St Luke’s has completed the single friendly church audit compiled by the Single Friendly Church Network (SFCN) which means we can register as a single friendly church.
At the beginning of 2025, St Luke’s began the journey towards becoming a single friendly church. One of our priorities is to create a strong sense of family among the congregation at St Luke’s as God intends the people in His church to be a family to one another.
In the UK, approximately 40% of the adult population is single. This statistic covers all age groups and circumstances. In a congregation like that of St Luke’s, it may include people who find themselves single due to widowhood, divorce, having never met ‘the one’, and people who feel that remaining single is what God asks of them. Some single people say that being part of a church often feels more difficult than it does for married people, and report that they can often feel marginalized or excluded. Our desire is that everyone who calls St Luke’s their church will feel at home here and part of a wider church family, whether they come as part of a family or alone.
Consequently, St Luke’s is working with the SFCN whose aim is to encourage churches to welcome and value single people.
The process of completing the SFCN audit was an illuminating experience and allowed us to view this issue with a critical eye. We have been able to recognise all the good things that we do as a church to welcome singles (and there are a lot!) and identify the next steps to help us provide an effective ministry to all.
For more information about the work of SFCN, please visit www.singlefriendlychurch.com.
Helen J Booth