6 Signs Your Congregation Doesn’t Smell Right

I regularly read outside the world of congregational life in an effort to understand leadership issues. In Fast Company magazine, I found an article dedicated to helping startup entrepreneurs establish healthy practices. The title, “6 Signs Your Company Culture...

How to Keep Your Words from Doing Harm

Everyone has played a variation of the childhood exercise designed to teach us the damaging power of the “rumor mill.” Whether you have five or 25 people sitting in a circle, by the time a whispered secret makes it all the way around, the original...

It Takes Two to Gossip

It takes two to gossip. When gossip occurs, there is an initiator (the one who shares the nugget of information), and there is a listener (the one who swallows it down and asks for more). In general, people who gossip are insecure and have a need to elevate themselves...

Words Can Heal World, NYC Group Says

Ethical speech advocates said pledging to avoid gossip one hour a day can make this world a better place. Launched by New York religious writer Irwin Katsof on Sept. 4 last year, the Words Can Heal campaign is running a series of public service ads in national...