Crossing cultures as an introvert

A common concern around welcoming people from different cultures into the local church is that it is impossible for introverts. I remember one person saying, 'I find it hard enough to speak to my friends, let alone to strangers!'

It’s part of a bigger fear among Christians that we just don’t have what it takes to reach out to those who are different from us. What do we do when we want to communicate across cultural differences, but the bar just seems too high?

I met a man a couple of years ago at a conference, who had had a dramatic conversion. I’ll call him Dave. In his own words, he had been addicted to 'sex, drugs and rock and roll.' He was the life of every party and had a burgeoning contacts list. But the Holy Spirit prompted him that something was not right and he ended up walking into a local church where, after some months, he came to faith Christ. I asked him what it was about the church that most helped him in his journey towards Christ. The first thing he said was: 'Without a doubt it was Jeff*.'