It's hard to believe that it has been one year since I opened a box of books with my name on it. I called it "Adam S. McHugh" Christmas. I waited at the door for 2 days until the UPS guy finally showed up. It has to rank as the 3rd best moment of my life, after my wedding and ordination.
One year. My baby is all grown up! I feel profoundly grateful. Introverts in the Church is approaching its 6th printing, the reviews have been highly positive, and the attention is has received has exceeded my expectations.
I knew there were a lot more introverts in churches than people thought, but meeting some of you, and getting emails from you, has been a wonderful experience. You have confirmed all the things that I said in my book about the gifts that we bring to our communities. Please continue to email me and stop me at conferences to say hello. Thank you for buying the book and recommending it to others. I hope that this will be my first of many books and I look forward to continuing the conversation.
I would love it if you would write comments on this post about how the book has helped you - personally, in your relationships with others, and in your churches.
To review the last year, I thought I would re-post some of my favorite links to interviews, article, and book reviews.
Book Reviews
Ministering to People who Hate Parties - Evangelical Outpost
Introverts in the Church - Reformation 21
You Need to Read Introverts in the Church - In the Coracle (new today!)
Introverts in the Church - Kruse Kronicle
Interviews
Psychology Today - The Introverts Corner
Interview/Review with Mark D. Roberts
Interview with Rhett Smith
Interview with Christianity.com
Articles
The Christian Century: Can Introverts Lead? Breaking Down Stereotypes, by Adam McHugh.
The Washington Post: Introverts in Evangelical America, by Adam McHugh.
USA Today: Are Social Media Changing Religion? by Henry Brinton
The Huffington Post: For Shy Worshipers, Church Can Be Overwhelming, by Lilly Fowler
MP3s
The Goals and Perils of Community Life, by Adam McHugh
Mars Hill Audio Journal, Interview with Ken Myers and Adam McHugh (for purchase)
What a year it's been.
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI read IITC last spring after asking myself the question "Does God really like extroverts more than introverts?" Your book started me on the path of understanding the role I, as an introvert, have in God's plan. Since then I've been on a crusade to educate those around me on how introverts fit into today's evangelical church.
It has amazed me at how many people have exclaimed "That's exactly how I feel" when I relate my experience of dealing the pressure of trying to fit in to the extrovert oriented church. I have recommended your book to each of these people.
I'm also grateful that my pastor is open to discussing and acknowledging the introvert/extrovert differences from the pulpit. Discussions are on-going on ways to better engage introverts into church life.
Thanks for writing IITC. It has been a blessing.
Tom
I am new to church life. Introverts in the Church was SO important to helping me find my place in a way that was authentic and compassionate to myself. When community life felt overwhelming, I knew to expect that, and that there wasn't something wrong with me for feeling that way. And, when I really needed to pull back and take a break to take care of myself, I knew that was okay. I also learned that sometimes I needed to push myself to hang in and stay engaged, or to push myself out there, so that I was contributing to the life of the community. This book was SUCH a gift at a very special time in my life. I continue to draw on what I learned from it.
ReplyDeleteIt's helped me to know that I'm not the only one or somehow strange and abnormal. While there are things that I can work on in terms of improvement, there's a sense of validation in knowing that I don't need to fix or change who I fundamentally am. It also helps me to understand others, particularly in ministry who have often been unfairly criticized for what ends up being introversion and helps me to be able to shed some light into these conversations and hopefully bring understanding.
ReplyDeleteYour book was an invitation to examine my introversion in depth. I had taken the Myers-Briggs, but not really known much about the traits that went along with that letter "I" that was part of my M-B result. Your book was eye-opening to me for its ability to explain what I thought were negatives about myself - need to think at length before speaking, why I prefer written communication to oral, exhaustion after being in large groups of people, to name just a few which seem to be pertinent to my role as Adult Christian Education director (volunteer). IITC was extremely helpful to me in allowing me to feel more comfortable in my role as an introverted leader in the church.
ReplyDeleteYour book also helped me spot possible introvert traits in my children. Knowing about some extroverts' assumptions about introvert leaders helped me deal with a situation in which my son's Boy Scout leader was misinterpreting my son's introversion as a lack of leadership ability. I am not in favor of giving my children the "label" of introversion, but I now know how to encourage them to be okay with these traits.
So, thank you.
I found this blog on the Internet and, after reading through several entries, decided I HAD to go ahead and purchase the book. And I was not in the least disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI cried several times while reading it, not from actual sadness, but from relief that someone else, somewhere, was dealing with the same issues that I was. I realized how many times I had been pushed to be an extrovert, and through all that I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be a good Christian, I had to be something I simply was not.
