Sting’s popular song laments that he’s “an alien, a legal alien in New York.” I grew up as an alien of sorts, as an introvert in a Pentecostal church.
The small First Assembly of God church in New Castle, Indiana is the place I learned about and practiced early faith in Jesus. Like those who click their car remote multiple times to ensure extra “lockiness,” I accepted Christ into my heart early and often to ensure adequate holiness. Responding to the call each Sunday in children’s church, I and my friends were taking no chances!
Still, as I’ve written about before, growing up as an introvert in a Pentecostal setting is not without its challenges.
Vocal praise, raising hands, praying out loud, and going up front to the altar frequently did not feed into my God-given inclinations. While I loved watching my grandmother dance joyfully in the Spirit, my preference was to sit quietly.
The good thing is that I’m perfectly comfortable sitting in a Charismatic service. Unlike some of my non-Pentecostal friends who get wide-eyed and a little freaked out at the thought.
Still, as a kid, it was a little hurtful to be given the spiritual side-eye when I wasn’t as exuberant as others. Inevitably, I wondered if something was wrong with me. As an adult I learned that, no, my reaction wasn’t wrong, just different. And that was okay. I’m not alone in this kind of experience.
In a recent interaction on social media about introverts in church, Danielle said, "I’m all for the freedom of worship, and I know that some people’s personality leads them to be more demonstrative and exuberant in worship and prayer, which is great. But unfortunately, there’s often a mentality in those environments that if you don’t worship or pray that way, it’s somehow less powerful or sincere. Or even worse, you’re judged to not love God as deeply or to be too full of pride to be seen 'really' worshiping. As a kid I used to be so jealous of the musicians on stage because they could just stand there and play their instrument, and yet they were not considered unspiritual."
The point? God made each of us with unique personalities. Some tend toward boisterousness in worship. Some lean into quieter, more meditative worship. Both are good and right. To insist that the only “true” way to worship is always demonstrative is to disrespect God’s creation. We need to respect and cherish the different personality styles that God has placed within His body, the Church.
To insist that the quiet among us be loud or deemed unspiritual is nothing short of bullying.
The reality is that as followers of Jesus, we’re all aliens in this world (1 Pet 2:11) and need each other, because within the Kingdom of God we "are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household" (Ephesians 2:12, NIV).
Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Have a question about this blog or this post? Email me at Stephen@QuietlyFaithful.com or leave a comment below. Share your story about being a Christian introvert or let me know a specific topic you’d like to see addressed.
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