It isn’t so that what you are born with is where you will remain – at least in the area of outreach aptitude. God can take you as you are – either as an introvert or an extrovert – and use you in a profound way to do great works of outreach. How so? There is more to outreach than having intense, one-on-one conversations that will end in someone bowing their knee to accept Christ as a result of your amazing debating skills. Some can do that, perhaps you don’t see yourself pulling that off. Billy Graham has admitted to being shy in one-to-one situations. If he is that way, there is great hope for you! If you are shy consider these thoughts to raise your outreach IQ:
- You can answer questions. As we serve we stir up curiosity. Naturally, people ask questions that aren’t that difficult to answer. “Tell me about your church?” “How did you get involved in this church?” (A place to tell your Jesus story! Clarify the Gospel as the door opens!) “Do you think this church will love even me?”
- You can serve in spiritually profound ways that will nudge people toward Christ. Pray as you serve – pray that your connecting really will propel people forward to Christ. Don’t just blindly go through the motions of doing outreach. You are doing a spiritual activity. People’s lives are at stake.
- Look for open doors in the middle of your serving. Even if you are shy, God will empower you and use you to walk through amazing open doors to say the right thing(s) that will touch people in powerful ways. You can read some of the accounts of this happening in many of my books as encouragements (Outflow for one).