Your book has helped and is still helping me learn how to praise God for who he has made me to be, how to use my strengths and not stress out about my weaknesses, and how to help others who are dealing with the same nagging feeling of "something's wrong with me."
Your ministry is amazing. I am not the same person I was before I started reading your blog and book. I can't wait to see how God begins to change the cultural biases and bring both introverts and extroverts together to create a much stronger church... a church that hopefully someday will no longer feel uncomfortable and awkward for introverts to attend. :)
These are incredible to read. I am honored and grateful, friends, that you would share these things with me. Please keep sharing everyone! I'll just get another box of Kleenex. :)
ReplyDeleteI am an introverted missions and theology student who was raised in a quite extraverted family and in the most extraverted of denominations, American Pentecostalism, and I have often struggled without knowing it with my introverted nature in a ministry setting. While I love my introversion, I have considered myself selfish and lazy for preferring a quiet evening at home with a book to going out and excitedly evangelizing every stranger on the street. How can I be a missionary and minister if I don't like talking to strangers or sharing my faith? ('Cos writing passionate fiction books about it aimed at people who will never set foot in a church apparently doesn't count...)
ReplyDeleteWhat I have appreciated most about this blog and book is its balance. Rather than coming from a secular, "fulfill yourself!" point of view, it looks at us as *Christians* before it looks at us as introverts. First we are part of the missional Body of Christ; second we are created as introverts. So how do those work together? It helps us take a look at what we have and how we can contribute to the Mission of God as the people God has made us, and it also helps us see how our fallen human natures prevent us from doing so.
You know, maybe I *am* selfish and lazy, but it's not because I am an introvert but because I'm human and because I express my humanness in introverted ways. I also express my redemption and holiness in introverted ways. And there's nothing wrong with that. That's what I've learned.
First, I want to thank you for your book. It has helped me in so many ways to understand better my role in the church. While I'm not an evangelical, I know we are all called to evangelize. I've come to understand that my introversion calls me to evangelize in a way that extroverts have difficulty understanding but has an important place in the body of Christ.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it that St. Francis said - paraphrasing here - always speak the Gospel...if necessary use words.
Now, I do use words :-) but expressing my role as a servant of Christ and passionately wanting others to come to Christ to know the love and saving grace of my Savior doesn't come with a 'playbook.' My introverted nature leads to relationships which quickly become intimate & Christ centered...nurturing those who hunger after awakening their need.
A beautiful thing.
Thanks to all of you for sharing these thoughts. It's been a blessing to read.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to thank you for your book. It has helped me in so many ways to understand better my role in the church. While I'm not an evangelical, I know we are all called to evangelize. I've come to understand that my introversion calls me to evangelize in a way that extroverts have difficulty understanding but has an important place in the body of Christ.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it that St. Francis said - paraphrasing here - always speak the Gospel...if necessary use words.
Now, I do use words :-) but expressing my role as a servant of Christ and passionately wanting others to come to Christ to know the love and saving grace of my Savior doesn't come with a 'playbook.' My introverted nature leads to relationships which quickly become intimate & Christ centered...nurturing those who hunger after awakening their need.
A beautiful thing.
I am an introverted missions and theology student who was raised in a quite extraverted family and in the most extraverted of denominations, American Pentecostalism, and I have often struggled without knowing it with my introverted nature in a ministry setting. While I love my introversion, I have considered myself selfish and lazy for preferring a quiet evening at home with a book to going out and excitedly evangelizing every stranger on the street. How can I be a missionary and minister if I don't like talking to strangers or sharing my faith? ('Cos writing passionate fiction books about it aimed at people who will never set foot in a church apparently doesn't count...)
ReplyDeleteWhat I have appreciated most about this blog and book is its balance. Rather than coming from a secular, "fulfill yourself!" point of view, it looks at us as *Christians* before it looks at us as introverts. First we are part of the missional Body of Christ; second we are created as introverts. So how do those work together? It helps us take a look at what we have and how we can contribute to the Mission of God as the people God has made us, and it also helps us see how our fallen human natures prevent us from doing so.
You know, maybe I *am* selfish and lazy, but it's not because I am an introvert but because I'm human and because I express my humanness in introverted ways. I also express my redemption and holiness in introverted ways. And there's nothing wrong with that. That's what I've learned.
It's helped me to know that I'm not the only one or somehow strange and abnormal. While there are things that I can work on in terms of improvement, there's a sense of validation in knowing that I don't need to fix or change who I fundamentally am. It also helps me to understand others, particularly in ministry who have often been unfairly criticized for what ends up being introversion and helps me to be able to shed some light into these conversations and hopefully bring understanding.
ReplyDelete