USA (MNN) — Would you call yourself an introvert? If so, some aspects of Christian discipleship might seem intimidating — like leading a group Bible study, street evangelism, or teaching a class! Yet, the Great Commission is not just for extroverts.
For more introverted Christians, becoming a mentor with Crossroads Prison Ministries could be a great way to share your faith in a low-pressure setting.
Alaina Zwiernikowski is the assistant to the church mobilization director at Crossroads. As a self-described introvert, Zwiernikowski says introverts face different challenges when it comes to finding ministry and discipleship opportunities.
(Image courtesy of Crossroads Prison Ministries)
“My biggest challenge is just going for it. I feel like, being in a larger crowd of people, I usually have some nerves and anxiety that comes with that. So just signing up or just making that initial effort to do that is a challenge.”
Paige Deur, Crossroads’ content and social media specialist, agrees, “As an introvert, I’m more of an internal processor. So it’s harder to be in a setting where you’re necessarily having to share on the spot…. I think that is a lot of ministry opportunities. Maybe you’re doing a teaching type of thing where you’re interacting with people and having to respond to things on the spot. [It’s] harder for introverts because they’re internal processors.”
Crossroads mentors are essentially pen-pals with prisoners and walk with them through Crossroads’ Bible studies.
Deur says, “Something that’s really special and unique about Crossroads is it gives you that time to process things and to write them out. You can scrap it and come back to it and work on it, and you don’t have to necessarily be so ‘on the spot.'”
Alexis Ryan, the mentor coordinator at Crossroads adds, “We have a whole team at Crossroads that’s here to support all of our mentors and that’s our number one priority and job. So if a mentor has any question about anything in a lesson or any interaction that they’ve had with a student, they are always welcome to contact us.”
Along with being the mentor coordinator, Ryan is a mentor herself. She says serving as a Crossroads mentor works well with her current life stage.
(Photo courtesy of Bookblock/Unsplash)
“I have an eight month old baby, so I get to stay home with her some days a week,” says Ryan. “It’s an interesting time of life because I feel like I have more time — but only at certain points in the day, right? So I can’t commit to something after 7 pm anymore. But I definitely can do something by myself at home for a couple hours during nap times.
“So this is something that I…can do where I feel like I am building up the Church.”
If you are interested, click here to discover more about becoming a Crossroads mentor!
Pray that God would soften the hearts of men and women in prison to Gospel truth. Ask the Lord if there are ways He can use you with your gifts and talents to build His Kingdom. Maybe prison ministry is the next step?
Header photo courtesy of Unseen Studio/Unsplash.
