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Singles Ministry: 'We Can Do More Together'
By Craig Pinley
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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