How and where do we as believers expand our scope as a church to be a truly unified and diverse body of Christ? Well you need to look to self first. You have no business asking others to do what you won't.
If you are highly introverted, you may be coming up short in the fellowship area of church. Many introverts don't particularly like small talk or chit chat. But true Christian fellowship is more than just visiting, it's about giving of yourself, and there are lots of ways to do that. Look to your particular skill sets and offer them to your church where they may be needed or benefit from.
Introverts often lack in outreach as well. Some would even argue that the phrase introvert evangelism is an oxymoron, and even use the idea of evangelism as an excuse to dismiss and criticize introverts in the church. Granted, introverts will unlikely go out and strike up unsolicited conversations with strangers. However, true evangelism should go much deeper than that. While extroverts can be good at getting people in the door, and making people feel welcome once they are in the door. They often lack the depth, or delicacy to answer the hard questions a newly churched person inevitably has in a non confrontational way. For many extroverts see it as their duty to challenge and disprove conflicting viewpoints as a way of demonstrating a superior worldview, which can come off as too aggressive and unloving. That's something Jesus never did, at least not with the lost. (just religious people) Many an outreach effort has fallen flat due to being unable to get new people to stick around. This is where the introverts can and should be allowed to step in to offer their particular skill set of sensitivity and thoughtfulness. Let me put it this way, it takes an extrovert to get them in the door, but it takes an introvert to nurture them once they are there.
However, introverts will often need the help of extroverts to do any of this.
Not your criticism, not your judgement, not your pressure, but your help. Introverts need help to not be afraid of the noise of expressive praise, to not be afraid to stand up for the great ideas that they come up with, to not be afraid to do and experience things in a real world way, not just an internal mental one.
Don’t think the extroverts get off scott free. More on that next time.
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