"Introverts In the Church" & Leadership

I recently begun readying, Introverts In the Church: Finding Our Place In An Extroverted Culture. While, I don't agree with everything in the book, it has been a fun and informative read, considering I tend towards the introverted personality. Here's a good review here, if you're interested.

Chapter Six is entitled, "The Ability To Lead." I thought I would share some encouraging quotes concerning introverts and leadership. Enjoy!

In commending humility, self-sacrifice and a commitment to the organization over personal glory, Collins [Jim Collins, Good to Great], finds himself in the heart of an ancient tradition of leadership: the biblical picture of the servant leader. The authors of the New Testament caution us against those leaders who are heavy on allure and light on humility. Scripture subverts our subtle tendency to identify leaders by glamorous personality features and instead points us toward people who are faithful servants to God and others.

It cannot be overemphasized that the biblical descriptions of leadership do not include references to personality type. Instead they consistently describe leaders as people of admirable and consistent character.

True leadership is not cultivated in the limelight; it's won in the trenches. Character is something that is built. Thus, the mark of godly leadership is not a magnetic personality; it is discipline, because discipline develops character.

True leaders don't lead out of who others want them to be; therefore, introverts with character will lead as introverts. We do not try to be extroverts or contort ourselves in ways our personalities are not able to go. While we seek to grow as leaders and as people, we are committed to remaining true, because one of the greatest gifts we can offer others is leading as ourselves.

God has always been about the business of shattering expectations, and in our culture, the standards of leadership are extroverted. It perfectly follows the biblical trend that God would choose the unexpected and the culturally 'unfit'--like introverts--to lead his church for the sake of his greater glory.