The Grapevine. It works.

I take the grapevine to be the informal transmission of information,gossip or rumor from person to person. In church it is the informal and unsanctioned information network within the church structure.At church it starts in the car park as people arrive,exchange greetings and talk to each other before the formal communication issues of the main service begins.It even continues during the service as people turn in the pews exchange glances and other forms of body language and looks forward to the end of formalities so they can go out and revisit the proceedings in twos or threes. The grapevine reaches its zenith over the coffee machine but continues throughout the week over the telephone, Internet or times spent together over dinner or at work.
Grapevine communication is great in so far as it serves the need for faster communication, transmits useful information to those formal communication channels just does not appeal and serves as outlet for imagination and apprehension. It has the potential to build teamwork and ministry identity as it is normally a horizontal channel of communication. Ordinary church members are freer and more influential on other church members than lay leaders and pastors.
It is a fact that formal channels of communication are highly documented and offers little chance of change. Nearly all information within the grapevine is undocumented and open to change and free to interpretation.This freedom offers people chance to make more sense of their world and faith and to provide release from stress as they can make light jokes out of even very serious issues.People are free to share their stories and weird ideas on an informal level. It is less threatening.
My experience says that there are two types of grapevine communication; spontaneous and premeditated. Spontaneous rumors are spread when people are stressed or in an untrustworthy environment. Premeditated rumors spread within a highly competitive environment. Churches need to create an environment where information is made available and fast. Different forms of communication must be used so that there is no room for speculation. Messages sent out must be clear and objective.