A grid communication system provides distributed processing of business workflows. Each node has a core with a small footprint which provides control of business process and data flow and synchronization. The node controller communicates with applications and with other nodes through the use of messages. Messages are processed by the node controller according to a set of rules. The rules reside in a versioned repository. The rules may be set or modified through the use of messages from other nodes, allowing for enterprise control of individual nodes. The node controller includes a plurality of adapters for converting data and/or messages to and from formats for different applications.