Euangelion comes out of the closet and writes, "I have a post-Christmas confession. I am an introvert and Jesus still loves me. It feels so liberating to say that I am an introvert and a Christian....I'm saying all this because in 2010 one of the first books that I intend to read is Adam McHugh, Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture."
I'll have to follow suite.
McHugh writes, "for some churches, spirituality is equated with sociability." It's not been easy for many INTJ's, ISFP's etc to feel at home among most Evangelicals and Pentecostals. After all, (at least until recently, when music usurped the word) Evangelicals placed the sermon at the center of Sunday morning worship. A sermon delivered by an extrovert is almost always more entertaining and engaging than a sermon delivered by an introvert, because it flows more "naturally." Evangelism was all about Witnessing (at least in the old days), and it required a wide smile, ability to chat about the Game, deliver a smooth summary of What Jesus Has Done for Me and an invitation for Him to Do It for You Too. The Hail-Fellow-Well-Met personality is too often taken as the necessary and sufficient grounds for Christian maturity, not suprisingly because that sort of temperment is so successful in the marketplace, to which many evangelicals aspire.
It often hasn't been any easier for Pentecostals to be introverts. Introverts prefer quiet contemplation--alone-- but that can be misinterpreted as a lack of Spirit. Surely, if someone is filled with the Spirit she will move easily among all kinds of people and be gregarious! Surely, if someone is filled with the Spirit, he will not be self-conscious about displaying Spirit!
Introverts aren't able to be as "friendly" and "polished" or "unrestrained" because they have to force themselves to present themselves to the outside world. This "hesitation" can then be misinterpreted as aloofness, or pride, or a lack of love: all certainly missing the mark spiritually.
McHugh writes, "for some churches, spirituality is equated with sociability." It's not been easy for many INTJ's, ISFP's etc to feel at home among most Evangelicals and Pentecostals. After all, (at least until recently, when music usurped the word) Evangelicals placed the sermon at the center of Sunday morning worship. A sermon delivered by an extrovert is almost always more entertaining and engaging than a sermon delivered by an introvert, because it flows more "naturally." Evangelism was all about Witnessing (at least in the old days), and it required a wide smile, ability to chat about the Game, deliver a smooth summary of What Jesus Has Done for Me and an invitation for Him to Do It for You Too. The Hail-Fellow-Well-Met personality is too often taken as the necessary and sufficient grounds for Christian maturity, not suprisingly because that sort of temperment is so successful in the marketplace, to which many evangelicals aspire.
It often hasn't been any easier for Pentecostals to be introverts. Introverts prefer quiet contemplation--alone-- but that can be misinterpreted as a lack of Spirit. Surely, if someone is filled with the Spirit she will move easily among all kinds of people and be gregarious! Surely, if someone is filled with the Spirit, he will not be self-conscious about displaying Spirit!
Introverts aren't able to be as "friendly" and "polished" or "unrestrained" because they have to force themselves to present themselves to the outside world. This "hesitation" can then be misinterpreted as aloofness, or pride, or a lack of love: all certainly missing the mark spiritually.
It will be interesting to see if, in light of the current recession and skepticism about markets in the general culture, introversion becomes more acceptable in these churches.
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