What Singles Should Look For In Selecting A Christian Dating Site
About our 5-heart dating site review system
Christian dating site reviews for Christian singles looking for some personal guidance in selecting the Christian dating service that is right for them. Plus you will find in depth articles on dating, relationships and other Bible-based advice on subjects important to Christian singles in this modern society in which we live to serve as a witness for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our 5-heart rating system is based on the following 5 review criteria:
1-heart for: good value and fair honest business practices, whether or not you are being a “good steward” of God’s money by paying it to a particular dating service. In other words are you getting good value for the money God has trusted you to manage for Him? Does this Christian dating service measure up in terms of getting God’s money-worth for the features and benefits it provides? Does the website provide a free trial membership, so I can try it out for free (usually for 3 to 10 days) before I have to “pay to stay”? Allowing you to use the system before you pay is honest and honorable and pleases God because it shows that a website has nothing to hide. Some sites are nothing but “come ons” that lure singles in with a bogus free trial offer, don’t give singles enough free access to the dating service to adequately evaluate it, then automatically bill their credit card when the trial period expires.
1-heart for quality search results. Do most of the profiles include photos? Are the photos large enough and clear enough to actually tell what the person looks like? If it is a general dating service (like Match.com with 25 million members or a general matchmaking service like eHarmony with 12.5 million members) do they have a “religion” category so that a Christian can actually search for other Christians? Is there evidence in the profiles of the singles who claim to be Christians that they really are? What is your personal definition of a real Christian vs. a cultural Christian? You should certainly have one if you claim to be a real Christian.
Is the website large enough to provide a good selection of Christians that I would want to date or befriend or consider marrying? God’s word says that “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” and, being all-powerful, God can certainly create your special personal soul mate out of thin air, or a rib like He did for Adam, but short of that miracle, God might just want to let you choose a godly Christian mate from a large database. This assumes that God has lead you to consider using an online Christian dating service. God does do miracles. He also wants us to pray and use the wisdom and freedom of choice He has graciously lavished upon us.
1-heart for: Is the website well maintained, and EASY TO USE, providing good value for your membership fee in terms of search, chat or instant messenger and other features like website speed, and customer service? Is help available via telephone or just through e-mail only? Most free websites do not have sufficient revenue to constantly improve and maintain the database system for your enjoyment. Down time or system crashes can put a real drag on your love life especially if they occur right when you want to contact someone who could be your potential soul mate. Also we have found that free sites tend to attract people who enter, post their very short personals ad, (usually with little or no description and no photo), and leave without ever bothering to search out or contact others. “Active” members provide a greater choice for you, and the large, fee-based websites tend to have way more “active” members. They also tend to have better security and privacy features, but no matter what, never use your real name or work or home e-mail address. It is wise to always make sure you get what I call a “disposable e-mail address” that you only use for your personal ads. Something like: yournickname@hotmail.com or yourfakename@yahoo.com or get a private aol.com account.
Are there good help files…FAQ pages…technical support…customer service, coupled with easy to use site navigation which includes just how easy was it to sign up to join, write your profile, post your photo(s)?
1-heart for: whether or not this is this a loving, caring, supportive online Christian singles community with other features that matter to Christians like prayer in the forum or chat rooms; not just generic but actual Bible-based dating and singles advice in the form of articles, Christian counsel; even ministry opportunities to serve one another or the poor as a group; activities for Christian singles like a trip or cruise sponsored or endorsed by the dating service owners.
1-heart for: God! Is the website owned and operated by a mature, committed Christian (or Christians) with a heart for God? Or does dating service company advertise their website to non-Christians or try to fill the database with any “warm bodies” even if the person is not a Christian? Some secular sites try to play both sides of the spiritual fence, advertising that their website is Christian to Christians and also advertising to non-Christians as well. This practice would clearly mislead you and encourage you to disobey 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 by giving you a personals database of non-Christians to join and use. God calls us to be salt and light. We are called to be in the world, but not of the world. (Please read Proverbs 3:5-6) God wants us to “acknowledge” Him in all that we do and He will make our path straight. In Proverbs 3:6 the word “acknowledge” means live and act and speak as if God is watching us, every second of our lives because He is and He knows everything before it ever happens. God knows our hearts.
This does not mean that you cannot join a huge dating site with over 25 million members like Match.com and try to contact and date Christians contained in that huge dating service database.
You can find just as many, quality Christian singles for pure Christian dating at a non-Christian dating service like Match.com, with 25 million members, as you can at ChristianCafe.com which is the largest Christian owned and operated Christian dating service on the Internet. Or you can use only Christian owned and operated businesses if you wish to, it is your personal freedom of choice in Christ.
Any Christian dating site or dating service that does not earn at least 3-hearts should be avoided because there are obviously way better sites available to meet the Christian dating needs of hard working single Christians.
