Dating apps have changed the dating game forever. Whether you frequent dating apps every single day or you know a number of people who met on a dating app, it’s no secret that the apps have a lot of power in the romance department currently and we don’t see that declining anytime soon.
But one demographic that has also been affected in a positive way by dating apps is Christians.
Christian dating apps are some of the most well-known and reputable apps on the market. Not only are they full of like-minded individuals, but in general, Christian dating apps are full of kind people who are looking for long-lasting love and, hopefully marriage as a result of their time on the apps.
One thing that Christians love about online dating, in particular, is that it is already focused on the hope and goal of finding true love and marriage. When you think about it, that is a very godly and Christian intention — to find marriage.
While dating apps might have had some stigma attached to them a while ago, that stigma is more or less ending and people are beginning to understand that dating apps are some of the best places to go when you’re looking for an intentional and faith-driven relationship.
If you’re curious as to how online dating has changed the game for Christians all over the world and how dating apps have not only started but constantly encouraged growth in Christian relationships, keep reading.
Dating App Statistics and Successes
In order to understand why dating apps have had such an impact on Christians, it’s good to know the numbers. In general, dating apps are responsible for a considerable amount of relationship success worldwide, especially in the United States.
In 2021, 323.9 million people used dating apps, which means one in five people were on a dating app. Of those 323.9 million, three-fourths wanted some kind of committed relationship due to their time on the app. That means that, in general, 242.9 million people were actively seeking a long-term relationship on the apps.
The success rates from the apps are also full of hope. While only 13% of dating app users got engaged or married as a result of a dating app (keep in mind, that’s still over 13 million people) many users got a few dates or a long-term relationship as a result of their dating app.
While you might not think that a high number of Christians have actually tried online dating, you might be surprised. Over 80% of single Christians have tried online dating in some way, shape, or form.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ve only been on a Christian-specific dating app, but that they have tried online dating in some capacity. The apps that Christians were most likely to use were eHarmony, Match.com, Christian Mingle, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Bumble. There are also a number of amazing Christian dating apps that everyone should try if they’re looking for love online.
Even though not all of those dating apps and websites are specifically Christian, the majority of them do have wonderful filters that their users can utilize to make sure that they’re matching with like-minded people.
Why Dating Apps Have Improved Relationships and Marriages
Now that we’ve established that dating apps are not only a successful tool in helping people find love online, but they’re also integral to many Christians finding matches online, it’s good to know the benefits they also increase.
While it might sound silly, dating apps do actually improve people’s relationships and understanding of each other.
In general, dating apps are a new and magical phenomenon where you can log onto one and find thousands, if not millions of people who share the same core beliefs and values as you do.
Here are some of the best ways that dating apps have improved relationships and marriages, especially for Christians.
Online Dating Increases the Dating Pool for Christians
In the Christian world, many people feel limited to only dating in their small Christian community. Usually, that means people keep dating members of their small church or Christian college.
While this is not a bad thing, with the emergence of Christian dating apps and Christians utilizing other dating apps, the dating pool many Christians have to choose from suddenly increases exponentially when you go online with your search.
Dating Apps are Geared Toward People Who Want to Find Love
As someone who has been flung into the Christian dating world full force, I understand from first-hand experience how difficult it can be to go on the search for love (or, as we called it at my Christian college, a ring by spring) and not finding anyone else who wants the kind of relationship you want.
At the end of the day, even though someone is a Christian and might share all of your beliefs, wants, and desires, they might not be ready for the kind of relationship you’re looking for, which can be disheartening.
Thankfully, because of many dating app algorithms, the process of elimination, and specific filters, you can find a whole host of people who are looking for exactly what you’re looking for online.
Gone are the days when you have to have an uncomfortable conversation on the third date about whether the two of you want the same thing for a relationship and if you see a future together.
Those sections are already covered in your dating app profiles, and you can avoid those uncomfortable conversations from the get-go.
Dating Apps and Their Algorithms Save Time
While this is the simplest way of saying something very complex, that’s what they do.
Dating apps want to be the solution for you to find love while you’re using them.
For this reason, many dating apps also try to continue to grow, learn, and assess who and what you like on the app as you continue your time with them.
No dating app wants you to have a miserable experience and the majority of apps work tirelessly to improve their technology and their understanding of who you are in order to provide you with the best experience and the best results possible.
Dating app algorithms, in general, are very advanced and often learn to help their users find the success and love they want in the real world.
Dating Apps Allow Christians to Connect in a Comfortable Way
Allow me to get very niche with one of my core memories for a second.
There is nothing that made me feel more pressure or discomfort than knowing that my church crush was sitting behind me at a service, and I had roughly 70 seconds to strike up a conversation with him after church before the stampede of everyone trying to get out happened.
I know it sounds overdramatic, but if you’re trying to date in your home church, it can be one of the most uncomfortable experiences.
Thankfully, with dating apps, the days of trying to sneak in an in-person conversation with your crush are long over.
One of the things that we really love about dating apps is that they create a casual platform and an organic way to message people with whom you share an interest. You can do it all from the comfort of your own home (it’s an added plus that you don’t have to be in uncomfortable church clothes).
Christian Dating Apps Allow Believers to Share and Grow in Their Faith
This is something I didn’t expect from my time spent online dating, but it resulted in me having better and stronger faith as a Christian. I used two dating apps when I tried online dating: Bumble and Tinder.
I met multiple people on each of these apps, but two stood out to me. One was a Catholic, and one was a Baptist.
It was in the messages part of the app that I began to examine my faith, my beliefs, the elements that mattered most to me, and what were negotiable aspects of my faith.
I would talk to these two people and debate their beliefs and they would debate mine and it honestly grew my faith in more ways than I thought possible.
Another thing that caused me to grow in my faith was the relationships I ended up having with these two different people (obviously at different times). Because I was able to try online dating, I was able to not only meet, but have a relationship with two people who I would have never met from my local church or my close friend circle.
And because my faith differed so much from the two men’s faith, I was able to grow in my beliefs and explore what the most important aspects of my beliefs were.
Online dating is a wonderful opportunity for a Christian to meet and connect with people whom they might not have everything in common with when it comes to their faith, but they can still learn from and grow in their faith as a result of that connection.
