I was struck recently by a friend’s comment about the different sorts of people who find their way into training for ministry.
His contrast was between those with personalities at the introverted reflective end of the spectrum and the more extroverted, action orientated types. The interesting bit, though, came when he related this to the type of ministry roles each tends to pursue.
Natural leanings
Those with a more reflective introverted personality would, he suggested, be drawn to the counselling end of things. They are the sort of person who loves to sit down with another and listen and think and puzzle and slowly find their way toward a biblical solution. They tend to be more passive by nature. They are the sort of person for whom a counselling ministry is a much more natural fit and they can find those preacher types just a little bit insensitive.