When the dream to write a significant book on single adults

began, little did we realize the challenges that would surface.

The phenomenon of single adults today is so common and

research is so limited, we felt as though we had set sail into uncharted

waters. As we continued our project, the "uncharted waters" feeling

returned again and again.

We do not feel that there are predictable stages or passages for single

adults. And we do not intend to force singles into unrealistic or nonexis-

tent modes simply to foster research data. So little is known about the

single adult. The underlying reality is that we have all been single at one

stage of life or another. Those who responded to our survey were single

at the time the survey was conducted. Some had never been married.

Others were separated, divorced, or widowed. Traditionally we have

tended to classify all singles in one category, but the singles who have

never married differ in some major respects from those who once were

married and through often tragic circumstances now find themselves sin-

gle again.

5ingle Adult Passages is the first indepth historical and sociological

study of Christian singles in America. We assume that the attitude of

Christian singles toward singleness, as well as their behavior, is influ-

enced by their spiritual life and the teachings of the church. Comprehen-

sive in scope, our survey is a valuable resource tool for Christian singles

themselves, as well as for those who minister to single adults.

We surveyed almost 1400 singles of all ages, of various educational

levels, in a wide variety of occupations, and living in forty different

states. For the record, 1363 singles returned usable surveys. However, 20

singles skipped checking the gender box; the female category was

checked by 884 while 459 checked the male category. Therefore, for

questions related to gender, we could use only 1343 responses. This will

explain the occasional variance in survey totals. We have also inter-

viewed hundreds of singles and included data from the interviews in the

book.