Though I haven’t been posting much lately, I have a least been doing a lot of reading. I just finished the book by Adam S. McHugh, titled Introverts in the Church. I decided a book review was not enough since this book has literally rocked my world. Instead I want to review and respond to each chapter. If you are an introvert I strongly recommend this book, especially if you secretly wish you were an extrovert. If you are an extrovert I recommend this book so that you can understand the differences between us.
In chapter one McHugh writes about the extroverted church. He begins with a survey in which 97% of the respondents said that Jesus was an extrovert, despite the fact that 54% of those respondents consider themselves introvert. McHugh says that if Jesus is considered the epitome of human perfection and if extroversion is a part of that perfection, then many of us deeper in the hole than others. Our culture loves the extrovert and our churches are no different. McHugh identifies three features of evangelicalism that create environments in the church that introverts have difficulty thriving in.
The first is personal relationship with God. Interpersonal relationships show who God is and as such this is highly valued and practiced in the church in and along various structures. But introverts and extroverts define interpersonal relationship very differently. Extroverts thrive on large quantities of this while introverts are physically drained by it. It’s not that we don’t like people, we just like people in different ways.
The second feature is centrality of the Bible. In short, evangelical churches value the preaching of, the discussion of, and learning about the Bible. That requires a lot of talking in Bible classes, small groups and even informally. While extroverts are very talkative and quick on their feet in debate and discussion, introverts are more reflective and require more time to process. This can make classroom discussion intimidating.
The third feature is personal evangelism. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of the introvert like the idea of sharing Christ with someone. It’s not that we don’t want to it’s just that current evangelism methods favor the extrovert. Introverts are at a disadvantage if with have to think quick or share personal stories.
McHugh goes on to share the historical roots of the extroverted church which go back to the Great Awakening in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He contrasts the personages of George Whitefield (extrovert) and Jonathan Edwards (introvert) noting the strengths each brought to the movement. But it was the Second Great Awakening which brought us to today’s expressions of piety and passion, anti-intellectualism and pragmatism.
The problem is that the extroverted church has largely misunderstood introverts and have labeled as “ingrown” and “self-centered” and even “disobedient.” A close examination of introversion will show these labels as false and McHugh suggests that extroverts and introverts must come to an understanding about each other. McHugh writes; “I believe that the truly healthy church is a combination of introverted and extroverted qualities that fluidly move together. Only in that partnership can we capture both the depth and breadth of God’s mission.”
As I reflected on this chapter I began to see that maybe I’m not the weird person I thought I was. Why do I prefer listening to class discussion instead of participating? Why do I find sharing my faith so hard? Why do I have so few close relationships and why am I content with this? I have struggled for many years to accept who I am and while I had made progress, reading through this book has opened up a whole new world for me.
Next: The Introverted Difference
Disclaimer: I purchased this book for my own personal use and have not received any compensation from either the author or publisher.
