Please correct me if I am wrong, but after reading these and others topics, I almost get the impression that there are no real Christian 'dating' sites in the United States. I hope that this observation indeed wrong, because such dating sites even exist in the largely non-religious country that I live in (somewhere in Europe). And as my parish priest told me, in a rapidly secularizing society, and especially during the 'pandemic', Christian dating sites are a blessing. Where else can you meet other Christians when not only the World, but even many churches/parishes are in lockdown?
At any rate, here are some points that I would like to share with the forum. I learned these lessons the hard way, so I hope they are of some benefit to others and can diminish a bit of the dating hardship. (I am currently dating/courting a young lady that I met via a Christian dating site, so these lessons actually appear to work for me.)
1. Do not go on a Secular dating site (or app). Just don't. Only go on an explicitly Christian dating site (or a couple of sites) and get an actual paid membership of a month. Many dating sites offer discounts after a while, so only get a longer membership if the site has relatively many members and it is worth the investment. And share with others on the forum which dating sites work 'best'! These could actually be Protestant ones; luckily, many Protestants are open to Catholics and the Orthodox.
2. Understand that finding a spouse is not a 'right' that one has or can 'earn'; rather, it is an act of God's grace. It took some time before this insight actually resonated in me, but I am more than grateful for the priest who explained this to me. This understanding really helps to diminish the angst that many of not most people feel when dating. It could very well be that God has something else for you in store.
3. Do not date differently than you would do outside of the pandemic, but also do not date someone who does. In fact, I would argue that the pandemic did not change much for Christian courtship anyways, since our Faith requires us to be modest in relation to the opposite sex. But you do want to court someone who keeps calm when the world goes mad. In this regard, the pandemic is even a blessing in disguise.
4. Do not date someone who has serious red flags (see other topics for those). And do not date a woman who is older than you (and vice versa, women should not date men who are younger than they are). And do not 'rationalize' these red flags 'away' merely because you fancy someone. Keep true to your-Self and to God.