04-01-2008, 11:44 AM
3 Microtrends that are Reshaping Singles Ministry
January 23, 2008 @ 11:33 pm · Filed under Church, Ministry, Research & Culture
In his book Microtrends, Mark J. Penn discusses over 70 microtrends that are emerging in U.S. culture. There are three microtrends, in particular, that I think are reshaping the way churches must approach singles ministry. Here is a brief overview of each microtrend using excerpts from the book.
Surplus of Single Women
Issue:
There are too few straight men for all the straight women… at least 3 percent of [women] are going to be left.
Why:
- There are 90,000 more boys born every year than girls. But by the time those kids turn 18, the sex ratio has shifted a full point the other way to 51 to 49, because more boys die in puberty than girls.
- Gay men outnumber lesbians in America by approximately 2 to 1. If you subtract them from the already lopsided numbers of overall men and women, you get… a straight sex ratio of 53 to 47.
Related Trend:
A related trend, given the rise of single women, is the number of women bearing or adopting children without a partner - known as Single Mothers by Choice. In the early 1990s… there were only about 50,000 such Moms in America. Now there are an estimated three times that many.
Cougars (women who date younger men)
Issue:
One in three women between 40 and 69 is dating a younger man, and about one-quarter of those men are ten or more years younger.
Why:
- High divorce rates combined with longer life spans means a greater likelihood of women’s reentering the dating market.
- [According to Match.com] between 2002 and 2005, men interested in dating women five or more years older increased 44 percent. Those interested in a ten-or-more-year difference doubled.
Online Dating Issue:
Nearly 1 in 4 single Americans who are looking for a romantic partner use the 1,000 or more dating Web sites out there. That includes almost 1 in 5 Americans in their 20s, and 1 in 10 Americans in their 30s or 40s.
Why:
- 61 percent of online Americans do not consider online dating “desperate.”
- Nearly half of online Americans think Internet dating is a good way to meet people.
- 17 percent of online daters - or nearly 3 million American adults - have turned online dates into a long-term relationship or marriage. That’s exactly the same number of couples in America who say they met in church.
In other words, the typical singles ministry is likely to be reaching more women than men. And these singles are not just twenty-somethings but include older ages, even senior citizens. Despite the age gap, some of those singles are willing to date significantly older or younger people.
Singles ministry is no longer just about young adults, and while its demographic makeup continues to widen, I have to wonder if its perceived value and allure of dating opportunities will lessen as more singles make their way onto the Internet to find love.
For more insights on each microtrend, read the book Microtrends by Mark J. Penn.
FOR DISCUSSION:
Do you think these microtrends or any other trends affect the way modern singles ministry should be done?
If so, how can the church more effectively reach singles?
January 23, 2008 @ 11:33 pm · Filed under Church, Ministry, Research & Culture
In his book Microtrends, Mark J. Penn discusses over 70 microtrends that are emerging in U.S. culture. There are three microtrends, in particular, that I think are reshaping the way churches must approach singles ministry. Here is a brief overview of each microtrend using excerpts from the book.
Surplus of Single Women
Issue:
There are too few straight men for all the straight women… at least 3 percent of [women] are going to be left.
Why:
- There are 90,000 more boys born every year than girls. But by the time those kids turn 18, the sex ratio has shifted a full point the other way to 51 to 49, because more boys die in puberty than girls.
- Gay men outnumber lesbians in America by approximately 2 to 1. If you subtract them from the already lopsided numbers of overall men and women, you get… a straight sex ratio of 53 to 47.
Related Trend:
A related trend, given the rise of single women, is the number of women bearing or adopting children without a partner - known as Single Mothers by Choice. In the early 1990s… there were only about 50,000 such Moms in America. Now there are an estimated three times that many.
Cougars (women who date younger men)
Issue:
One in three women between 40 and 69 is dating a younger man, and about one-quarter of those men are ten or more years younger.
Why:
- High divorce rates combined with longer life spans means a greater likelihood of women’s reentering the dating market.
- [According to Match.com] between 2002 and 2005, men interested in dating women five or more years older increased 44 percent. Those interested in a ten-or-more-year difference doubled.
Online Dating Issue:
Nearly 1 in 4 single Americans who are looking for a romantic partner use the 1,000 or more dating Web sites out there. That includes almost 1 in 5 Americans in their 20s, and 1 in 10 Americans in their 30s or 40s.
Why:
- 61 percent of online Americans do not consider online dating “desperate.”
- Nearly half of online Americans think Internet dating is a good way to meet people.
- 17 percent of online daters - or nearly 3 million American adults - have turned online dates into a long-term relationship or marriage. That’s exactly the same number of couples in America who say they met in church.
In other words, the typical singles ministry is likely to be reaching more women than men. And these singles are not just twenty-somethings but include older ages, even senior citizens. Despite the age gap, some of those singles are willing to date significantly older or younger people.
Singles ministry is no longer just about young adults, and while its demographic makeup continues to widen, I have to wonder if its perceived value and allure of dating opportunities will lessen as more singles make their way onto the Internet to find love.
For more insights on each microtrend, read the book Microtrends by Mark J. Penn.
FOR DISCUSSION:
Do you think these microtrends or any other trends affect the way modern singles ministry should be done?
If so, how can the church more effectively reach singles?