I wasn’t desperate, and clearly wasn’t in a hurry, but I have greatly desired marriage and the blessings that go with it. To the contrary, I have had my marriage radar on high alert since I went to college. Many people have had the misunderstanding that my singleness was somehow related to a monkish vow of ministry or that I was so focused on Jesus that I had no interest in women or marriage. These challenges are often overlooked in the church and I have one last chance to write about them as an insider, before I become one of those married pastors telling singles how they should feel. Over the years of my singleness, I have grown to appreciate the unique blessings and challenges of adult Christian singleness. They receive disparaging comments, questions of sexual orientation, and the like.Ī third circumstance that gives me this opportunity today is that I am technically still single. My observation is that bachelor pastors are rarer than Packer fans at Soldier Field, and they are sometimes treated like them. I have been a pastor for 20 years and senior pastor here at Bethel for 15. The second circumstance is my role in the church. If the national average age for a man’s first marriage is 28, this means I’ve had more time than average to think about these things. The first circumstance that makes my marriage atypical is my age. The unusual circumstances of my marriage give me an opportunity to say some important things. This coming Saturday I will marry the love of my life, Miss Jennifer Terrell.
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