Free Christian Dating
Is ‘Free Christian Dating‘ a good thing?
‘Hopeful Girl’ who wrote ‘Would like to meet’ – a story of her four years on the Christian dating scene – responds to an often asked question:
Q: I’ve decided to join a dating website, but I was disgusted to learn that some so-called Christian websites charge for their services. If it’s a ministry to the Church, they shouldn’t ask for money, should they?
A: I hear where you’re coming from, and there are some free Christian dating websites out there, but I’d always recommend choosing one that charges a subscription, and here’s why…..
Websites require a lot of time, money and staff to run them properly. The bottom line is this: if you don’t pay with money, you’ll pay some other way. Free websites make their profits from selling your data or allowing advertisers to track and target your interest. Plus you’ll discover a lot of ‘free; websites don’t actually allow you to do much without upgrading to a higher (paid) level of membership. So free isn’t really free.
Free websites also tend to be of a lower quality. They’re often clunky, visually confusing and not very user-friendly. You can wrestle with them if you want, but paying a small monthly free generally means there are staff working behind the scenes to create a high-user experience. They can also spend time helping member, monitoring profiles and weeding out scammers. As a paying customer, you can demand a good service, and complain if you don’t fee your getting value for money.
You should also be aware that many ‘Christian’ websites are nothing of the sort. Many so called ‘Christian’ websites are generic, dating platforms that companies adapt to target different interest, such as a faith or hobbies, and they often cross-match people across sites. You may be shocked to discover that your profile is appearing on a lads’ mag website or worse – and the people you’re viewing haven’t signed up to a Christian website at all! One lady in my church met up with a chap who’d contacted her on a ‘Christian’ dating website. She was rather baffled when he asked where she’s parked her motorbike. It turned out he’s spotted her on a bikers’ dating website – and he didn’t have a clue that his profile was on a Christian one!
Another reason I recommend a paid for website/organisation is that members are likely to be more serious about meeting a partner. Anyone can join a free site on a whim – I know lots of people who’ve done it out of curiosity or boredom, with no real interest in meeting someone. If the people you’re viewing have had to shell out some hard-earned cash to join, they’re probably more committed to looking for love.
Websites that are run by Christians offer a higher level of quality and safety, and are pretty good value for money.