung has also started a weekly Bible study and is developing partnerships with other large Christian singles ministries around the Bay area. She prefers to see True North support pertinent ministries offered by local churches, such as divorce recovery, rather than starting their own.

DeYoung believes the concept of a shared singles ministry is a viable one for churches to consider, but notes there are potential trouble spots to consider. "As long as the ministry confines itself to social and service activities, I think you are on pretty safe territory," she says. "But when we get into studying the Bible, as a multi-church ministry we can't afford to fall into 'black and white' thinking on interpretive issues. Following the example of the Covenant, I have set out some guidelines that hopefully will pre-empt arguments while still encouraging open discussions.

"My primary suggestion to someone starting a similar ministry is to have an attitude of openness and cooperation with everyone, as opposed to being competitive or territorial," DeYoung continued. "Second, I think that it requires a full-time pastor who is NOT on staff at one of the churches, but is considered a 'shared' pastor."

To learn more about True North Fellowship and its plans, call DeYoung at 925-687-0283 or email her at janedy@astound.net.

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