Annie F. Downs on Churches and Single People: The Missed Ministry Opportunity

Annie F. Downs talks about how churches are missing opportunities in ministry to and with single men and women. Plus, she discusses a new take on sexual purity, how to finish well, why your 50s, 60s, and 70s are your best decades, the state of publishing and podcasting, and lessons from New York. ---------- Welcome to The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, a podcast about leadership, change, and personal growth. I hope this episode helps you thrive in life and leadership. Subscribe to my channel so you don't miss any of the newest episodes:    / @careynieuwhof   Find the show notes and more at http://careynieuwhof.com/episode644 Follow me for the latest leadership insights:   / careynieuwhof     / cnieuwhof     / cnieuwhof   TikTok: @careyniuewhof Interested in what gear I use to record my podcast? I list all of the equipment in this blog post: https://careynieuwhof.com/the-home-st... ---------- Brought to you by: THE ART OF LEADERSHIP LIVE I'm excited to announce the Art of Leadership LIVE, my first—ever leadership conference, which will be held in Dallas, Texas, this September. With a select group of leaders, you’ll be able to have the safe, unfiltered conversations you can’t have anywhere else, learn strategies that challenge and change you, and build connections with the right people. Early bird pricing is available for a limited time by visiting: https://careynieuwhof.com/the-art-of-... GLOO With Gloo's FREE texting service, it only takes 5 minutes to send that last-minute update, create a devotional, rally your volunteers, or even get more people praying. When you sign up you can send unlimited texts, free, forever. Go to https://gloo.us/freetexting to sign up. Intro Music: Song: Alexey Anisimov - Always Be Beautiful Music provided by Tunetank. Free Download: https://tunetank.com/track/4144-alway... ---------- Chapters 00:00 - The Single Christian Woman's Problems 06:27 - Writing a Book 09:32 - Write a Book About Your Story 17:05 - Annie F. Downs on Leading With a Team 19:31 - How a Co-Leader and Their Visionary Operator Partner Made It Work 22:54 - Control Tendencies 25:55 - Annie Her Health 31:44 - Your 40s and Your 50s 37:07 - What Was It Like Living in New York? 39:38 - Living a Christian Life in New York 42:42 - This Powerful Story About Seeing 800 People in NYC 45:40 - New York and Church Planting 46:43 - What Do You Think of Church Planting in New York? 48:22 - Let's Read The Gospels in 30 Days 52:20 - Podcasting and 100 Million Downloads 55:59 - Single Christian and support from the church 01:00:52 - Do you need to be married to lead a church? 01:06:09 - What can church leaders do to help single people? 01:07:08 - Single Christians Talk About Sexual Life 01:09:01 - Unhelpful teaching on sexual purity and friendship for singles and married 01:21:04 - Are Single People Ready for Singles Ministries? 01:23:52 - Singles in the Church 01:26:03 - Carey Nieuwhof's 10th Anniversary