In my conversations with introverted leaders, I have found many common experiences. One of those experiences is a true distaste for class participation marks. Maybe you relate to that scenario, the feeling of wanting to speak up but not having anything you feel is worth sharing, at least not yet. The discussion keeps going, and by the time you have a polished nugget to offer, the class has moved on well past that point. Or, even worse, you have the nugget ready, but there’s no room in the conversation to insert yourself, so the moment passes, and you sink into your chair, waving goodbye to more class participation points.*
Perhaps you have had people comment, “Every time you share, it’s so good! You need to talk more!” You wish you could talk more in those staff meetings or classroom settings, but you just can’t conjure up deep thoughts in shallow spaces.
Let me give you some encouraging news: there is a scientific explanation for this! It’s not that you are not intelligent enough; it’s not that you are simply too slow-minded to keep up with the extroverts in the room. You are wired for depth, not speed.
A team led by Dr. Debra Johnson at the University of Iowa used positron emission tomography (PET) scans to measure cerebral blood flow in introverts and extroverts. The results were remarkable. They showed that introverts and extroverts literally process the world through different brain pathways.
When an extrovert takes in information, the neutral signal follows a relatively short route through areas of the brain associated with sensory experience, touch, and action. It’s the fast lane. This explains why extroverts tend to think and speak in the moment; they are wired for real-time processing.
Introverts, on the other hand, take the scenic route. Their neural pathway travels through regions of the brain associated with long-term memory, problem-solving, and reflection, specifically the frontal lobes, anterior thalamic nuclei, and hippocampus. It’s not slower in terms of intelligence; it’s simply a longer, deeper route. Information takes time to move through memory, emotion, and analysis before emerging as words or decisions. That’s why, by the time you’re ready to share your well-crafted thought, the conversation has often moved on. Your brain was doing more work, not less.
If you’ve ever been told, “You think too much” before you speak, that’s not a flaw. That’s evidence that your brain is wired for depth over immediacy. You’re processing connections, implications, and emotions, not just reacting to stimuli. Extroverts bring quick insights and energy to the room; introverts bring synthesis, reflection, and perspective.
In ministry, that means your slower pace in meetings or discussions is not a weakness; it’s a strength! When you speak, you’re not adding noise, you’re adding weight. Your words carry thoughtfulness because your brain literally took time to travel the long road to get there. God designed you with the neural circuitry for contemplation. And in a world addicted to speed, that’s a gift the church desperately needs.
* I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as I plan to begin teaching some college-level courses in the near future. I think I may have come up with a reasonable solution: students can choose one of two options. Option one, the traditional marks given for class participation, with one caveat: speaking often, forcefully, or with great volume will not equal a high mark; participation will be graded on the value the speaker brings to the conversation. Option two: Students can write a short reflection after each class to demonstrate that they have mentally engaged with the material and can articulate their thoughts after some time to reflect.
The Introverted Pastor 