Best Christian Workplaces
Forgiveness in the Workplace: How Leaders Build Trust, Heal Culture, and Strengthen Teams
Best Christian Workplaces : March, 23 2026
Employee engagement in Christian-led organizations has reached its highest level in 15 years—yet nearly 4 in 10 employees still cannot bring their best to work every day. In this episode, Dr. Doug Waldo, Research Director & Senior Consultant at Best Christian Workplaces, unpacks what the 2026 State of the Christian Workplace Report reveals about trust, voice, and the leadership decisions shaping engagement right now.
Click here to watch the full episode on YouTube.
About This Episode
The latest State of the Christian Workplace Report shows encouraging momentum: 61% of employees are engaged—the highest level recorded in 15 years. But the data also highlights persistent barriers, especially around trust in leadership and employees’ desire to be heard in decisions that affect their work. Dr. Doug Waldo explains what these findings mean for leaders across Christian-led organizations and how addressing these obstacles strengthens mission capacity and organizational health. This conversation offers a research-grounded roadmap for moving the remaining 39% toward fuller engagement.
Episode Highlights
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02:55 — What employee engagement actually measures—and why it multiplies mission impact
- 10:53 — Why the state of the Christian workplace is “strong and getting stronger”
- 13:43 — The headline finding: 61% engagement is the highest in 15 years
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14:29 — Why 39% disengagement still creates a major organizational drag
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19:11 — The three trust barriers leaders must address right now: voice, involvement, and confidence in leadership direction
Meet the Guest
Dr. Doug Waldo serves as Research Director and Senior Consultant with Best Christian Workplaces. With more than 30 years of leadership experience in strategic leadership, organizational economics, and workplace research, he helps churches, schools, nonprofits, and Christian-led organizations interpret engagement data and apply it to culture strategy. Doug plays a key role in developing the annual State of the Christian Workplace Report and equipping leaders to strengthen trust, alignment, and mission effectiveness through measurable insight.
Resources Mentioned
• 2026 State of the Christian Workplace Report
Episode Transcript:
A full, word-for-word transcript of this episode is available here.
Next Steps for Leaders:
Review the findings from the 2026 State of the Christian Workplace Report and consider what they reveal about trust and communication inside your organization. Reflect with your leadership team on whether employees feel heard and involved in decisions that affect them.
If this episode challenged or encouraged you, share it with a fellow leader who cares deeply about building a healthy, Christ-centered culture.
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