FAMILY, MARRIAGE AND SINGLENESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

UNDERSTANDING THE REALITIES

Dennis Franck - Coach/Consultant/SpeakerFranck Insights

franckinsights@gmail.com Springfield, MO

THE FACE OF THE FAMILY HAS CHANGED!Nuclear Family

Single - Parent Family Step/Blended - Parent Family

THE CHURCH MUST REACH NEW TYPES OF “FAMILIES” & HOUSEHOLDS

1. SINGLE – PERSON FAMILY2. SINGLE – PARENT FAMILY3. STEP - PARENT FAMILY4. BLENDED – PARENT FAMILY5. NUCLEAR – PARENT FAMILY6. EXPANDED FAMILY7. GRANDPARENT FAMILY8. KINSHIP FAMILY9. UNMARRIED PARENT FAMAILY 10.HOMOSEXUAL PARENT FAMILY11. HOMOSEXUAL/HETEROSEXUAL FAMILY 12.NON - FAMILY 13.COMBINATIONS OF ANY OF THESE

http://www.singleandparenting.org/startagroup?utm_source=church_initiative&utm_medium=email&utm_content=big_reason&utm_campaign=431_sp_12

U.S. Step & Blended Families• 40% married couples with children are step-couples

• 24 million households

• 41 % of weddings in America form stepfamilies. --National Center for Family & Marriage Research 2010

 

• Births to married parents - 50% experience parents’ divorce by age18 --American Blended Family

Association • One - third who divorced in 2008 were re- divorcing

-National Center for Family & Marriage Research

2010 • 66% of stepfamily marriages divorce within 6 years

--“Family” Barna Research -- American Blended Family Association

• 1300 U.S. blended families formed daily

• 81% blended families -“they don't know where to turn for help” --American Blended Family Association - 

Never married 64.5 M 27.5%

Divorced 25.0 M 10.6%

Widowed 14.3 M 6.0%

103.5 M 44.1%

Separated 5.5 M 2.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012Social & Economic Supplement                

44 % U.S. ADULTS NOT MARRIED (AGE 18+)

Growth of Single Person Households

1900 5% of all households

1960 13% of all households

1970 17% of all households

2010 28% of all households America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2010 http://www.census.gov/Press Release/www/releases/archives/familieshouseholds/013378.html  

Median Age at First MarriageMen Women

2010 28.2 27.0

1990 26.1 23.9

1980 24.7 22.0

1970 23.2 20.8

1960 22.8 20.3-2010 census bureau demographics

COHABITATION - U. S.

2011 – 7.8 million unmarried-partner households

(2000 - 5.5 million) America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2012

Over half of all marriages are preceded by cohabitation

Half of 25 - 40 yr. olds have cohabitated

21 % of all unmarried-partner households include children

–Step Family Association of America

Divorce/Remarriage

•43 percent of first marriages divorce 1

•60 percent of remarriages with children divorce 1

•65 percent of remarriages with children from a prior marriage divorce 1

•65 percent of simple stepfamilies (1 partner with a child) divorce 2

•70 percent of complex stepfamilies (both partners have children) divorce 2

• 1 January 9, 2006, Newsweek, “The ‘Familymoon’” • 2 In her book For Better or For Worse: Divorce Reconsidered, Dr. Hetherington specifies the divorce rate for step-couples to be “50 percent higher in remarriages with stepchildren” Specifically, then, the divorce rate is 65-70%. (p. 178).

UNMARRIED HOUSEHOLDS… MARRIED HOUSEHOLDS…

Married households 2010 All marriages - 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. 51.0 percent

Unmarried households 49. percent 14 million single women 5 million single men 15 million single parent 36. 7 million single, “non family”- friends of same/opposite sex

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU - 2010 American Community Survey

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061015/ts_alt_afp/afplifestyleusscociety_061015170214

COMMON NEEDS/INTERESTS MARRIED & UNMARRIED ADULTS

(any church adult class addresses these)

SALVATIONBAPTISMDISCIPLESHIPOBEDIENCEPRAYER LIFECOMMITMENTBIBLE TEACHINGSPIRITUAL GROWTH

UNIQUE NEEDS OF YOUNG & SINGLE ADULTS

WHERE IN THE CHURCH ARE THESE ADDRESSED?

Rearing kids alone Shared parenting Relating to my former spouse Sexuality and singleness Money management Peer Friendships Learning to forgive my ex Accepting Singleness Dating/dating again Divorce Recovery Living with mom/dad Understanding emotions Grief recovery

Dealing with changes Learning to trust again Loneliness Humility Building an identity Singleness in a marriage &

family-oriented church Career choice Pre-Marital education Re-Marital education Blending families Relating to married adults Adjusting to Widowhood

THREE SINGLE ADULTS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD!

OUR FAITH IS BASED UPON:

A Jewish single adult from Galilee

Whose ministry was preceded by a single adult named John the Baptist

And whose mission thrust was modeled by a single adult named Paul