The Introverted Pastor

In a recent sermon I spoke about the challenge of being a pastor with an introverted personality.  I live in a culture and carry out a call that favors an extroverted personality.  I have served as a pastor for fifteen years.  Throughout that time, and in the process leading up to my ordination, people have questioned whether introversion and pastoral ministry can coexist effectively.

Part of this has to do with expectations that people bring to pastoral ministry.  The pastors that many congregants seem to remember best are those who were outgoing and made their presence known in the community.  They made the congregation seem friendly because they were naturally friendly and effusive.  My experience has been that this kind of strong personality in a pastor can cover up some shortcomings in hospitality in the congregation.  When that pastor retires or moves on, the congregation suddenly has to deal with its own shortcomings, has to deal with the fact that although Pastor Jensen was a welcoming person, the congregation itself may not be.

I also think that part of the desire for extroverted pastors is a hope that an outgoing personality might change the trends of decline that many congregations are experiencing.  The right pastor might be the magic bullet that will save the congregation, change all those spiritual but not religious people into spiritual and religious people.  We can't get people to come to our church but maybe a friendly pastor can.  Yet as we look across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (as well as any number of denominations) we see that even friendly Pastor Jensen's congregation is in decline.

At one point it was enough to be friendly.  When religious practice was more of a standard part of American culture, then the friendliest congregations with the best programs tended to grow.  Yet our culture is finding new ways to cultivate friendship and connection.  Many families are finding their needs for youth programs met by other sources.  I have frequently been told that, even when there is a spark of interest, younger people see church as one more thing to do in a plethora of activities.

The role of congregations will have to change in the coming years.  Many of our churches will be smaller and will need to accept that reality.  I have no doubt that the pastoral role will change as well. 

What I hear these days is not so much a desire for a community center kind of congregation, but a desire for a depth of faith.  Thankfully for me as an introvert, depth is something that introverts do well.  I love working with silence and prayer, art and creativity.  Give me a quiet retreat over a networking conference any day.  As Paul writes, "There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:4)  In the near future, the gifts of the introvert may come to be appreciated in the church just as the gifts of the extrovert have been appreciated for the past few decades.