For the second year in a row, N.C. Baptists have been recognized as a certified “Best Christian Workplace” by the Best Christian Workplace Institute (BCW).

“Best Christian Workplace” status is determined by a scoring standard assessed by BCW, a workplace consulting ministry that aims to help Christian organizations, ministries and churches “build a flourishing workplace culture.” To achieve certification, N.C. Baptist employees participated in a comprehensive survey administered by BCW to evaluate employee engagement and satisfaction levels. 

“As many organizations continue to face challenges related to the ongoing shift from virtual and hybrid work environments, these workplaces demonstrate upstanding dedication to building and protecting a strong workplace and prioritizing healthy working relationships amongst teammates and managers,” BCW said in a press release announcing the 241 organizations that received this status. 

“The 241 organizations honored today set the gold standard for excellence in employee engagement, and BCW is hopeful and expectant for the year to come,” BCW said.

N.C. Baptist staff members were given two weeks in January to complete the survey, rating the organization in areas such as teamwork, talent, communication, leadership, strategy and more. Notably, the state convention had a 100% participation rate for the survey, with 85 responses.

Brian Upshaw, associate executive director-treasurer for N.C. Baptists, celebrated the results of the evaluation. 

“This engagement survey indicates that the staff serving N.C. Baptists is building the kind of culture every church hopes to have,” Upshaw said. “N.C. Baptist staff not only desires to see a movement of churches on mission together, they are also modeling that same ‘on mission together’ spirit.”

This certification marks the second consecutive year N.C. Baptists have achieved “Best Christian Workplace” status. In March 2022, N.C. Baptists announced similar survey results, with 96% of staff participating in the assessment.

“N.C. Baptists are a movement of churches on mission together,” said Todd Unzicker, executive-director treasurer for N.C. Baptists. “Together is not a word that’s often used to describe American culture today. What’s even more sad, it’s a word that many wouldn’t use to describe Christians. The Best Christian Workplaces certification shows N.C. Baptist churches that their staff is ‘together’ and they do their work with excellence.”

The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina was established in 1830 as a way for churches to accomplish more for God’s kingdom by working together. The convention’s purpose is “to assist the churches in their divinely appointed mission,” according to its articles of incorporation.

“Being a part of this convention means taking the gospel and Jesus’ mission seriously, but not ourselves,” Unzicker said. “We are one team, with one mission, and this staff does this with excellence as they seek to serve N.C. Baptist churches.”