What makes a workplace Christian? A cross hanging on its wall? An honest, church-going CEO? Company-sanctioned prayer meetings and Bible studies? The kind of products that end up on the shelves of a Christian bookstore?
Not necessarily. Not if you take to heart the scriptural instruction to workers, like that in Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." If everything we do, we do for Christ, then every job we perform becomes sacred, and every workplacewhether it's a cleaning business, a Christian publisher, or a seminarycan be a place of Christian vocation.
Still, on this page, Christianity Today is reporting the results of the 2006 Best Christian Places to Work Survey. The reason behind the survey's name is that it examines organizations thatin addition to employing Christiansfollow an explicitly Christian mission statement. Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), headed by Al Lopus, conducts the survey in order to see how companies with explicitly Christian mission statements walk their talk.
This year's survey included 93 self-nominated workplaces. The judges picked 40 as finalists. BCWI scrutinized a record number of employee surveys this year: More than 10,600 workers completed a confidential 50-question survey. In addition, human resources departments submitted detailed summaries of practices such as vacation and sick days, turnover rates, flex time, and maternity leave.
To avoid the unfairness that goes with comparing, say, a large organization like Bethel University with a small ministry like Apartment Life, the participants were separated into 14 categories. After independent judges weighed the data in a "blind" process, the list of 40 emerged. BCWI keeps the names of nonfinalists confidential. Because some categories were larger than others, the list names the number of finalists proportionate to the size of each group.
The panel of judges included CEOs of former finalistsBob Fryling (publisher of InterVarsity Press), Mark Holbrook (president of Evangelical Christian Credit Union), and Bill Robinson (president of Whitworth College)as well as Helen Lee, who approached Christianity Today several years ago with the idea of conducting the survey and later cofounded with Lopus the BCWI.
For more information on the survey, see www.bcwinstitute.com.
1Bethel University Saint Paul, Minnesota 2 Wycliffe Orlando, Florida
Products and Services (90 or more employees)
1Alliance Defense Fund Scottsdale, Arizona 2 Logos Research Systems Inc. Bellingham, Washington
Products and Services (89 or fewer employees)
1DeMoss Group Inc. Duluth, Georgia 2 Envoy Financial Colorado Springs, Colorado 3 MPower Systems Dallas, Texas
Higher Education (225 to 500 employees)
1Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas, Texas 2 Evangel University Springfield, Missouri 3 California Baptist University Riverside, California 4 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, Illinois
Higher Education (101 to 224 employees)
1Corban College Salem, Oregon 2 The Master's College Santa Clarita, California 3 Belhaven College Jackson, Mississippi 4 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary South Hamilton, Massachusetts
Higher Education (100 or fewer employees)
1Phoenix Seminary Scottsdale, Arizona 2 The Master's Seminary Santa Clarita, California
Private Schools, K-12 (90 or more employees)
1Mount Paran Christian School Kennesaw, Georgia 2 Indian Rocks Christian Schools Largo, Florida 3 Evangelical Christian School Cordova, Tennessee
Private Schools, K-12 (89 or fewer employees)
1Christian Heritage Academy Northfield, Illinois 2 Stoneybrooke Christian Schools San Juan Capistrano, California 3 Christian Heritage School Trumbull, Connecticut
Media (101 or more employees)
1Daystar Television Network Dallas, Texas 2 Educational Media Foundation/KLOVE and Air1Radio Rocklin, California
Media (100 or fewer employees)
1Howard Publishing, Inc. West Monroe, Louisiana 2 Warner Press Inc. Anderson, Indiana
Churches, Parachurches, and Missions (120 or more employees)
1Coalition for Christian Outreach Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2 Bible League Chicago, Illinois 3 Crown Financial Ministries Gainesville, Georgia
Churches, Parachurches, and Missions (50 through 119 employees)
1Joni and Friends Agoura Hills, California 2 CityTeam Ministries San Jose, California 3 ABWE Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Churches, Parachurches, and Missions (49 or fewer employees)
1 (tie)Apartment Life Euless, Texas 1 (tie)EQUIP Duluth, Georgia 2 New Mission Systems International Fort Myers, Florida 3 Walter Hoving Home Garrison, New York 4 Amor Ministries San Diego, California
Best Christian Places to Work: Freedom and Grace | Covenant Christian High School teachers and staff are encouraged to be creative, lead classes in innovative ways, and take initiative. (March 06, 2003)
Best Christian Places to Work: Lives in Balance | At Evangelical Christian Credit Union, professional development is not just a nice bonus but also a spiritual responsibility. (March 07, 2003)