Singles At City Tabernacle
Friendship, Faith, And Relationships Worth Building
Being single can mean very different things. You may enjoy the independence of your life and still long for companionship. You may hope to marry, be learning to live after a loss, or need time before considering another relationship. Sometimes the hardest part is finding people with whom you can speak honestly about any of it.
We’re creating a place for single adults to develop friendships, consider the questions they’re carrying, and think carefully about relationships in light of Scripture. There will be room to talk about dating and marriage, alongside the work of building a meaningful life today.
You don’t have to be looking for a spouse to belong here.
A Full Life Before God
Marriage is a good gift from God. Scripture also honors singleness and the opportunities it gives a person to serve Christ with an undivided devotion. Neither marital status determines someone’s worth or spiritual maturity (1 Corinthians 7:7–8, 32–35).
That matters because single adults can sometimes feel as though the church sees them mainly as people waiting for something else to happen. Your life already carries responsibility, purpose, and the possibility of deep friendship. You have something to contribute now.
Our hope is that this group will help people know one another beyond a relationship status, with friendships that remain valuable whether or not anyone eventually marries.
Conversation Among Your Peers
The group will include three age categories, giving people room to meet others at a similar stage of life while recognizing that no two stories are the same.
Ages 25–35
A place to discuss independence, work, expectations about marriage, and the habits that shape a relationship. What are you looking for in a spouse? What kind of person are you becoming? How do you make thoughtful choices when people around you seem to be moving at a different pace?
Ages 36–45
Room for honest conversation about hopes that remain important and lives that may have unfolded differently than expected. Dating may involve established careers, parenting responsibilities, or previous relationships. Those circumstances deserve patience and careful consideration.
Ages 46 And Older
Friendship and companionship matter throughout life. Whether you have never married, have experienced divorce, or are living after the death of a spouse, there is room to consider what this season holds without being hurried toward a relationship or expected to stop hoping for one.
What We Believe About Marriage
City Tabernacle understands marriage as the covenant union of one man and one woman, intended for a lifetime. Jesus grounds His teaching about marriage in God’s creation of humanity and the joining of husband and wife as one flesh (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6).
A covenant involves promises that reach beyond changing feelings. Marriage calls for faithfulness, sexual intimacy reserved for that union, and a shared life in which both people are treated as bearers of God’s image. Scripture calls husbands to love their wives with the sacrificial care Christ shows His church (Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 5:25–33; Hebrews 13:4).
These convictions give us a serious reason to approach dating thoughtfully. We are considering a relationship whose promises should never be made casually.
Dating With Honesty And Purpose
The Bible does not prescribe a modern dating system or a timetable for engagement. It does teach us how to treat one another: truthfully, with purity, patience, and concern for another person’s good (Ephesians 4:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; Philippians 2:3–4).
For someone seeking marriage, dating can be a period of discernment: getting to know a person well enough to consider whether marriage would be wise and faithful to Christ. Attraction matters, but it cannot answer every important question.
Notice how someone handles disappointment, takes responsibility, and responds when you disagree. Talk about faith, money, family, children, and the ordinary expectations of a shared life. A profession of Christian belief deserves to be considered alongside the character a person demonstrates over time.
Be honest about your intentions without making promises you cannot yet keep. Respect boundaries. Sexual restraint belongs within Christian faithfulness, and pressure has no rightful place in a relationship. Someone’s uncertainty or refusal must be taken seriously.
Taking Time To Discern
A relationship needs time to become known in ordinary circumstances. Shared worship, friendship, and the counsel of trustworthy people can help you see more clearly than private intensity alone (Proverbs 15:22). For a Christian considering marriage, shared faith in Christ is foundational; Paul describes the freedom to marry as freedom exercised “in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39).
Neither person owes the other a marriage because they have dated. Sometimes an honest, considerate ending is the right decision.
Questions involving divorce, remarriage, unresolved commitments, or painful experiences deserve a private pastoral conversation and careful attention to Scripture. They should never become subjects of group speculation.
A Place To Begin
We want this group to make room for friendships that grow naturally and conversations that help people live wisely. Some may eventually develop a relationship. Others may find companionship and encouragement through friendships they have needed for a long time.
Come with your questions, your hopes, and the life you are actually living.
Ask About The Singles Group