Why Church Might Be The Best Dating Scene In Town

The church in Alabama is a pretty big deal. It has always been, and Mike has a great take on it here.

The Totally Secular Reasons to Go to Church (Even If You Don’t Believe a Thing)

By Mike McKenzie

This might sound odd coming from a guy who hosts a late-night radio show and occasionally debates the meaning of life over frozen margaritas.

But most of the reasons I love going to church have absolutely nothing to do with theology.

When someone asks me why I go, they expect thunderbolts, angels, choirs, and me quoting ancient Greek. Instead, I give them the most boring answer imaginable:

“Because it’s practical.”

Yep. Church, for me, is wildly, unapologetically practical. Let me explain.

For one, it’s the healthiest singles scene in town.

If you’re single, you’ve got options.

Bars.
Apps.
Swipe left. Swipe right. Swipe regret.

Or you could meet someone at a place where nobody’s slurring their words at 10:30 a.m. Call me crazy, but meeting someone sober, showered, and making decent life choices feels like a competitive advantage. I’m not saying church singles are perfect. I’m just saying your odds are better than meeting “Brad, who just did three Jaeger bombs and says he’s ‘between careers.’”

A good church is free couples therapy without the couch. If you’re married, church might be the last place you think to go. But it’s actually relationship gold. Because suddenly you’re surrounded by other couples who value family, stick things out, and don’t treat marriage like a rental agreement.

You make friends. You talk. You realize, “oh good, it’s not just us. Everybody argues about where to eat.” It’s like group therapy without the copay.

If you’re a parent, church is a lifesaver. It’s free activities, a safe environment, and –hallelujah –someone else entertaining your kids for an hour. It can be Vacation Bible School, youth groups, holiday events, or community stuff. You get to sit quietly for 45 minutes without anyone asking for snacks. Honestly, that alone is worth showing up.

Church is great pastors. And great pastors are great life coaches without the subscription fee. They may not have PhDs in psychology, but they’ve heard EVERYTHING and even lived it. Marriage drama? You bet. You’ll have someone who knows what it’s like to fight for a little more blanket in the middle of a cold night. Money stress? Pastoring is not a Fortune 500 industry. Family feuds? Most pastors I know have kids, even those hormone bags in expensive tennis shoes called teenagers. Existential crises at 2 a.m.? You try being everything to just about everybody: dad, husband, teacher, spiritual advisor. Pastors know.

They’re basically bartenders without the booze and therapists without the invoice. Sometimes you don’t need clinical advice. Sometimes you just need someone to say:

“Yeah, that’s tough. Let’s talk it through.”

That matters more than people think.

Church is one of the last places humans still gather. Have you noticed we don’t gather anymore? We stream. We scroll. We text from six feet away.

But church is one of the last places where people sing together, sit together, shake hands, and ask how you’re actually doing. No algorithm. No notification alarms. No doom scrolling. Just humans in the same room like it’s 1995.

It’s weirdly refreshing.

And here’s the real secret. Even if you stripped out every ounce of religion, the church would still work. Because at its core, it’s just community, routine, support, and connection –all the stuff humans have needed since we were living in caves and arguing over whose turn it was to watch the fire.

Faith is personal.

But community is universal.

So yeah. I go to church, not because lightning would strike me if I skipped. But because it’s one of the few places left where life slows down, people look each other in the eye, and somebody knows your name.

And honestly?

In this world?

That might be the most spiritual thing of all.