Book Review: Introverts In The Church

As a self-proclaimed moderate introvert, I was intrigued when I heard about the book, "Introverts In The Church" by Adam S. McHugh, from a blog I subscribe to. I hadn't really heard of any book that tried to address how introverts fit into the church or any analysis of issues related to introverts that are in the current church, so I decided to get the book to find out what it had to offer. Below you will find a brief summary of the book as well as my review of it.

Book Summary:

The book opened with a general discourse on what comprises an introvert and some psychological details on what tendencies an introvert would show and also how to identify if you're an introvert.The author described the three main characteristics of introverts as:

1) Energized by solitude
2) Internal processing
3) Depth over breadth (relationally)

Then the book voyaged into the nature of the church today (specifically in America) and the difficulties the author believes exist for an introvert to thrive in the church and specifically in leadership. He detailed how the concept of "fellowship hour" -- what I took as socializing after a worship service -- is really difficult for an introvert. He also detailed how many church leaders are only praised for their social skills and that developing leaders who don't display social charisma aren't raised up in the church. In later chapters, the author talked about how worship styles can be detrimental for introverts. He suggested that introverts would do better with periods of long silence during services or quieter music or darker lighting. In speaking of community, the author held up the value of relationships and the need for introverts to get out of their comfort zone to be in biblical community. The book also included a chapter geared towards helping introverts heal from their experiences in the church.

My Review:

After reading the book, I am still convinced that I am an introvert. However, I continually felt a disconnect between what the author was speculating about introverts and what my experience has been. As someone who has been in the church his whole life, it was hard for me to identify with the difficulties the author presented. While I understand some social situations in the church can be more draining for introverts such as me (such as "fellowship hour"), that doesn't mean it shouldn't be a part of what comprises the church. And I definitely enjoy loud music at church and would rather hear someone teaching God's word than having a long period of silence. Also, my experience has been that the church is a healthy and empowering place for leaders who are introverts. It is possible that I have been in good church situations where all types of leaders have been empowered and encouraged, no matter their personality type. But I'd still hypothesize that the author is making a bigger deal out of the situation than really exists. (I'm too lazy to actually do that type of cross-church analysis to find out.)

In summary, while the book had some interesting advice for introverts in handling their personality in community, I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have a very strong interest in reading more about introverts and their perspective in the church.