I admit it I am an introvert.
In Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad book “The Passionate Church” he says in Chapter 8 on Your Personal Style Of Rest pg 73-74:
Introverts process information internally. If you pass a new idea by a group of introverts, they will most likely need a day or two to think about it before they can really give you any kind of feedback. They are usually the quiet ones in the meetings or small groups as they sit and process what they hear. Introverts are often creative-writers, painters, composers-who come up with their best art in time spent alone. A restful weekend for an introvert might include pulling the blinds, renting a video or two, and selecting a good book to read.”
I can relate to this but because of my vocation I am pushing myself. I enjoy meeting people and gaining relationships but I like being alone and with my family as well. How many introvert pastors or people out there? I know a lot of extroverts.
I’m married to an introvert who is off the charts on the introversion side. I’m introverted, but towards “medium” on a scale with extroversion on the other end. We don’t have much of a social life outside our home. Having people over generally means one or two people at a time and not often.
My husband sees and listens to people all day long in his work. He is great with people and a great listener. When he is home, he want peace and quite. In groups he rarely says anything, but if he does, it is well worth listening to. He gets really really really tired of chit chat, but sometimes one needs to chit chat before one can get to the meat of a relationship.
I’ve known several pastors who told me that they are introverted. They have been great with people, very warm, etc.
I would guess the biggest challenge will be to have boundaries so that you have your work time, your family time, and your alone time. Introverts need their alone time. If you don’t have it, you will want to run from people during your work time.
Being aware of your needs should be half the battle. May God bless this discernment.
When I have taken the Myers-Briggs assessment I have come out boarder line introvert/extrovert, but I think I am mostly introverted. I believe it works well for me as a pastor. I feel much more comfortable mulling things over a bit before blurting something out. But if the time calls for it I can be extroverted. Maybe I am a freak of nature.
I have had similar results with Myers-Briggs. I can’t say that I am strictly introver/extrovert, but a combination of both. I can chat up a person in the check out line just as simply as I can withdraw for solitude. At certain times I will prefer one over the other. If I am in introvert mode, folks know to leave me be for a while.
Just stumbled across this post – I can relate. I’m an introverted pastor myself, and I just finished a book about this topic called “Introverts in the Church.” I spend 2 chapters devoted to introverted leadership and how introverts lead differently than extroverts. It’s on Amazon for pre-order now: http://www.amazon.com/Introverts-Church-Finding-Extroverted-Culture/dp/0830837027/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1248316400&sr=8-10
Your fellow introvert,
Adam McHugh