Scott Benhase: The reptilian and the limbic
A member of my diocese works with leaders in organizations to help them serve better together. He recently led us through an exercise that he has done many times with new CEOs so they can get a good grasp of their organizations’ history.
His background is brain neuroscience. He pointed out four parts of the brain moving from the back of the neck to the forehead: reptilian, limbic, cerebral cortex, and prefrontal lobes. The reptilian part functions for self-protection and asks: “Am I safe?” The limbic part focuses on tribal belonging and asks: “Am I accepted and included?” The cerebral cortex is the center of rational function where we deal with objective and subjective issues. The prefrontal lobes are our center of creativity.
Now what does this have to do with us as leaders in the church? It connects with what I call trust development. There are four layers of trust development in any group. The first is acceptance and inclusion. Group members need to experience this in order for them to function well together. The second is the experience of the free flow of truthful information. If followers sense this is being withheld, then trust cannot be developed. The third are the tasks or goals the group has at hand. And the fourth is the group’s envisioning of the future. These layers are cumulative. One can’t get to the fourth layer without dealing faithfully with the first three. So, for example, the when a group is stuck trying to accomplish a task it is often because there are trust issues around acceptance and inclusion and/or the free flow of truthful information.
Leaders in the church often want to jump in and accomplish tasks, set goals, and lay out a vision. But we neglect the necessary work of inclusion and acceptance and then the free flow of truthful information. If you wonder why board or staff meetings sometimes don’t accomplish what you hoped, or why you are having trouble getting followers to stay focused on goals, it might be that you should work the reptilian and limbic layers first. Work on mutual inclusion and acceptance and the sharing of truthful information first and then you will have better success in getting folk to focus on goals and vision.
That is what Jesus did consistently. Remember the woman caught in adultery? She and her accusers were unable to envision and experience God’s grace. Jesus first stopped the stoning so she was safe. He then reached out to her so she would experience acceptance and inclusion. Then he made sure truthful information was shared (“Boys, if any of ya'll are without sin, then you’re welcome to cast the first stone”). It was only then that there was a possibility that those gathered could experience God’s grace, which was Jesus’ goal. When Jesus tells the woman that no one was left to condemn her and that she should go and sin no more, she was then able to envision a new future for herself through the loving grace of God.
Find yourself stuck in your leadership? Work the reptilian and limbic.
Scott Benhase is the Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia.
Trust Development
Bishop Benhase, this is very thought provoking. Thank you!
I would wonder if there is room in your system to specifically address the safety questions posed by the Reptiallian brain...
The church I serve has several members who are handicapped and the church recently went through the installation of an elevator to their sanctuary on the second floor. Prior to the building of the elevator, worshippers could sit downstairs to view an internal telecast of the service or be carried upstairs by several of the members of the church. The problem they faced was that their full inclusion in the body of the church (on the second floor) necessitated their risking being carried up the stairs. To get to the point where they could ask questions of inclusion they first had to to risk their safety. Do you think these questions fit into your first movement of Trust Development or do these concerns necessitate their own place at the table?
Trust Development
Robert,
These concerns "fit" because they are concerns of human beings who have brains (we can debate how well we use our brains another time!). We know that people are willing to risk a lot to be included in a group, sometimes putting their own safety aside in the process. This can often be quite heroic. That does not mean, however, that their fear or concern for their safety is absent. It just means they are willing to set it aside for what they have determined to be more important. Think of our martyrs who were unwilling to expose the names of their fellow Christians and thus faced death in pre-Constantine Rome.
Your church members who were willing to be carried by others to the sanctuary exhibited a similar choice. Their desire for inclusion trumped their fear. Of course, an obvious point should be made: We should not ask for such choices in cases like that. If a church has the resources, such barriers to inclusion should be dealt with so all God's people are included.
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