Readings for Pastors

WEBSITES & ARTICLES

Single Friendly Church (a website from the UK)

“10 Ways to Help Single Women in Ministry Flourish”
by Amy Jackson (2017)

The Church’s Silencing of Single Women (and a great blog by an evangelical, Christian feminist). 

“How to Serve the Singles” by Carolyn McCulley (2011)

Ashby, Jen. “Single in the Church: How Church Practices Are Including or Excluding Single Adults.” MissioAlliance, November 16, 2023. Accessed December 18, 2023.

Byrne, Anne. “Perfidious and Pernicious Singlism.” Sex Roles 60, no. 9 (2009): 760-763. Accessed May 6, 2024.

Windle, Lauren. “The Church Is Failing Single People: Here’s 3 Things We Can Do About It.” Premier Christianity, July 19, 2021. Accessed March 15, 2023.

Dalfonzo, Gina. “Unmarried and Undaunted: How Singleness Can Inspire Faithful Service and Hope for the Resurrection.” Christianity Today, October 19, 2018. Accessed April 15, 2023.

Kaiser, Cheryl R. and Deborah A. Kashy. “The Contextual Nature and Function of Singlism.” Psychological Inquiry, 16, no. 2/3 (2005): 122-126. Accessed May 6, 2024.  

O’Brien, Stephanie. “Ministry in a Family-Centric Church.” In Navigate Singleness in Ministry, edited by womenleaders.com. Accessed January 15, 2023.

Smith, Joy Beth. “How to Honor Singles in Your Church.” Christianity Today, February 2018. Accessed October 29, 2023.

Stadtmiller, Adam. “What Happened to Singles Ministry?” Christianity Today, July 13, 2012. Accessed October 29, 2023.

Day, Martin V. “Why People Defend Relationship Ideology.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 33, no. 3 (May 2016): 348-360. Accessed May 2, 2024. DOI: 10.1177/0265407515613164.

DePaulo, Bella M. and Wendy Morris. “Singles in Society and in Science.” Psychological Inquiry, 16, no. 2/3 (2005): 57-83. Accessed May 6, 2024.

Gaddini, Katie. “A Large Number of Single Women Are Leaving the Church. Why?” Relevant Magazine, January 10, 2023.

Greitemeyer, Tobias. “Stereotypes of Singles: Are Singles What We Think?” European Journal of Social Psychology 39, no. 3 (2009): 386-383. Accessed May 6, 2024.

Kolehmainen, Marjo, Annukka Lahti, and Anu Kinnunen. “Affective Intensities of Single Lives: An Alternative Account of Temporal Aspects of Couple Normativity.” Sociology 57, no. 1 (February 2023): 3-19. Accessed May 6, 2024. DOI: 10.1177/00380385221090858

BOOKS

Bennett, Jana Marguerite. Singleness and the Church: A New Theology of the Single Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.

Callaway, Kutter. Breaking the Marriage Idol: Reconstructing Our Cultural and Spiritual Norms. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018.

Carr, Deborah. “Social and Emotional Well-Being of Single Women in Contemporary America.” In Women on Their Own: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Being Single, edited by Rudolph Bell and Virginia Yans. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1997. 58-81.

George, Stacy Keogh. Ring by Spring: Dating and Relationship Cultures at Christian Colleges. Wipf and Stock: Eugene, Oregon, 2019.

Hitchcock, Christina S. The Significance of Singleness: A Theological Vision for the Future of the Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018.

Morris, Wendy L., et al. “Singlism—Another Problem that has No Name: Prejudice, Stereotypes and Discrimination Against Single.” In The Psychology of Modern Prejudice, edited M.A. Morrison and T.G. Morrison. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2008. 165-194.

Smith, Joy Beth. Party of One: Truth, Longing, and the Subtle Art of Singleness. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2018.

Traister, Rebecca. All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Treweek, Danielle. The Meaning of Singleness. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2023.

IF THESE BOOKS AREN’T ALREADY ON YOUR BOOK SHELVES, I RECOMMEND:

Avery, William O. and A. Roger Gobbel. “The Word of God and the Words of the Preacher.” In A Reader on Preaching: Making Connections, edited by David Day and Jeff Astley. New York: Routledge, 2016. 266-275.

Chapell, Bryan. Using Illustrations to Preach with Power, 2nd revised edition. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2001.

Duck, Ruth C. Worship for the Whole People of God: Vital Worship for the 21st Century. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013.

Eslinger, Richard L. “Story and Image in Sermon Illustration.” In A Reader on Preaching: Making Connections, edited by David Day and Jeff Astley. New York: Routledge, 2016. Accessed March 1, 2024. 175-179.

Lewis, Ralph L. with Gregg Lewis. Inductive Preaching: Helping People Listen. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 1983.

Good Reads for single ladies

WEBSITES & ARTICLES

“The Church’s Silencing of Single Women” 

https://awkwardspinster.com/the-churchs-silencing-of-single-women (and a great blog by an evangelical, Christian feminist). 

Bennett, Jana Marguerite. Singleness and the Church: A New Theology of the Single Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.

Callaway, Kutter. Breaking the Marriage Idol: Reconstructing Our Cultural and Spiritual Norms. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018.

Dalfonzo, Gina. One by One. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017.

Hitchcock, Christina S. The Significance of Singleness: A Theological Vision for the Future of the Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018.

Kaufmann, Jean-Claude. The Single Woman and the Fairytale Prince. Translated by Macey David. London: Polity Press, 2008.

Safrit, Mary. The Single Christian’s Church Survival Guide: How to Navigate Church Culture and Conversations Without Losing Your Mind. Independently published, 2022. Kindle.

Traister, Rebecca. All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Treweek, Danielle. The Meaning of Singleness. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2023.

Ward, Donna. She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2020.