Leadership in Christian higher education is a challenging calling. The recent State of the Christian Workplace 2025 report by Best Christian Workplaces showed that employee engagement in the Christian higher education sector was 10 percent lower than the overall engagement in Christian organizations and Christian-led businesses. There is 49 percent engagement in Christian higher education versus the overall engagement of 59 percent.
To have a flourishing workplace, leaders in Christian higher education need to cast a compelling and unifying vision for the faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and donors. In addition, there is cultural and social tension on many campuses related to foundational beliefs.
In this complex environment, LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, has made a long-term commitment to improve employee engagement and workplace health.
LeTourneau University has seen steady improvement in workplace health over the past 5 years under the leadership of Dr. Steven Mason, President.
Dr. Mason shared about the university’s commitment to organizational health in a recent Flourishing Culture Leadership podcast: “We made organizational health a mission-critical objective as one of the four main pillars of our strategic plan. Having it as part of the strategic plan has been a way to signal to everyone that we want to be as healthy as we can. We can only go as far as we are healthy.”
By including organizational health as a core element in their strategic plan, leaders elevated the importance of a healthy workplace. Rather than just a to-do item on a checklist, actions related to improving the workplace environment are prioritized. This commitment to organizational health includes an annual assessment of workplace health through Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement Survey.
The leadership team models this focus on organizational health and improvement. Dr. Mason created a cabinet-level position, vice president for campus and community engagement, to keep the conversation about organizational health in front of the leadership team. Decisions at the cabinet level consider what it means to maintain, improve, and advance organizational health.
In addition, a commitment to open two-way communication is a hallmark of the leadership team. Mid-level leaders are invited to the senior leadership team meetings on a regular basis. This invites awareness and input into strategic conversations and builds trust in leadership. Witnessing the transparency of senior leaders is also a development opportunity for mid-level leaders to grow in their strategic thinking.
Through the annual Employee Engagement Survey, university leaders uncovered specific issues that impact the lives of employees. When satisfaction with health care benefits was low for several years in a row, leaders decided to dig deeper into the issue. They invited Best Christian Workplaces to ask employees more questions about health plan preferences. Their willingness to pay attention to this specific pain point resulted in a change in health care benefit offerings, bringing improved employee satisfaction in this area.
The focus on organizational health is not a destination but an ongoing process. Dr. Mason reflects on the encouragement of Cary Humphries, Best Christian Workplaces Consulting Director, to keep improving: “There are always areas to improve. Cary helps us see that it's not just the obvious areas of growth that we want to raise in performance and engagement, but we want everything to improve. And we don't have a perfect score on anything. So there's a lot of growth to be had, and that's exciting. We’re very grateful for where we are today, but we have to keep rowing. If we start to get complacent, things can change.”
Along with clarity in its focus on organizational health, LeTourneau University has a clear commitment to its foundational values and mission. This clarity of mission strengthens employee engagement around shared values and beliefs.
LeTourneau University is named for its founders, R.G. and Evelyn LeTourneau. R.G. LeTourneau was one of the world's greatest inventors of earthmoving equipment. A businessman and devout Christian, LeTourneau toured Longview, Texas, with his wife, Evelyn, in 1946 to consider a manufacturing site for his next earthmoving equipment factory. While flying over a vacant Army hospital, Mrs. LeTourneau inquired about the facility. When told it was no longer in use, she suggested establishing a school to educate returning World War II veterans.
The university remains committed to reflecting the legacy of R.G. LeTourneau in both technological innovation and faith foundation: LeTourneau University describes itself as the Christian Polytechnic University. Students graduate and enter workplaces, and many times create workplaces, with the focus on being the best at their profession and serving as a shining light for the Kingdom of God.
Along with a particular academic focus on technology and innovation, the Christian foundation of the university is clear. The commitment to living out faith goes beyond the mission and vision statements and is modeled by the leadership of the university.
From the commitment to regular prayer by the board of trustees to prayer for every person hired to be part of the team at LeTourneau, the campus is bathed in prayer. President Steven Mason says, “Ultimately, we are an institution of people. Our prayer is, ‘God, would You continue to bring the kind of people who are going to honor You in thought, word, and deed?’”
As Cary Humphries reflects on the environment at LeTourneau University, he emphasizes faith-based, caring leadership: “It is critical that a leader has a mature and deep personal relationship with Jesus. When you invite people to share ideas, you also invite criticism. It takes mature leaders to commit to getting better year after year, and to commit to loving the people you lead. That’s the kind of leadership that Steven and the team at LeTourneau exhibit.”
LeTourneau’s clarity of mission and commitment to ongoing improvement have resulted in steady growth in employee engagement and workplace health. Even with the challenges of Christian higher education, it is possible to create a healthy, engaged community that is making a difference in the lives of staff, faculty, and students.
You and your leadership team can be a part of the journey to an engaged, healthy workplace. By committing to foundational values and a culture of ongoing improvement, you can provide a workplace that is purposeful, where each employee feels energized, enthusiastic, committed, and passionate about their work.
Best Christian Workplaces provides more than 20 years of research-based experience to come alongside you with practical tools for your journey to workplace health.
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