The polarized church part 11: Private individual study and the spectrum

The next method of teaching we will be looking at is private study. It's a method endorsed by churches and schools alike. As it turns out, for a very good reason. I say this because most every research study ever done on teaching methods, have come to the same conclusion. Those who learn the most, are the ones who engage in the most private study. Despite all the millions of dollars being spent on building churches and schools. It's what we do at home that matters most. Which means the biggest part of the responsibility of education lies in the hand of the student. This idea applies to sports and music as well. Those who go far in said fields, are the ones who spend the most time in private practice; not just group practice. Group study and practice may have it’s place, but private study and practice should have a more predominate place. 

This is where part of the extrovert disadvantage in learning comes in. With private study being the lowest stimulus level method there is, extroverts naturally have a much harder time making the most efficient learning method work for them. However, there is one way that I know of to get the level of stimulus up so extroverts can concentrate. That would be to turn on the radio. I know it may sound counterintuitive, but it's absolutely true. I'm sure there are parents all across this nation yelling at their kids to turn off all the noise while they are studying, thinking they are doing a sensible thing. But I'm telling you that if your kids are extroverts, you are actually crippling their concentration. They may not do as well as a focused introvert in silence. However, they will do far better with the radio than forcing them to study like the introverts they are not. 

Introverts on the other hand often thrive here. Private study is the ideal place for them to go to work. They may even enjoy the peace of mind that such singular focus gives them. You probably remember back in school there was this one kid who knew all the answers. It's not necessarily because they were that much smarter than everyone else. In many cases that kid was probably an introvert who enjoyed study, and was simply able to get the most out of their intelligence via private study.

The Visual PARABLEist

illuminate me

The polarized church part 10: Lecture and the spectrum

The first primary method for teaching we will be looking at is lecture. While churches may call them sermons or messages, when you get down to it they are just lectures. Which often has a negative stigma attached to it in this extroverted culture. For a very good reason too, I say this because lecture does not cater to the extrovert’s needs very well at all. They often find it hard to sit through or get much out of lectures with it being a low stimulus level method of teaching. With lecture being such a staple of the "traditional" church, extroverts often find such churches unpleasant. 

Introverts on the other hand often do quite well with lecture. As long as there are no bored extroverts causing disruption, or speakers who like to yell to fire up the crowd, introverts find the singular focus of lecture favorable; the greater depth the better. 

When extroverts are found at lectures, they often do best when the speaker shouts or uses lots of multimedia. While this can be distracting to the most introverted, extroverts would do well to seek out teachers who use such methods. It can go a long way towards maintaining their full attention.

Extroverts often congregate towards the back outside the prying eyes of the speaker. Where they can divide their attention between the speaker and one another as an unconscious attempt to keep the stimulus up; often to the nuisance of introverts. 

However, there is another less intrusive way of getting the extrovert’s stimulus level up. That would be doodling. One time I even heard a doodler say “I know it looks like I’m not paying attention, but I just can’t focus without doing this.” 

Already, it should be clear how a one sized fits all approach to learning will not produce equal results. 

The Visual PARABLEist

Christ UNlikeness

The polarized church part 9: how the spectrum affects the way we learn

Where we land on the introvert/extrovert spectrum can affect our lives in many ways. One of those ways that is of great concern to the church is learning. While there are many factors that play into how we learn, where we land on this spectrum brings a rather obvious and noteworthy variable that we would do well to consider when educating ourselves. Most of it comes down to one thing. Something known as the stimulus sweet spot. The basic premise of this is that individual brains have a specific level of stimulus that we function most efficiently at. Get too far away from it and we will struggle to concentrate. If you are an introvert, that stimulus level is probably on the low side. Introverts prefer to focus on one thing with minimal distraction, for excess external stimuli can easily overwhelm them. However, the extrovert brain requires a much higher level of stimulation. If the one thing they need to be focusing on in itself is not stimulating enough, they will encounter a cabin fever like reaction and their minds will drift off topic out of Boredom.  There are many different methods of teaching, and each one comes with its own unique level of stimulus. For the purpose of this blog we will focus on the four broad categories used by the church.

Lecture/sermon

Private individual study

Group study

Apprenticeship/discipleship

The Visual PARABLEist

The polarized church part 8: heart vs mind

The other day I came across a link via social media to a blog entry called head worship vs heart worship. In many ways, this was saying the same thing that I have been saying via this series on the polarized church. The traditional introvert skewed church being more of a head worship experience. Where the contemporary extrovert skewed church is more about heart worship. My ultimate point being that we often choose the one that is the most comfortable to our personalities, and disregard the other half.  Despite the fact, that there is room, and need for both in worship. That we should look to one another to expand our horizons, not alienate others by making it all about us; hence the polarization. Which is one of the things that fragments the church rather than bringing unity to our diversity. It is not about one or the other, but it is about bringing both sides together. 

