The Rt. Rev. Scott Benhase, Bishop of Georgia, writes about the importance of brain functions in understanding church leadership:

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.

The full post is available at Call & Response, a blog of Duke University’s Faith & Leadership program.