{"id":979,"date":"2009-12-21T03:01:01","date_gmt":"2009-12-21T03:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html"},"modified":"2009-12-21T03:01:01","modified_gmt":"2009-12-21T03:01:01","slug":"introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Introverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Introverts in the Church: An Interview and Review
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nLast Friday I posted the first of a two-part review of Adam McHugh\u2019s new book, Introverts in the Church<\/a><\/em>. As you may recall, I called this a \u201cpersonal review\u201d because it reflects, first of all, my personal relationship with Adam McHugh, who has been a friend of mine for many years. But this review is also personal in that, today, I will share more of my own response to this book and less of an intellectual critique.
\n<\/a>When I last took a personality test, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and that was more than 20 years ago, I came out evenly split between extraversion and introversion. My guess is that I would continue to be more-or-less balanced that way today. But I\u2019m very much more aware these days of my introverted side, perhaps because I feel more freedom to be who I am rather than what my culture wants me to be. I fully agree with Adam\u2019s demonstrated conclusion that both secular and Christian cultures prefer extroverts, and even cast aspersion on introverts. Thus, it\u2019s taken me many years to be able to admit, for example, that although I enjoy being with people (most of the time), social interaction is emotionally and physically draining for me (most of the time).
\nLike Adam, I grew up and spent most of my adult life in the context of evangelical Christianity. During my elementary and secondary school years and then during my first seven professional years, I was part of Hollywood Presbyterian Church. One of the hallowed saints from that church\u2019s history was the Rev. Richard Halverson, who spent many years as the chaplain of the U.S. Senate (a position later held by Rev. Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, who was the Senior Pastor of the Hollywood church during much of my time there). I found it ironic that Introverts in the Church<\/em> includes, right near the beginning, a quotation from one of Richard Halverson\u2019s books, The Timelessness of Jesus Christ<\/em>: \u201cThe extrovert God of John 3:16 does not beget an introvert people\u201d (Introverts<\/em>, ch. 1; Timelessness<\/a><\/em>, p. 98<\/a>). Knowing Dick Halverson, I\u2019m quite sure he did not mean to criticize introverted people with this statement. He used the word \u201cintrovert\u201d to describe ourselves when we \u201cmake the gospel serve us\u201d or \u201cuse it as a protection against the realities of life\u201d or \u201cmake us more comfortable,\u201d rather than reaching out to the world with God\u2019s love. But, even though Dick was not intending to censure introverted people, his use of language is quite telling. And it tells against those who are anything other than consistently extroverted.
\nSo, even though I\u2019m not a purebred introvert, but rather more of a mutt, I am nevertheless grateful for Adam\u2019s book. Much of what he commends in the pages of Introverts in the Church<\/em> I have learned the hard way by personal experience, but it is encouraging, nevertheless, to receive Adam\u2019s affirmation of my lessons and my personality.
\nOver the years, I have come to grips with the fact that being with people exhausts me. I don\u2019t see this as a bad thing, an aspect of my sinful choices or a part of my fallen nature. Rather, I believe that the introverted part of my nature is just part of me, rather like my receding hairline or righthandedness. Now, if I used the fact that I have introverted tendencies as an excuse for unfriendliness or selfishness, if I turned inward rather than caring for others because I believed myself to be an introvert, then this would move me over into the sinful category of behavior and attitudes. Adam makes very clear in his book that introverts are called to love their neighbors just as much as extroverts, and he has lots of counsel for introverts who might find this intimidating.
\nYears ago, I wondered if there was something wrong with me because I wasn\u2019t as outgoing as many of my evangelical Christian compadres. Yet if I tried to push myself to be exclusively extroverted, the result backfired. I\u2019d quickly lose the energy needed to be friendly, and would end up isolated in a way that was neither healthy nor loving. But when I realized that being with people took energy rather than giving it to me, and when I allowed that this was simply part of my personality, then I was able to make sure I got the alone time I needed to be refreshed, ready to reach out to people with the love of Christ.
\nFor example, in my role as Senior Director of Laity Lodge, I am often a facilitator of retreats. Thus, I spend most of my time being with people: welcoming them, guiding them, talking with them, listening to them, eating with them, etc. I enjoy this work. But, knowing how so much people interaction uses up my internal energy, I make sure that I get some time alone each day I\u2019m at Laity Lodge. That usually comes during free time in the afternoon. While others are working on art projects or hanging out at the dock\u2013avocations that require a fair amount of human interaction\u2013I am usually taking a hike by myself or with one other person. When I\u2019m alone, I get time to think, to pray, and to recharge my batteries.
\nI did not need Introverts in the Church<\/em> to teach me that I need alone time if I\u2019m going to be available to people. Like I said, I learned this the hard way. But I know that there are millions of Christians out there, including thousands of pastors and other church leaders, who are introverts by nature and who are desperately trying to be something else. By denying some of the basics of their personality, these good folk are not doing that which they need to be healthy, happy, active ministers of Jesus Christ. Even Jesus, after all, needed time away from the crowds in order to be refreshed for his ministry. I wonder why we so often forget this.
\nI am thankful for Introverts in the Church<\/em>, not only because of its impact on my life, but also because I know it will be a great encouragement to others. Many introverts do feel as if they don\u2019t really belong in the body of Christ. This book will help them find their place. And, I hope it will also help churches to make emotional and spiritual room for introverts. This isn\u2019t just about introverts feeling as if they belong, however. It\u2019s also about the church becoming all that God intends it to be, a place where all of God\u2019s people find a home and partners to serve the Lord in the church and in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Introverts in the Church: An Interview and Review Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Last Friday I posted the first of a two-part review of Adam McHugh\u2019s new book, Introverts in the Church. As you may recall, I called this a \u201cpersonal review\u201d because it reflects, first of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-introverts-in-the-church"],"yoast_head":"\nIntroverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Introverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Part 4 of series: Introverts in the Church: An Interview and Review Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Last Friday I posted the first of a two-part review of Adam McHugh\u2019s new book, Introverts in the Church. As you may recall, I called this a \u201cpersonal review\u201d because it reflects, first of…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-12-21T03:01:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Introverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Introverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"Part 4 of series: Introverts in the Church: An Interview and Review Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Last Friday I posted the first of a two-part review of Adam McHugh\u2019s new book, Introverts in the Church. As you may recall, I called this a \u201cpersonal review\u201d because it reflects, first of…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2009-12-21T03:01:01+00:00","author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html","name":"Introverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2 - Mark D. Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-12-21T03:01:01+00:00","dateModified":"2009-12-21T03:01:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/introverts-in-the-church-a-personal-review-part-2.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Introverts in the Church: A Personal Review, Part 2"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}