Cliquishness?

By Steve McCoy

As an intentional interim pastor, I conducted 125 interviews with Elim people. When I asked about your perception of the weaknesses of our church, some one-third of you responded with one word—cliquish.

It definitely caught the elders by surprise when I reported my findings to them.

A clique is a small group of people who share common interests with one another and spend time together, but do not readily allow others to join them. There is an aura of exclusiveness.

Cliquishness is opposed to the very essence of the gospel. Jesus “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4, NIV.) To exclude people goes against the very grain of what we believe.

The elders are taking this seriously and are endeavoring to remedy this. But it is a church-wide issue. We all need to step up in order to change our church culture.

Here are some ideas.

• First, seek out someone you don’t know in our worship service. Engage them in conversation. Smile. Listen to them.
• Second, when you engage with people, do it like you really mean it. Community groups are times to go deep with others. Church service is a time to meet with those who are not necessarily in your group.
• Third, invite new people to sit with you during the service. Larry and Darlene Short testify to the effectiveness of this. They are trying to practice it.
• Fourth, if you are a fast forgetter of names, like me, write down their names ASAP.
• Fifth, sit in a different location in the worship center. We tend to get comfortable sitting in our favorite sections. Jeff Foerster has been challenging his men’s group to sit in different areas.
• Sixthly, listen to an alternative opinion before quickly dismissing it. Express appreciation for their thoughts. Genuinely consider it.
• Finally, invite people to join you and your group or ministry team.

By God’s good grace, we can be “de-cliqued” by the time Elim embraces her new pastor!

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