BCWI Announces 2011 Best Christian Workplaces in the US, Canada and Australia

Contact: Al Lopus, Best Christian Workplaces Institute, 206-230-8111, alopus@bcwinstitute.com

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 5, 2011 -- The following organizations have qualified as Best Christian Workplaces due to high scores in the anonymous BCW employee engagement survey. The BCW survey has been conducted in the US and Canada for the past 8 years and made its debut in Australia this year -- surveying over 100,000 employees to date. Each of these organizations has a stated Christian mission and/or values.

The 2011 Certified Best Christian Workplaces in the US include:

American Bible Society
Apartment Life
Appalachian Bible College
Briarcrest Christian School
Coalition for Christian Outreach
Christian Heritage Academy
CRISTA Ministries
English Language Institute/China
InterVarsity Press
Joni & Friends
Knox Area Rescue Ministries
KSBJ
Lake Ann Camp
Lancaster Bible College
Lincoln Christian University
MOPS International
Mt. Sylvan United Methodist Church
Olivet Nazarene University
Phoenix Seminary
Samaritan Ministries International
Southland Christian Church
Upward Sports (formerly Upward Unlimited)
Wheaton Academy
World Harvest Mission

The 2011 Recognized Best Christian Workplaces in Canada include:
Beulah Alliance Church
Focus on the Family (Canada)

The 2011 Certified Best Christian Workplaces in Australia include:
MMM Australia

In order to be Certified (US and Australia)/Recognized (Canada) as a Best Christian Workplace, organizations must complete the Best Christian Workplaces Institute employee engagement survey and meet predetermined standards of excellence. The survey covers such issues as: job satisfaction, organizational commitment, Christian witness, supervisory effectiveness, work satisfaction, personal growth and development, management effectiveness, customer/supporter satisfaction, teamwork, communications and pay and benefits. Employees answer more than 50 questions addressing these topics, rating each statement on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree), to 5 (strongly agree).

Al Lopus, President of BCWI notes, "We salute this year's Best Christian Workplaces for their intentional efforts to nurture an organizational culture that reflects God's divine nature; even in a difficult economy. One benefit of a healthy organizational culture is that it translates to meaningful ministry growth, based on our research. We would strongly encourage anyone who isn't working in a Christian organization to consider one of these, especially if they have a desire to be a part of a mission greater than themselves."

"We especially celebrate the first Australian Best Christian Workplace, MMM Australia. MMM supports other Christian ministries by providing building, maintenance and other practical services staffed largely with volunteers," says Mr. Lopus.

BCWI is a research based organizational and human resources consulting firm based on Mercer Island, Washington. The Canadian workplace survey is sponsored by the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, an association, primarily of charities, within the Christian community of Canada. Similarly, the Australian survey is sponsored by Christian Management Australia, a nonprofit, non-denominational member-based organization.

Best Christian Workplaces Institute's purpose is to serve faith-based organizations by creating processes of discovery, facilitating organizational effectiveness and encouraging practices that build healthy workplaces.

The Canadian Council of Christian Charities is a member-based association of over 3,000 Canadian faith-based registered charities.

Christian Management Australia exists to serve Christian churches and nonprofit organizations, in areas of leadership and management.

For more information about the survey log on to www.bcwinstitute.com or contact Al Lopus, (206) 230-8111 or alopus@bcwinstitute.com.