I was surprised to notice that this Q&A with Adam McHugh has become one of the most frequently-Facebooked of all the articles I've  written lately.  Mr. McHugh is an ordained Presbyterian minister and author of Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture (IVP Books, 2009). I've also received a few emails from readers who were grateful for the story. 

McHugh's angle: you don't have to be an extrovert to be a good Christian -- but sometimes it feels that way. In my journalistic travels, I've interviewed a few mega-church pastors who conflated their own personal style -- extroverted, daring and passionate -- with right religion.  You gotta broadcast your out-there, out-loud enthusiasm about Jesus in order to be a good Christian, they'd tell you.  As it happens, none of them were United Methodist pastors, but readers tell me that, as introverts, they're sometimes misjudged as stand-offish or lukewarm.   

I suppose the interest in the story shouldn't come as a surprise. I linked up with Mr. McHugh by way of  friend Sophia Dembling's blog, The Introverts Corner. It's one of the most popular in Psychology Today online.  You might also enjoy reading Sophie's interview with Adam McHugh too. 

Comments

[Don]

I am a United Methodist pastor and an introvert (INFJ). I agree that we can come across as aloof and distant, but we can also be empathetic and sensitive. I recommend that all pastors take the Meyers-Briggs, if they haven't already. They will understand themselves better and understand how others perceive them. I intend to get this book and read it. Another good book is "Personality Type and Religious Leadership" by Oswald & Kroeger (Alban Institute).