The 41% Nobody Cares About

I read a startling statistic yesterday. 41% of all adults in the United States are single (unmarried). 41%!!! Does that surprise anyone else? The reason this hit me so hard is that the vast majority of churches are doing nothing to address the needs of 41% of the adult population. Almost everything we do in terms of preaching and programming is targeted toward young families. One might argue, "Well almost all the adults in my church are 'family' adults. That's why we program/preach that way." But the truth is you attract what you're programming/preaching toward. If we want to attract this 41% of the population, then we need to adjust our approach. I'm not suggesting we swing so far to the other side that we alienate families.  However, pastors, do your sermons at least contain occasional points or challenges directed at singles? Have you started small groups meant for singles or young adults?

If we found out that 41% of teens were skateboarders, we'd build ramps next week.  If we discovered that 41% of kids loved pirates, we'd have our children's workers sporting eye patches soon.  If we found out that 41% of adults were going crazy for brussel sprouts, we'd add them to our donut table.

Do you care about 41% of the population? If so what are you doing to prove it?