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ThuThursdaySepSeptember29th2011 "But...you're not single"

Posted Thursday, September 29 2011 @ 12 PM byJonathan Ziman Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

People ask me all the time, “How can you be the singles pastor when you aren’t even single?” It’s a great question. On the one hand, my marital status should not matter. A pastor is a pastor is a pastor, married or not.

On the other hand, it’s definitely a handicap. I haven’t experienced the pain and suffering of a divorce. I haven’t gone through the emotional turmoil associated with the death of a spouse. I don’t know what it is like to be single and 35, or single and 45, or single and 55. Since I’m not single, understanding the unique needs of the singles community is not something that’s going to come naturally to me.

This is why I am so thankful for the many singles in our church who have patiently shared their lives with me over the last year. It has been an eye-opening experience to hear their stories and learn a little about what it is like to live as a single Christian. I have prayed with and for and over singles as they have walked through some incredibly difficult situations. I have also been able to celebrate with singles as God has answered prayers and blessed them in amazing ways.

Something I’ve picked up along the way is that this one word “single” does not begin to capture the amazing diversity it seeks to represent. “Single” defines an enormously wide range of people from different backgrounds and experiences, with unique gifts and talents, being used by God in totally different ways. Define a person by their marital status and you’ll never see this.

All of this is to say that I think I have the best job in the world. I have the honor of working with some of the most interesting and engaged people in the church. I may not be single, I may put my foot in it occasionally (frequently) as a result, but as we work together to spur each other on in our pursuit of Christ, I would have it no other way.

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