{"id":8308,"date":"2023-10-22T22:05:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T22:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/10-ways-to-stop-cliques-in-your-church\/"},"modified":"2023-11-01T18:33:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T18:33:35","slug":"10-ways-to-stop-cliques-in-your-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=8308","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Stop Cliques in Your Church"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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My friend felt a nervous excitement when she signed up for the church women\u2019s retreat — alone. It wasn\u2019t easy to do, but she reasoned that spending a weekend with other Christian women would allow her to meet badly needed friends and integrate more quickly into the life of her new church.<\/p>\n

Her confidence was short-lived. After Friday night dinner, she walked alone to the auditorium as other women strolled with friends, their happy chatter a reminder that she was an outsider. Oh well, at least I\u2019ll get a good seat<\/em>, she thought, trying to stay positive in an uncomfortable situation. She walked toward the front and was shocked to see every seat taken, saved by the Bibles that women had placed there before dinner. She moved further back, only to find the same thing. The only seat open was a corner one on the very last row.<\/p>\n

Every Bible on every chair seemed to scream, \u201cYou aren\u2019t welcome here. We already have friends, and you aren\u2019t one of them\u201d.<\/p>\n

Of course, this was not the intent. Still, it was a memory she never forgot.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0\u00a9Getty Images\/LittleBee80<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n