Pentecostal Introverts: One Man's Thoughts

Author Adam S. McHugh contacted us on our previous posts about introverts in the Pentecostal church to flag us on an interview he conducted with a friend/Pentecostal. Among the many tidbits:

Adam: What is the hardest part of being an introverted Pentecostal, especially a Pentecostal pastor?

John: I think that one of the more difficult things is dealing with people’s expectations that you should be an extrovert. This is particularly true with reference to expressions of worship. Pentecostals have sometimes criticized more traditional churches because of the formality of their services “Let us all stand, let us all kneel,” etc. The truth is that for all our talk of spontaneity and being open to the Spirit we, at times, have our own liturgy, “Everyone raise your hands, everyone shout Hallelujah.”

Can Pentecostals Be Introverts?

So it's satisfying to see so many Pentecostal Introverts voicing their thoughts on how Pentecostal services do and don't meet their needs.

The Atlantic Monthly, long before it became just another left-leaning political mag, offered a great (and quite popular) article on introverts here, as well as a related interview and follow-up article.

Pentecost: Only Extroverts Need Apply?

Just like we assume every Pentecostal loves to sing fast-paced songs for 25 minutes every service, do we also assume every Pentecostal should be extroverted once they're Holy Ghost-filled?

A book review of Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh in the January issue of Christianity Today shares some salient thoughts:

For instance:

"... introverts are energized by solitude and drained by social interaction. (Extroverts, on the other hand, derive energy from external sources and find both inactivity and too much solitude draining.) Second, introverts tend to filter information and experiences internally; thinking generally precedes speaking. Third, introverts prefer depth over breadth in both relationships and interests. They may look calm on the surface, but their brains are "bubbling with activity"; thus, they require less external stimulation than their extroverted neighbors."

On involvement, extroverts often make a straight-line commitment. Not Introverts:

"The journey of introverts into a community, however, is better conceptualized as a spiral. They take steps into a community, but then spiral out of it in order to regain energy, to reflect on their experiences and to determine if they are comfortable in that community. They move between entry, retreat and reentry, gradually moving deeper into the community on each loop. The introverted path into community, much to the confusion of many extroverts, never reaches a point in which the spiraling form is shed."

So are we a religion for extroverts, by extroverts, and to extroverts, or do our services allow for the full care and feeding of introverts as well? Do we even think about it?