Book Review: Introverts in the Church

Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, by Adam McHugh

Adam McHugh has become a big name in the "introverted evangelical" world recently, beginning with the release of this book.  He also launched a now-almost-ended blog, called Introverted Church, and in the last couple of years has done a lot to advocate for the "rights of the introverts".

McHugh's thesis is basically that church - and by "church" he most especially means "American evangelicalism" - is designed for and well-suited to the extroverts of the world.  Whether it's expectations about how to "witness" or how excited one should be in worship or how many committees one should belong to, or whatever, the unspoken rule seems to be that "good" Christians are extroverts.

This, of course, denies the experience of many a Christian over hundreds and thousands of years, up to and including Jesus, who often "went off by himself to pray".  (And no, I'm not saying Jesus was a Christian.  Work with me, here.)  It is interesting to notice the near-total-absence in Evangelical circles of anything approaching contemplative spirituality, or even much of a respect for those who are, by nature, just not as loud and excited as everybody else.  As a former pastor of mine once said, "When there's silence in church, all the Catholics pray and all the Protestants wonder who missed their cue."  Now, there's a few of us sacramental Protestants...or, um, Evangelical Catholics, hanging around who would love for a little more reverent, contemplative silence now and again.  But broadly speaking, my pastor is right, and so is McHugh.

This is a really good book, particularly for those who are new to the world of introversion - either having just identified as an introvert, or just learning to understand those who are.  I think if you're fairly well situated in your introversion and know how to "be" in church or advocate for yourself, this maybe comes across as a little basic.  But if you lead a congregation - or just belong to one - that implicitly or explicitly values extroversion over introversion, this might be a good wakeup call to start noticing and supporting the people who have a rock-solid faith but aren't called to the Susie Christian Evangelism Committee.

Why I ♥ Lent

Lent.  40 days, plus Sundays.  46 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday.

On Monday, I realized one of the main reasons that I love it so much.

Lent is tailor-made for the introvert.  It is the 12.6% of the year where we are expected to be quiet.  And thoughtful.  When it is perfectly acceptable to walk into church 10 minutes early and sit - silently - in prayer or meditation.  And perfectly acceptable to walk out at the end of the service quietly, and without speaking to others. When, in fact, if you are not doing these things, you're sort of the odd man out.

When it is okay to say, "You know, I've been working on just bringing things down a notch, trying to spend more time praying, adopting a simpler lifestyle, spending some time alone with God."  If you say that in the middle of the summer, people stare at you like you're a freak.  If you say it in Lent, everyone nods, and then feels guilty about not doing it themselves. :-)

In Jonathon Rauch's epic (at least among introverts) essay, "Caring for Your Introvert," he writes,

Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially "on," we introverts need to turn off and recharge. My own formula is roughly two hours alone for every hour of socializing. This isn't antisocial. It isn't a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating. Our motto: "I'm okay, you're okay—in small doses."

He also draws on the experience of our introverted 30th President:

Extroverts therefore dominate public life. This is a pity. If we introverts ran the world, it would no doubt be a calmer, saner, more peaceful sort of place. As Coolidge is supposed to have said, "Don't you know that four fifths of all our troubles in this life would disappear if we would just sit down and keep still?"

So, it's easy to see why introverts would be drawn to Lent.  The only time of the year when social pressure pushes us in our natural direction.  For a heavily Americanized Lutheranism increasingly focused on "what people want," stirring up discontent to encourage political action, happy-clappy "Jesus is my boyfriend" music, a reminder that we are also called to be quiet before our Lord is appropriate. 

And besides, it makes the introverts feel at home for 46 days.  :-)