Have you ever had your feelings hurt because a tight-knit group of people within a church seemed to make you feel unwelcome? How many times have people you know been hurt by the same thing?
They are bad enough in a school or work setting, but they can cause even more harm in a church, where one of the themes of the organisation is “Love one another” (John 13:34-35). The New Testament often commands saints in the church to show hospitality (Rom. 12:13 and 1 Peter 4:9, for example). Hospitality can be defined as the ability to overcome your loyalty to a clique in order to care for a stranger, or someone who is strange relative to your group.
But time and time again, listeners contact Premier Christian Radio with painful stories of feeling excluded in their church.
Rachel Jordan-Wolf is the Mission Adviser to the Church of England. She told Premier's Lisa Mainwaring some helpful tips of how to avoid becoming cliquey yourself.