Love is hard to find. According to a recent poll one in five American internet users are looking for love online; this does not include those who “troll” the internet looking for a good time or one night stand. I can quite believe this, as it seems that meeting people is becoming more and more difficult due to the fact that we Westerners are becoming increasingly isolated and we are losing the ability to simply connect with others.

Now, if I asked most of you how you feel about this you’d probably conclude that as long as no one gets hurt what harm can it do. However, if I asked you if you thought it was right for single pastors to be online dating, what would your reaction be?

The fact is, there is a growing trend in our churches where single pastors, like everyone else, are finding it more and more difficult to meet people outside of their work environments – i.e. their churches. As such many of them are turning to the Web in a quest to find love.

I remember one of my single pastor friends talking about using an online dating service. To be honest, I thought the worst until he said, “I don’t want to start dating women in my congregation. Can you imagine the potential problems and what would be said if things went wrong?”

So, can we blame our single (repeat single) pastors from wanted to find that special someone to love and love them back? God knows that there’s not too many people who can go through this life without a partner… point in fact: He found Adam a date And let’s face it, how awkward would it be for a single pastor to start dating the single folk in his or her congregation; I mean, what would happen if the relationship went pear shaped?

The thing is, there’s a stigma associated with online dating and I suspect that many in the church would frown on such activity. But here’s the thing, the internet is simply a vessel by which many people sell or speak their mind. In the last year I have made some great friends (repeat friends) on sites like Facebook, friends I would never have met… ever… if not for the internet.

In light of this, can’t the internet be used as a vessel to bring two people together who are looking for love? Personally I would rather single pastors find love by using one of the many online dating services, most of which are heavily screened, than in some nightclub or bar.

Now there’s a movie screenplay in here somewhere… watch this space

Chris

Original article that inspired this blog here.

---

Related Posts:

1. Dirty Little Secret According to recent stats pastors battling addiction to porn is not that rare. XXXChurch.com reveals...
2. FaithBook (No I don’t have a lisp!) Researchers have found that the average Internet user spends 3 hours per day online, almost...
3. A Difficult Job When was the last time you gave a thought for your pastor? Think about it,...
4. To Pay or Not To Pay? One question I have been mulling over in my head for a while now is...
5. The Summer of Love part 3: Love Is for Losers Part 3 in a 5 part series looking at love. LISTEN TO SERMON...



---