Religion in the workplace was a featured topic on the Today show recently. Apparently what was off limits just a few years ago is accepted, even commonplace, today. The TV segment showed a staff of 10 or 12 seated around a conference room table with heads down and hands folded while someone led them in a prayer.

But there was something about that scene that bothers me. What if someone in that group felt uncomfortable? (I might have been, yet I have a fairly active prayer life, go to church at least once a week and am enrolled in a Bible study course.) What if he or she didn’t want to be part of that group, but felt pressured to in order to keep a job?

“To Speak of Love: Reflections on Servant-Leadership in Life and Work,” a collection of 11 essays by Katherine Elberfeld, offers something better, broader: a framework for individuals, businesses, communities and other organizations that want to incorporate ethical — and even loving — practices in their work.

Servant-leadership, says Elberfeld, founder of the Servant-Leader Publications Inc. , is based on the principle that everyone can benefit if one’s approach – from the CEO to the janitor – comes from a desire to serve others.

“As servant-leaders we live out a life of love,” she says, “by sharing power and control; by deeply listening to each other; by finding ways to speak the truth in love; by committing to our relationships and shepherding them through crises and conflicts.”

In her essay “In Times of Human Folly,” Elberfeld focuses on the recent corporate scandals, which were noted in the Today show feature as a key reason for the increase in on-the-job prayer meetings.

She says, “It is easy nowadays to demonize companies like Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Andersen as the sinners and to feel morally and ethically superior to them. But what about the practices in our own companies, in our own lives? Are we working entirely from a model of business health and ethics? Even if that is what we are trying to do – many of us are – we can still strengthen and develop ourselves and our organizations to create workplaces that are even healthier, more productive – and yes, more profitable.”

To prove her point, Elberfeld describes the remarkable successes of Southwest Airlines, listed for years by Fortune magazine as one of the most admired companies in the world, the Wall Street Journal’s 2003 “airline of the year,” and one of the 50 most coveted employers by MBA students.

She cites these examples of how servant-leadership plays out at Southwest: “Facing the airline industry’s economic challenges, Southwest Airlines and its employees decided not to fire skycaps, but to retrain them for other positions; to keep 100-percent service on all routes and airports, to forgo the salaries of the top three executives until the end of the year and not ask anyone else to do the same; and to offer refunds to all pre-purchased tickets.”

The secret to being a good servant-leader, Elberfeld says, is “realizing that we are servants to those whom we lead.” It’s “knowing one’s own needs and finding healthy ways to get them met.” And, it’s “digging down deep to the causal roots of conflict and ferreting them out so that they can be examined and understood.”

In her essay “Morning Has Broken,” which relates to the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, Elberfeld says, “Servant-leaders walk boldly into the heart of conflict with courage and wisdom because they know that a healthy resolution of the issues that divide and separate us is the gateway to stronger relationships and community. And the gateway to peace that lasts.”

Servant-leadership is not the brainchild of Katherine Elberfeld. And it’s not new. Early in her book she points to Robert Greenleaf, an AT&T executive, who wrote in 1970 about a leadership style he was promoting and popularized the term “servant-leadership” in an essay, “The Servant as Leader.”

This little book – 71 pages long – is something you can tuck in a briefcase or purse and read and reread. Elberfeld’s engaging writing style and explanations of basic principles of servant-leadership make this a great gift for someone you care about, especially anyone struggling with business as usual. This offers something more than the well-intentioned group prayer time. A lot more.

This book inspires me to examine my own personal, community, and work life. But I can’t help but wonder: What if all of our government’s leaders, public servants all, started to take this concept seriously?

(— Nanette S. Ross is director of marketing and communication for the Episcopal Media Center in Atlanta, Ga., and former co-editor of The Advocate.)

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St. Philip’s, Harrodsburg, has become a “River-friendly church,” with a knitting group which produces hats, scarves and sweaters for mariners. According to the Rev. James Wilkinson, Chaplain of the Seamen’s Church Institute, who preached at St. Philip’s, and received the knitted items to be given for Christmas on the River, the parish is the first St. Philip’s to join the list of River-friendly churches. Pictured from left are: Father Wilkinson, the Rev. Joan Smith, Priest-in-Charge of St. Philip’s; Beth Glaessep, knitting project coordinator, and Barbara Crain, Senior Warden.

Bishop Sauls visited Calvary, Ashland, on Nov. 7 to baptize, confirm and hear reaffirmation of Baptismal vows. From left are: Bruce Davis, Bishop Sauls, Megan Scott, Robin Reames, Candiss Ward, the Rev. Chip Valentine, rector, and Martha Lindsey Cooke.

Ascension of Frankfort received a memorial gift. A new banner in memory of the Rev. George and Francis Donehoo was given by their daughter Barbara Donehoo McIntosh and her husband Gordon McIntosh. Barbara and Gordon were present for the dedication on All Saints Sunday Nov. 7.

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