Break the Cliques: A Rebuke and a Call Back to Kingdom Work

The world does not need one more polished conference. It needs a cruciform community—repentant, unified, hospitable, and multiplying. Return to your first love (Revelation 2:4–5). Equip the saints (Ephesians 4:12). Remember the poor (Galatians 2:10). Welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35). And labor side-by-side with Christians beyond your banner so that Jesus—not our brands—gets the glory.

Across churches and faith-based organizations, we have quietly normalized a culture of brand-loyalty, guarded platforms, surface-level hospitality, and leader neglect. We host conferences about revival while building fences around our camps. We preach “welcome home,” then treat newcomers like occasional guests. We say we’re “one Body,” but only collaborate when it advances our own programs. In Scripture, this behavior has a name: division, partiality, and shepherding failure (1 Corinthians 1:10–13; James 2:1–4; Ezekiel 34:2–4).

Jesus prayed for a visible, functional unity “so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). When we trade Kingdom collaboration for organizational cliques, we are not merely being unkind—we are undermining the very apologetic Jesus gave the world to recognize Him in us.

1) We have mistaken brand for Body

Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for rallying around favorite leaders—“I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos”—and called it spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:3–7). Today, our tags are different—networks, denominations, movements, platforms—but the heart is similar. We protect our stage time, curate our guest lists, and treat other ministries as competitors rather than co-laborers (Philippians 1:15–18).

Repentance looks like: intentionally sharing pulpits, budgets, volunteers, and best practices without strings attached. Unity is not uniformity (Ephesians 4:3–7); it’s a Spirit-empowered commitment to “one hope… one Lord… one faith” that is bigger than our logo.

2) We’ve perfected hospitality at the door and abandoned pursuit afterward

On Sunday, many churches are friendly. By Tuesday, newcomers have become ghosts. Scripture commands hospitality that welcomes the stranger as if welcoming Christ Himself (Matthew 25:35; Hebrews 13:2). Jesus tells of a banquet where the master insists that his servants “go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in” (Luke 14:23)—not just smile at the door, but follow up, pursue, and seat them at the table.

Repentance looks like: every newcomer receives a name-based follow-up within 72 hours; a second touch within 7 days; a real invitation to a table, a group, or a serving team within 14 days (Acts 2:42–47). We stop treating people like “traffic” and start treating them like family.

3) We have gifts we hoard and leaders we never build

God gave leaders “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:11–12). Yet many churches showcase a few gifts while sidelining the rest, quietly gatekeeping opportunities and suppressing voices God has genuinely called (1 Corinthians 12:4–27; Romans 12:3–8). John warned about Diotrephes, “who loves to be first” and refuses to welcome others (3 John 9–10). That spirit still circulates whenever we protect platforms instead of multiplying ministers.

Repentance looks like: every leader apprentices two others (2 Timothy 2:2). Every member is assessed for gifts and deployed, not merely seated (1 Peter 4:10–11). We stop defining “faithfulness” as perpetual audience attendance and start defining it as fruitful participation.

4) We call it “revival,” but we’ve outsourced evangelism to events

Jesus’ Great Commission is not “bring them to our brand,” but “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18–20). The harvest is plentiful, the workers few (Matthew 9:37–38)—not because God stopped calling workers, but because churches often don’t train them. Early believers were scattered and still carried the gospel (Acts 8:4). We, by contrast, centralize everything around a stage and a date on the calendar.

Repentance looks like: weekly rhythms where ordinary believers practice prayer, testimony, and gospel conversations; stories of witness are celebrated as much as stage moments (Luke 10:1–9; Acts 1:8). We measure disciples made, not just seats filled.

5) We have normalized partiality

James is blunt: favoritism is sin (James 2:1–4). In too many contexts, “our people” get time, access, and care, while newcomers, the poor, the inconvenient, and those who don’t fit our template are welcomed publicly but ignored privately (Galatians 3:28). Jesus placed the marginalized at the center of the Kingdom announcement (Luke 4:18–19). If our welcome requires cultural conformity, it’s not Jesus’ welcome.

Repentance looks like: structuring ministries where the overlooked are prioritized. This includes clear, dignifying pathways for people of different backgrounds, ages, and stories—including those long told they don’t belong—to serve and lead as Scripture allows (Acts 6:1–7; 1 Corinthians 12:22–26).

