May 2005

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Contrary to some readers' impressions, Christianity Today staff—as versatile as we may be—do not actually conduct the survey. Best Christian Workplaces Institute, a human-resources consulting firm, does.

After the institute solicited self-nominations from Christian workplaces, employees in each organization filled out a confidential online survey. Administrators provided details of human-resources practices from workplaces that have a Christian mission statement.

To avoid the unfairness that goes with, say, comparing an 18-employee public-relations firm with an 80-employee nonprofit, the participants were broken up into 11 categories. The survey polled more than 8,403 employees from 84 organizations. After independent judges weighed the data in a "blind" process, the list of 40 emerged. (The names of the nonfinalists are 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 Olan Hendrix, ceo, Leadership Resource Group; John Pearson, ceo, Christian Management Association; Ken Smitherman, ceo, Association of Christian Schools International; and Helen Lee, who approached Christianity Today several years ago with the idea of conducting the survey and later cofounded the Best Christian Workplaces Institute.

Products and Services (90 or more employees)
1 Alliance Defense Fund • Scottsdale, Arizona
2 Evangelical Christian Credit Union • Brea, California

Products and Services (89 or fewer employees)1DeMoss Group, Inc. • Duluth, Georgia2 MPower Systems • Plano, Texas3 Christianity.com (now Silas Partners) • Alexandria, Virginia4 Partners International • Spokane, ...