Why Your Church Needs Introverted Leaders

In the book, “In Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” Susan Cain makes the case that we vastly undervalue introverts due to an “Extroverted Ideal.” This ideal creates the unintended consequence of missing and losing out on the valuable contributions of a significant portion of the population. 

Here’s what we know - at least one-third to half of the people are made up of introverts. These are the ones who “prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams” (Cain).

I believe, along with Cain, that introverts bring a valuable contribution to the world, and particularly to the church. 

Don’t get me wrong, the church desperately needs extroverted leaders. The church is a gathering of people after all. 

But here are a few reasons why I think every church needs introverted leaders: 

1. Almost all of the programming at churches is geared toward extroverts. 

Think for a moment about what we ask people to do when it comes to church: We ask individuals to gather with others. We ask the person to stand and say “hi” to someone after singing songs. If the person wants more information, they need to go to an area with an eager team ready to interact with them with high energy and excitement. 

Yes, this is exactly what the church should be doing.

But have churches ever considered that simply left this way, we’ve actually raised the barrier to entry for a third to half the demographic of our church? It’s a little painfully ironic considering how mindful churches try to be to serve new guests. 

It will be the introverted leader or the leader who is mindful of how introverts operate that will lower this barrier to entry by providing other options of connection such as filling out an individual form, texting in a need, or having the presence of mind to approach individuals with different levels of energy and inquisitiveness. 

2. Introverts are able to draw out the best in people in a way extroverts may not be able to. 

A popular view in the church leadership world has been that a great leader is the big, loud, gregarious personality who “shows up” and “commands the room.” But this is just not true. That personality will draw out the best in some, but not all. 

According to a research study called, Reversing the Extraverted Leadership Advantage: The Role of Employee Proactivity, it demonstrated that while extroverts are better at leading passive employees (due to their ability to motivate and inspire), introverts are better at leading proactive employees because they truly listen to their ideas and create space for execution and implementation. In other words, high capacity, self-driven leaders are more likely to flourish under introverted leaders, at least according to this study.

This is why the personality test of how someone speaks and shows up on a stage cannot be the only gauge. We also need a “people test” to see how individuals flourish or flounder under someone’s leadership, no matter how charismatic someone may appear to be.

Susan Cain writes in her book, “I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they're good talkers, but they don't have good ideas. It's so easy to confuse schmoozing ability with talent.” Jim Collins was right when he wrote, “We don’t need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.”

3. Introverts may more naturally lead with organizational detail and strategic thinking.

A 2008 study found that introverts take a longer time to process information than extroverts. Why was this the case?

One interpretation has said that this is because introverts process ideas more thoroughly than extroverts do. They would agree with Einstein (the introverted scientist) when he said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s that I stay with problems longer.”

This is anecdotal from my limited experience but I’ve found that some introverts may be slower to move but they’re more efficient in the aggregate - they measure three times and cut once. Some extroverts, on the other hand, move quicker with higher instincts to act, but end up cutting three times, going back and taping things back up, only to cut it again. There’s an appearance of efficiency, but at the onset, not the aggregate.

I’m a big believer in speed and pace. It bothers me when things move slower than things should. But there are fewer things more inefficient than applying an incorrect answer because we did not take the time to truly understand what the real problem was in the first place. I think this instinct of critical thinking is one of the gifts introverts give to the world. 

Conclusion

I am more introverted than extroverted. So this post is a personal one for me. 

But with that being said, I’ve seen many individuals not serve others well, hide behind introversion in the name of a personality test, and I think that’s unwise at best and self-absorbed at worst. The goal is always love and service of others from a pure heart, not simply maximizing one’s natural wiring, but creating space for Christ’s power to be displayed in weakness. 

If you’re an introvert, may this post encourage you to know that you are seen. You are a member of God’s Body and you bring health to the entire church. At the same time, let’s not hide behind our introversion, but leverage it fully for others. It doesn’t matter if you don’t prefer it. You need to collaborate, put yourself out there, and be with other people.

For our extroverts in the church, I am so thankful for you. I am amazed at the ways God has wired you. I see how the gospel of Jesus and the wellbeing of the church community is so mightily advanced because of you. 

The introverts just ask that you consider and value our contributions as well. 

Even if we don’t say it.