Deuteronomy 11:18 - Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Psalm 26:2 - Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;

Jeremiah 11:20 - But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.

Matthew 22:37 - Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Hebrews 8:10 - This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

The Visual PARABLEist

Be like me

The polarized church part 7: expanding the extrovert spectrum

Extroverts have room to stretch themselves as well. One of those places has to do with learning. As I have already blogged about, the apostles teaching is one of those things believers should be dedicated to. Yet extroverts may have a distinct disadvantage in that area.  Their short comings in patience and listening doesn’t always mesh well in many common teaching methods. I plan on doing a whole set of entries based upon the learning dynamic and how in varies depending on where you land on the introvert extrovert spectrum. So I won't get to wrapped up in that now. I feel it is important enough and big enough a subject that I can't sum it up in a sentence. But, there is one other area I will say something about, and that is purpose. To explain what I mean let me quote an expert on the introvert/extrovert spectrum.

"Teens who are too gregarious to spend time alone often fail to cultivate their talents, because it requires a solitude they dread." - Susan Cain

While she specifically addresses teens, I have found that this often extends into adulthood as well. I am sure that is why we find so many second career adults among extroverts. I have met many an adult much older than myself who seemed to not be self-aware at all. It just took them that long to find where their heart is at. So if you are an extrovert lacking a purpose to direct all your passion at, you are definitely going to have to stretch yourself to engage in some deep prayer and meditation where take time to listen in utter solitude to find it. Nobody but God himself can give you that answer, or send you in the right direction to find that answer. However, it may take an introvert to teach you to not be afraid of the quiet it takes to hear God's whispers. It will take an introvert to teach you the subtleties of Christian doctrine and theology it takes to acquire the spiritual maturity to live out said purpose.

I hope you get what I have been driving at here, for it's a simple human failing of church leaders to try to recreate the church in their image and temperament. They always use the same argument when people resist too. If you were faithful, you would do what I'm suggesting. Yet never recognizing it takes little or any faith to just be true to your own temperament as they are. A bird might as well take credit for being able to fly. The true unity in diversity of the ideal church cannot be found by skewing things either way. The inherent diversity in mankind can be the biggest strength we have, if we embrace and honor it. However, it can be our greatest liability if we try to defy and fight against it, which we often do. 

The Visual PARABLEist

All eyes on ME (18x24 live drawing)

The polarized church part 6: expanding the introvert spectrum

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. 

The Visual PARABLEist

Bad connection

The polarized church part 5: the cost of a 180 degree turn

As indicated earlier, when you say introverted church vs extroverted church, it is the same as saying traditional vs contemporary church. Traditional being introvert skewed, and contemporary being extrovert skewed. While this shift from traditional to contemporary that occurred over the centuries could have led to a more balanced ambivert church, it really hasn't happened that way. In the end, we have just gone from one extreme to the other, and neither is absolutely right, for in worship there is a time to be reflective, as well as a time to offer praise. Still, you have many arguing otherwise in order to skew things to their liking. 

Often, what we see is a long time traditional church getting shaken up by someone who wants to change it to contemporary. While that person may mean well, what they fail to recognize is that a long established traditional church will likely have a high amount of introverts in it. It is what such a church would naturally attract, since it gives them the peaceful state of mind they crave after all. So insisting that a bunch of introvert’s act extroverted via contemporary worship is going to be far more of an uphill battle than they realize. Even if contemporary wins out, many of the introverts will feel as if they have been rejected.

It can go the other way too. For example, a long established contemporary church will naturally have many extroverts in it,  for it gives them the emotional charge they enjoy. Then a leader comes along and says we need to be more seeker sensitive in order to reach out to the lost and unchurched. So they eliminate a lot of the worship elements that fire up the extrovert’s emotions, but possibly scare off new people. This can leave the extroverts feeling alienated.

Either way, many will fight such an action, thinking only of their comfort. Such internal conflicts in a church rarely turns out well, especially if both sides are insistent on winning rather than resolving and seeking balance, so if one side wins, the other side loses, and the losers tend to leave rather than accept said change.

But, if we are truly unified body of Christ, things as this should not happen. In a balanced church, extroverts should be allowed to be their dynamic selves without being accused of being a crazy weirdo. In a healthy church, introverts should be allowed to be their quiet reflective selves without being accused of being a lazy dispassionate stick in the mud. Most importantly they need to help each other to be more balanced in their spirituality without judgement or shame. As well as be happy for others when their spiritual needs are being met. Even if it does nothing for you.  Like I said before we have two hands, or two sides to our personality, and so does the body of Christ. Individuals and the church  alike are most efficient when we use both hands together. Not just one, even if it is the dominant one. While it may take an introvert to come up with the next big idea, it will take an extrovert to make the idea happen. Well, what does that mean in practical terms? More on that next time.

The Visual PARABLEist

If only we could understand each other, then we wouldn't need to fight