Two key features of contemporary life are the rising number of single person households and the increasing levels of loneliness across generations. Alone Together addresses the theological, pastoral and missiological challenges for the church posed by this changing demographic, beyond simply providing groups or more activities for those living solo. It engages with a breadth of issues including intimacy, fellowship within the life of the church, notions of family, childlessness, solitude as a creative and spiritual resource, and the diverse ways in which households may be modelled on Christ. Each chapter is placed in a biblical context –‘It is not good for man to be alone’ and Jesus’ experiences or sayings: seeking deserted places, ‘Here are my mother, my brothers, my sisters’, ‘Do not cling to me’. The work of other writers such as Bonhoeffer, Walter Brueggemann and Rosemary Radford Reuther informs and enliven the practical and pastoral discussion, offering a rich biblical and theological framework within which to shape appropriate pastoral practice. Honest, joyful and hopeful, Alone Together offers fresh thinking to challenge and liberate church practice in relation to single people.
