Church for Introverts?
6 June 2023
One of the things I have found difficult to grasp since the period of Covid lockdowns is that, for some people, worship online was and remains preferable to worship in person. There may even be some readers of this blog who fit into this category. Online worship makes a certain sense to me in the case of those who are housebound and those who live a long distance from a church (or at least a church that they might find agreeable). For many it was certainly “better than nothing” during lockdown. But to those who continue to choose online over in person, my question is “why?” Speaking personally, I am yet to be spiritually edified by praying in front of a screen, but I would genuinely like to understand what it is in this form that appeals to some others.
Perhaps in part it is a question of personality type. Some years ago a Facebook friend posted a link to an article about an American church that was holding a regular service for introverts “where nobody has to talk to anyone else”. The service was booming. Part of me wonders whether, in the wake of Covid, at least some of those who continue to attend worship online are in effect choosing the same option – a worship opportunity where they don’t have to interact directly with anyone else.
I am reminded of a time a few years back in Trinity College chapel when I celebrated a 1662 BCP Eucharist in a style as close as I could manage to “pre-Oxford Movement normal”. I read the whole service myself from the North End of the altar, including the readings, with the congregation saying only the occasional “Amen.” Everyone knelt silently in the pews for most of the service, as the rubrics instruct.
Talking about it afterwards, those present were divided between those who absolutely loathed the service and those who loved it. There was no middle ground. These strong reactions had nothing to do with the BCP language, and everything to do with the extent and style of congregational participation. Those who loved it agreed that they were all introverts. One said it was “a relief” to go to a service where they could just kneel behind high choir stalls and pray, rather than having to “act out all the time”.
Old-school “C of E” Anglican liturgy – Mattins and Evensong (with an early service of Holy Communion if you were keen) – is something that has all but disappeared from the landscape in the contemporary church. Instead of “hearing a service”, active participation has become key. The ways in which this is a positive development are too numerous to list here, however I wonder whether in the midst of all this activity something has been lost? What is the effect of this pretty fundamental change on those who would naturally prefer a more passive, less interactive style of participation? And – just perhaps – is this the group of people for whom passive online worship is a mini-salvation?
Each of us feels comfortable to “participate” in varied ways according to our natural inclinations and personality. For myself, I am a “performative extrovert.” Stick me up the front in colourful robes with a lapel mic and I’m in my element. But understand, dear reader, that afterwards I generally need a nap, especially if I’ve had to interact at a post-service morning tea. I enjoy the “performance”, but the activity and interaction is draining. When I am in the congregation rather than up the front I always enjoy participating in the act of corporate singing, but I enjoy even more sitting, standing or kneeling quietly while others say or sing the words around me. I do not quite pine for the days of kneeling in my pew throughout a BCP service, only contributing the occasional “Amen,” but I do have some understanding of those for whom this idea appeals.
Not every church can manage separate services aimed at different personality types. What we all can do, however, is to provide spaces and opportunities in our churches for people with different personality types to flourish. For introverts, especially those who are new to church or returning after a long break, that is often, literally or figuratively, “the back pew”. In the post-Covid world, for some it has become YouTube. But it’s hard to grow Christian community online. Making it possible for people to be physically present at a church service without feeling pressured into activity is therefore an invaluable missional strategy. We often complain when everyone sits towards the back of our churches, leaving the front rows vacant. But might it be that that’s actually where some people feel more at home? And let’s face it – they’re never going to move towards the front if they don’t start out somewhere more comfortable.
How might your church better embrace “the back pew”, and make it an attractive place for those who find it difficult to join in?
