Married couples no longer are the majority of U.S. households, according to the 2010 U.S. census, the New York Times reports.
For the first time ever, families without a traditional husband and wife now comprise 52 percent of households, with families headed by married couples comprising 48 percent.
But the misperception that all singles are young is also fading as single adults cover the range of ages from young adults to single seniors.
While the Times article reports that most Americans will marry at some point, this snapshot of U.S. family life is a revelation.
In 1950, 78 percent of all households were headed by a traditional married couple. Today, that figure is 48 percent; changes in life choices are a contributing factor.
The census data reveals that college-educated singles marry other college-educated singles, and they are delaying marriage until their 30s.
Young women with high school diplomas and with a child or children are choosing increasingly not to marry their baby’s father.
Social scientists believe that the economy is a factor because young male high school graduates tend to be less employable during hard economic times.
These developments in family life have obvious implications for churches. Single adult ministries that focus only on young or professional singles are missing big chunks of the single population.
Churches that seek to attract families need to realize that the definition of family is broader than mom, dad and the kids. More often it is mom and the kids.
Same-sex marriages, while not mentioned in the article, will be a rising demographic as more states approve same-sex unions of some type.
Churches may or may not like these trends, but the reality on the ground is that these are the folks who make up our community, and nontraditional families need our ministry, too.
Chuck Warnock is pastor of Chatham Baptist Church in Chatham, Va. He blogs at Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor, where this column first appeared.
Chuck Warnock is pastor of Chatham Baptist Church in Chatham, Virginia.