ChristianMingle is without a doubt Christian. In many senses, it aims to be more than a matchmaking service. Instead, it’s partially Christian “community,” with offerings of a Bible verse of the day and searchable Bible. In short, this is a community for people who feel passionately about Christianity and its place in their lives. As one profile states, “Basically I’m looking for an attractive girl that is on fire for God.”
The site’s dating process is mostly geared toward browsing through profiles. These profiles offer a laundry list of favorite interests, activities, and tastes. This is complemented by an “About Me” write-up, a few (but not many) photos of the user and a physical description (i.e. height, eye color, hair color, and ethnicity). For the most basic of purposes, the profiles fulfill their function: You get what people often call the “stats” – the basic information about the person, and a sampling of their personality. There is an element of efficiency in this model that appeals to those tired of small-talk and blind date horror stories.
And, like many Christian dating sites, ChristianMingle has a “matching” system, this one being called the “Color Code Personality Profile.” Yes, the website actually explains your personality through “color code” consisting of white, blue, yellow and red. Each color has a percentage attached to it, too. So, when you go to someone’s profile, whichever color has the highest percentage is the color that is explained. For example, let’s say someone is 33% white, 28% blue, 23% yellow, and 16% red. Then, you’ll see the percentage breakdown followed by a description of his/her dominant color: white. This description is a list of “white” characteristics, which include “accepting,” “patient,” and “adaptable,” among others.
You can also gauge compatibility based upon the color system. After finishing a 16-page personality test, you’re analyzed and summarized. From there, you are directed to profiles of users who have a very good “match level” with you. The spectrum of match level runs “average” to “extremely high,” and, ideally, you want someone who is “very good,” “high,” “very high,” or “extremely high.”
This brings me to my main issue with the site: I find the profiles outdated in structure and approach. In the last few years, most dating sites have grown much more advanced, incorporating many new features. Christianmingle should also offer more interesting, or at least more creative questions and analyses than the “color profile.” And the “About Me” section is so general that most people either a) don’t fill it out or b) provide the most cliché, obvious, and boring information. Overall, I find the profiles limiting and boring.
But one thing I like is that ChristianMingle seems to stress chatrooms – everything from politics to theology, from “daily devotionals” to food. In my mind, this is a wonderfully casual, yet personal way of connecting with people. While I didn’t exactly find mind-blowing conversation threads, this is still a great resource. The online world can appear very cold and removed. The chatrooms calm the general “meat market” of Internet dating, and give users breathing room to talk about issues and ideas that matter. In that way, I applaud the chatroom focus.
I also like the “Photo Shuffle” feature. It can be very daunting to thumb through pages upon pages of profiles. The “Photo Shuffle” allows users to browse a random assortment of individuals and, from there, make judgment calls. In fact, maybe you’ll check out someone (who you would never normally consider) through the “Photo Shuffle.” you Why not add some fun to the online Christian dating experiment?
Like many sites, ChristianMingle also allows users flirt in a digital manner. It’s called a “Smile.” Users send other users a “Smile.” This is equivalent to saying “hello” or “I would like to get to know you better.” It’s a small gesture, and a handy tool. Perhaps it’s a little corny – and, often times, pretty useless. But it can be handled well to initiate dialogue before a full-on chat (yes, you can instant message).
Price-wise, ChristianMingle works out to about $30 per month or, if you buy all at once, $120 per year. This is comparable in price to other sites – and, if you plan to use it for a whole year, not a huge investment. You can check this page to see if they are still running their free trial membership.
Overall, I like ChristianMingle. It’s not among the best of the Christian dating sites, and it’s not among the worst. It’s somewhere in the middle, offering the basic features without any particularly fresh or exciting material. But I wouldn’t call it stale either. Instead, I would think of ChristianMingle as a hip, but dependable, coworker who has hit-and-miss results. But you stick around for the “hits,” and it might be worth the wait.
