Choosing the Finalists
The 2005 survey winners and how they were picked.
posted 5/09/2005 12:00AM
Contrary to some readers' impressions, Christianity Today staffas versatile as we may bedo 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.
The 2005 Survey Winners
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)
1
DeMoss Group, Inc. Duluth, Georgia
2 MPower Systems Plano, Texas
3 Christianity.com (now Silas Partners) Alexandria, Virginia
4 Partners International Spokane, Washington
Higher Education (300 or more employees)
1
Bethel University Saint Paul, Minnesota
2 Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio
3 Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, Illinois
4 Columbia International University Columbia, South Carolina
Higher Education (150 through 299 employees)
1
Evangel University Springfield, Missouri
2 California Baptist University Riverside, California
3 The Master's College Santa Clarita, California
Higher Education (149 or fewer employees)
1
Phoenix Seminary Scottsdale, Arizona
2 The Master's Seminary Sun Valley, California
Private Schools, K-12 (70 and more employees)
1
Evangelical Christian School Cordova, Tennessee
1Scottsdale Christian Academy Phoenix, Arizona
2 Briarcrest Christian School System Memphis, Tennessee
3 Fredericksburg Christian Schools Fredericksburg, Virginia
4 Indian Rocks Christian Schools Largo, Florida
5 Friends Christian School Yorba Linda, California
Private Schools, K-12 (69 or fewer employees)
1
Stoneybrooke Christian Schools San Juan Capistrano, California
2 Desert Christian Schools Tucson, Arizona
3 Wheaton Academy West Chicago, Illinois
4 Covenant Life School Gaithersburg, Maryland
Media (150 or more employees)
1
Zondervan Grand Rapids, Michigan
Media (149 or fewer employees)
1
Howard Publishing, Inc. West Monroe, Louisiana
2 Xulon Press, Inc. Fairfax, Virginia
3 InterVarsity Press Downers Grove, Illinois
Churches, Parachurches, and Missions (120 or more employees)
1
Coalition for Christian Outreach Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2 Kensington Community Church Troy, Michigan
3 Church Resource Ministries Anaheim, California