Part 2A: Write a 400 - 500, word description of the positive and negative aspects of cliques in the church
A clique or a primary group within a church is a group that has a “significant and prolonging common history” – John Wimber, in other words; a group of people that have developed together and become a church, or the bulk of the church, that is sixty – eighty members in size.
The primary group’s main priority is control and it will become very hesitant if it grows beyond eighty adults in population per Sunday as it means that they do not have the control that they used to have. A primary group will continue to function even if there are spectators eagerly waiting to join into the group and the group is happy to stay together and stay secure, even if it has to deny members because they want total control.
A primary group can have a lot of information about each other giving off the idea that they are close; however they will not be intimately close as they are not able to get that information out of the person as there is very little intimate contact. They can get information about each other, but not from each other.
A primary group has a very strong territorial identity, and are heavily influenced by their culture of the community that they are apart of. This gives the member security, a great sense of belonging and acceptance, often held together by blood ties, traditions and friendships. Overall they are very strong, but hard to grow.
This great desire of security hardens the primary group. This often distorts the direction that they bare wanting to go. Inevitability the majority if the group does not want to move anywhere, their great desire for security and comfort has beached them, making it impossible for them to move with Jesus Christ as he moves. This contrasts to the “Centred Set” model, one that gives the idea that people, and the group, should moving with Christ, but rather it portrays the “Bounded Set”, one that has strict boundaries and has high priority on numbers and statistics. This sadly, means that if Christ wants to move in the church, the fact that they are so caught up in their clique of security means that they do not leave their hearts vulnerable enough for the Holy Spirit to work with, and therefore results in their group dying or disbanding: because being is more important than doing.
Another negative aspect of cliques is the fact that primary groups struggle to grow. This is mainly because they are uncomfortable with any growth into numbers that are out of their control. A Primary group is ultimately going to heaven, but presently, in the time now, they want to sleep. They do not desire to move and extend the Kingdom, something that Jesus sent us out to do: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”[1]. Consequently the Church does not grow, as the group is happy as they are.
But how can we help these groups? We have to educate them, show them that the way that they are running their church is stalling the growth of the Kingdom of the Father. We have to mobilize them, give them a direction and realign them to point towards Jesus Christ, and to follow him as a church in obedience to his words.
Part 2B: Write a 400-500 word description of “Enfolding Newcomers into a Church”. Include your reasons for choosing the topic.
The average size of a church worldwide is fifty-five people attending on a Sunday morning or evening, often thirty adults and twenty-five children. These churches are primary groups, cliques that form because the people within the group are comfortable with each other, secure with the number involved, and the relationships are strong so there is no need for another one. These ‘closed cliques’ often repel new visitors and careful consideration needs to be taken in a church in re-evaluating how they address a newcomer. One should also see it from the visitor’s perspective. First impressions really do count for so much and that is reason why I decide to study this topic.
Visitors notice faults and flaws in the congregation and service generally in the first three visits that they have. The faults may be very minor to the members but for the newcomer every mistake sticks out. Therefore it is very important to view the congregation and service from their eyes and see how welcome the service really is to a newcomer.
Newcomers always hang around the visitor books and the information\sale table. This is because they arrive early to make sure that they are not late and that they have a space, however the congregation hover in cliques and socially attract to their friends, this leaves the visitor alone and therefore they go to the table to do something with their hands. It is very important that the church employs a system for which there is always someone at the table to start conversation with the visitor, to make them feel welcome. A friend of mine Paul Arram said to me the reason that he loved Vineyard so much was that the first time he went to the Vineyard service three people introduced them selves to him and asked for his name, the next week they all remembered it. It was this welcoming and inclusion that attracted him so much. A visitor should not in any regard be ignored during the service, someone from the congregation needs to, at least once, strike conversation with the newcomer. However there is balance between ignoring and overwhelming the newcomer
God delivers gifts to benefit situations, and certainly he distributes gifts into people for the benefit of the congregation. One of these gifts is a warm and welcoming personality. It is important that the leaders of the church discover the people with these personalities and allow that gift to open up to the visitors. Use God’s gifts to minister to visitors.
The first six months are crucial for the newcomer as it is important during this period that they make at least seven friends. Either they need to be approached by someone, or the cliques within the church are too closed for the newcomer to gain any true friendships. Cliques are a part of human behaviour and cannot be stopped form happening, they can be good or bad. They are good when they provide a sound network of relationships through the church, one that welcomes the visitors and provides relationship building. However once they become closed to visitors they are dangerous and repel newcomers.
Personally the greatest priority that the congregation needs is too make sure the visitors know the values and beliefs that the church holds and to not impose a cultish behaviour onto them, that is; welcoming them with friendship and love and then have the teachings and beliefs introduced to them. A church has to be open with their beliefs, giving the visitor an honest choice whether to come back. Leaning into cult behaviour is a very dangerous thing for a church.
The reason I chose this topic is because lately I have become aware on the impact of the first visit from a newcomer, and I want to understand the mindset of the newcomer, so that next time one arrives at our church door I can introduce them effectively, hopefully to bring them to Christ through the help of a fellowship we create at the service.
