Christian leaders aren't perfect and neither are Christian workplaces

Dear friends of Best Christian Workplace Institute,

Nearly 17 years ago, we set out to discover what makes a truly exceptional workplace. Through intensive research and surveying, the Best Christian Workplace Institute team discovered the 8 Drivers of a Flourishing Culture and developed the BCWI Employee Engagement Survey.

In that time, we have surveyed over 1,100 faith-based organizations and worked with some incredibly talented teams to improve employee engagement and culture in the Christian workplace. We are driven by our core mission to equip and inspire Christian leaders to build a flourishing workplace, and we are passionate about seeing Christian workplaces lead the charge to set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world.

During the past several years, our organization has grown and evolved. As more and more faith-based organizations have taken the BCWI Employee Engagement Survey, we've seen the incredible impact that improving employee engagement culture has on organizational success. At the same time, we have also learned more about how to survey organizations accurately, and how to partner with leaders to build safe and flourishing cultures.

I want to be candid with you. As you probably know, Christian leaders are not perfect, and neither are Christian workplaces. Over the past year, a couple highly admired Christian leaders of well-respected organizations have disappointed us. It saddens me to see my friends experience such great suffering as a result of poor choices by their leaders.

As Christian leaders, we are not exempt from hardship, temptation, or poor choices. Thankfully, there is grace and forgiveness. As a Christian leader who speaks openly and passionately about Christian leadership and healthy workplace culture, the negative experiences of my friends, though disheartening, fuels my passion to help Christian leaders evaluate and understand their workplace cultures.

Though a few organizations with leaders who have been met with challenges have been certified as Best Christian Workplaces, we want you to understand the survey is a tool and assessment that measures overall organizational health, not individual leaders. The BCWI Employee Engagement Survey serves as

• A snapshot of employee perceptions that helps leaders identify key areas of improvement
• A tool to assess the organization’s cultural reality at a certain point in time, and
• A collection of data from individuals, not an assessment of individual leadership traits

In light of recent events, we have incorporated several precautionary measures to help identify areas that could present false positives. Additionally, we recommend both surveying regularly, to assess trends over time, and engaging with the consultants on our team to understand the results better and to develop action plans.

My prayer is that through regular evaluation and leadership development, more Christian workplaces will enter into a safe and flourishing future. As we continue to move forward into a flourishing future, I invite you to join me on our mission to see Christian workplaces become the gold standard for workplace culture. Leading healthy, flourishing cultures is not an easy task. But in the end, it’s a journey worth taking.

Thank you and may God bless you and your organization,

Al Lopus, President