Does anyone else think we have a tendency to treat all singles the same, regardless of their age?  Let me take it a step further:  do churches/ministries sometimes treat all singles as if we are still in high school?

Let me give you a couple of examples.  Years ago I was regularly visiting a friend's church.  It was a "mega church" that had a fairly large singles ministry (I think they combined college and young singles).  One day a young evangelist came.  He preached and his wife sang before the whole congregation. 

The singles ministry had a lunch after worship.  The said evangelist had been invited to speak to us.  He shared his testimony of meeting his wife and how they kept their relationship pure.  To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed--I told one of my friends we had just heard the "virgin speech."

Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against talking about purity (heck, I've written a book about it).  But I felt like he missed an opportunity to talk to us about something a little . . . deeper.  His message was a little more fitting for a high school group.  I'm pretty sure we had already made up our minds on this particular issue. 

Here's another example: books.  People ask me if I've read When God Writes Your Love Story.  I haven't.  Call me crazy, but I don't think someone who married at age 18 can give me much advice.  Then there's I Kissed Dating Goodbye.  I think Harris' book is OK for teenagers who are playing the typical recreational dating game and need to re-think their approach to love.  But it wouldn't be my book of choice for everyone, especially young adults (age 18 and up).  Other books (see the recommended reading over on the left column of this site) are much better suited for a more mature reader. 

So, what do you think?  Do churches/ministries sometimes try to treat high school, college, and singles (of all ages) with a "one size fits all" approach? 

Related Posts:

Dating:  The Accelerator and the Brake

My Top Five Christiand Books on Dating/Relationships