6) We have tolerated shepherding that feeds the shepherds

Through Ezekiel, God rebuked shepherds who fed themselves, ignored the weak, and failed to search for the strays (Ezekiel 34:2–6). Peter exhorted leaders to shepherd “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples” (1 Peter 5:2–3). Titles cannot replace tenderness; systems cannot replace seeking; excellence cannot excuse neglect.

Repentance looks like: pastors and teams who carry the burdens of the flock, share authority, and open doors for others to thrive. We do not fear being overshadowed by those we equip—because that is the point (John 3:30).

Consequences if we refuse to change

Jesus told Ephesus, a doctrinally vigilant church, that abandoning first love would cost them their lampstand—His presence and witness (Revelation 2:4–5). He warned Laodicea that self-satisfaction nauseates Him (Revelation 3:16–20). A church can be busy, branded, and barren at the same time. Heaven is not impressed by our calendars. Hell is unbothered by our conferences. But both realms respond when a church repents, returns to love, and releases people to be the Church.

A Repentance Checklist (Start Today)

Not another manifesto—an actionable rule of life for churches and organizations:

1. Sign a Unity Covenant (John 17:21; Ephesians 4:3). Select those not in your network. Share your stage. Share a budget line with those who do similar work. Pray together monthly.
2. Upgrade Hospitality to Pursuit (Luke 14:23; Hebrews 13:2).
   • 72-hour personal follow-up (name-based, not generic, but authentic and by those who genuinely care).
   • 7-day invitation to a table, group, or serving team.
   • 30-day testimony check-in: “How can we serve you better?”
3. Build a Leadership Pipeline (Ephesians 4:11–12; 2 Timothy 2:2).
   • Every staff/leader apprenticing two people per year.
   • Monthly “Ministry Lab” nights for skill practice (prayer, Scripture, pastoral care, evangelism).
   • Clear pathway from “I’m new” → “I’m growing” → “I’m serving” → “I’m leading.”
4. Map and Mobilize Gifts (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12).
   • Assess spiritual gifts using the gift of discernment
   • Put 80% of volunteers in roles that match gifts, not just gaps.
   • Rotate platform time and ministry prevent bottlenecks.
5. Normalize Everyday Evangelism (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8).
   • Weekly “pray-care-share” rhythms for groups.
   • Two city initiatives per quarter in partnership with other churches.
   • Weekly testimonies of witnesses (short, real, reproducible).
6. Dethrone Partiality (James 2:1–4; Luke 14:12–14).
   • Set goals to diversify teams and testimonies.
   • Prioritize “the ones who never get invited.”
   • Establish a benevolence + follow-through plan that honors dignity.
7. Measure What Heaven Measures (Acts 2:47; Colossians 1:28).
   Track: baptisms, disciples in formation, leaders apprenticed, follow-ups completed, partnerships formed—not just attendance and offerings.
8. Shepherd Like Jesus (Ezekiel 34; John 10:11).
   • Elders/pastors take monthly “seek the stray” routes—literal visits and calls.
   • Publish how decisions are made; invite feedback without penalty.
   • Repent publicly when you’ve erred; restore gently when others do (Galatians 6:1).

A Word to Gatekeepers and the Gate-Kept

To the gatekeepers: your job is not to protect the platform but to populate the harvest (Matthew 9:37–38). God did not give you influence to hoard it; He gave it so you could hand it off. If you are afraid that empowering others will eclipse you, reread John 3:30—greatness in the Kingdom is decrease that amplifies Jesus.

To the gate-kept: your calling is real, even if unrecognized in your last church. David was anointed in obscurity (1 Samuel 16). Paul spent years in hidden preparation (Galatians 1:17–18). Do not let bitterness preach your sermons. Let faithfulness do it. Keep your heart soft; keep your hands ready; God opens doors no one can shut (Revelation 3:8).

A Call to Fast From Ourselves

What if our next “church fast” was from self-promotion, platform anxiety, and siloed ministry? Isaiah 58 describes a fast that breaks yokes, welcomes the homeless poor, and repairs ruins (Isaiah 58:6–12). That is the fast revival requires: not a sensational moment, but a sustained surrender that rearranges budgets, calendars, and egos.

Let’s break the cliques. Let’s be the Body.