NAD Adventist Single Adult Ministries : Forum

What is the difference between Single Adult Ministry and Young Adult Ministry?

Young Adults are generally the 18-29 year olds, although some churches target up to age 35. Most of them have never been married and they do not want to be labeled “single adults.” Unmarried adults in this age bracket do not usually identify themselves by their marital status and do not refer to themselves as “single.” In fact, these young single adults will welcome the married adults into the group and will feel comfortable mixing with them. It is not uncommon for 10-25% of the young adult group to be married. Some churches use the phrase “college and career” for their young adult group, however, it is recommended that a more contemporary, relevant name be used. Let the leadership team or the total group give ideas for this!
Single Adults are generally thought of as ages 30 and up and may include those who are single again, single parents, and widowed, as well as those who have never been married. It is usually after age 30 that single adults begin dealing with the issues of singleness and are open to identifying themselves as single adults. This group will most likely attract the 30-55 year old adult. (There will be some younger and older also.)

From Assemblies of God Young Adult/Single Adult Ministries

DARLENE

this is very interesting and yes there is a difference
between these 2 age groups.

the 1st group consider them selfs as still young
and might not have the expericence of 2nd group.
while the 2nd group have gone throught some hard life
experiences.

but each group need support and love.

dgrimm60

Yes, there is a difference between the two. One day just as the single adult went through a difficult time accepting their singleness the young adult will also reach that point unless they choose to cohabit or marry.

So, when do people begin to identify with being "single"?

It varies but, in our culture today, most people don't begin to feel single until their early to mid-thirties. If you were to survey young (especially never-married) singles in their twenties today, we could say that the majority of them would say they feel uncomfortable being called single. Consequently, most young singles don't want to be in a "singles group." They are more drawn to words like adult and career.

It's not until they hit their early to midthirties that "single" becomes a part of their identity. Then they begin to lay their cards on the table, to acknowledge their marital status. But up until then, the marital options are still open. Whether they are single or married is usually not a major concern.

If you want to reach those from ages twenty-four through their early thirties, you will probably need to do so with a specific young adult ministry. Singles reach primarily those in their mid-thirties and up.

Adapted from an interview with Terry Hershey and published in Growing Your Single Adult Ministry.