Jeanie is rearing two young children by herself, working a full-time job and maintaining a household. Her ex-husband provides no child care support. Her paycheck barely covers her family’s most urgent needs, and each month she descends deeper into credit card debt. Jeanie’s parents and siblings live too far away to provide child care or practical help. They, too, struggle financially and are unable to assist with Jeanie’s expenses.
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On Sunday mornings, after she feeds, dresses and takes her children to Sunday School, Jeanie sits exhausted in a back pew. Fortunately, her church provides child care for young children during the worship service. She loves her church and longs to serve in ministry and attend Bible studies and social events, but she has no time or energy — and no money to hire a babysitter. The hour-long worship service gives her a brief chance to sit still, pray, worship and rest from the week’s strenuous workload.
Fastest-growing family type
Jeanie is one of about 8.7 million mothers living in a one-parent U.S. household rearing children under age 18.
Single-parent families make up one of the fastest-growing family types in America. A Pew Research Center review of 130 countries shows the U.S. has the highest rate of children living in single-parent households in the world.
According the U.S. Census Bureau (2023), America’s single-parent households — particularly mother-only households — are the second most common family living arrangement, and the proportion of these households has doubled since 1970.
Single-parenting can happen for many reasons, including divorce (28.0%), separation (15.5%) or death of a husband (4.3%). The highest percentage comes from mothers who have never married (52.1%).
Current trends in marriage, cohabitation, divorce and social norms surrounding non-marital births, suggest the situation is unlikely to change any time soon.
Other situations also lead to one-parent families, such as:
- a spouse simply walking out and never returning.
- being a victim of domestic violence.
- a parent is incarcerated or addicted to alcohol or drugs.
- military deployment and sometimes the trauma following the deployment.
- severe disability, hospitalization or chronic illness.
Unique pressures, challenges
Whatever the reason, single-parent families inevitably face unique pressures and challenges two-parent households often do not. These may include:
- Financial struggles, poverty and economic insecurity. The official poverty rate for mothers in one-parent families is more than 30%. When moms work outside the home, their median income was $41,305 in 2024, far below the $132,959 median income reported that year for two-parent families.
- Overwork and exhaustion from juggling children, work, bills, meals, laundry, transportation, school issues, doctors’ appointments and every household task alone.
- Loneliness and depression from little time to rest, build friendships or participate in fellowship and fun.
- Fear, stress and anxiety when overwhelmed mothers have no relational safety net — no nearby family or close friends to help them. They may worry about job loss, sickness, unexpected crises or even car trouble.
Single parents who do have family support are likely still overwhelmed, but they know they aren’t alone and find their workloads cushioned. They have someone to call when the car breaks down, a child is sick at school or an emergency happens.
How the church can help
Many single parents will never ask for help from church leadership or members. They suffer in silence and pray they can keep up with their enormous responsibilities. When the church steps in and offers a compassionate safety net, it becomes a lifeline for them.
Here are some practical, common-sense ways to help the single parents in your congregation:
- Know who they are, ask how you can help them and let them know they are valued members of the church family. Offer practical weekday help such as occasional meals, shopping or transportation to medical appointments. Create a church “care team” to be available in emergencies.
- Provide financial assistance. Create a benevolence fund that can assist single parents immediately and confidentially when urgent needs arise. Invite members to contribute regularly.
- Add child care to every major church ministry event. Use trust, background-checked, vetted adults to oversee children. Child care is expensive and hard to find; offering it enables single parents to attend Bible studies, support groups, women’s ministry events and worship services more easily.
- Create a single-parent support group where they can meet in a safe place, speak openly, grow in faith and receive prayer and encouragement from those who understand their unique struggles. This ministry addresses a vital need and demonstrates Christ’s love.
- Keep a list of trusted Christian counselors for mothers experiencing anxiety, depression or overwhelming life circumstances. Referring mothers to vetted counselors provides immediate compassionate help, guarantees biblically grounded support, reduces stigma, equips pastors with a ready resource and protects the church from offering untrained advice.
- Provide workshops on budgeting, co-parenting and life-management skills. Bring in knowledgeable speakers for church-sponsored seminars.
- Avoid idealizing only “intact two-parent families” from the pulpit. Treat single parents as valued disciples. Include single parents and their children in social gatherings that also involve two-parent families.
- Organize children’s ministries with one-parent families in mind. Many are unintentionally structured for two-parent households.
- Offer online or recorded options for Bible studies and church seminars. Evening events often exclude those who cannot attend in person.
When a church steps in with compassion, practical help and genuine spiritual care, it becomes a lifeline for a single-parent and their children. When churches do this, single-parent families don’t simply survive — they flourish — and the whole church family is strengthened in the process.
If you are the parent in the single-parent family
Raising children alone is exhausting, lonely and often unrecognized. But God sees every unseen sacrifice and every late-night worry. You are faithfully doing the work set before you, and you are doing holy work.
Give yourself grace. Some days will feel overwhelming. Release the pressure to be perfect. What your children need most is your steady love, your presence and your prayers.
Ask for help without guilt. Asking for help is not a weakness. Let the church minister to you. If your church offers child care, support groups, Bible studies, recorded or online classes, or fellowship events, accept them and allow others to help you and your children. The church is a loving and compassion family. Allow them these ministry opportunities.
Take opportunities to rest. Whenever you can, take a brief walk, spend a few minutes in quiet prayer and listen to Scripture or worship music while you drive. Rest is not a luxury but a necessity for a healthy life.
Name changed for privacy purposes.
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