Henry Kissinger was a master at the press leak. He often spoke to reporters with the stipulation that they cite only "sources close to the White House." He would tell them about some plan the Nixon administration was considering, wait for them to report it, and then gauge the support of the American people before making a final decision and an official announcement. Kissinger made the grapevine work for the president, rather than against him.

Like it our not, the grapevine is part of leadership and church life. If Christians can't drink, smoke, or chew, then we'll just talk about those who do (and some who don't). The question is, can we use fairly the human tendency to talk too much for the benefit of the church?

Erwin McManus says his church had a huge gossip problem ten years ago, but no longer. "We created an environment where people felt powerless to dissent," he says. "Most church business we kept secret among the top leaders. Gossip was an ungodly response to powerlessness." McManus's ...