The Pittsburgh-based campus ministry organization Coalition for Christian Outreach has been named one of America's Best Christian Workplaces for the sixth year in a row.

"CCO is perennially on top of the list. This year they have even improved over previous years," said Al Lopus, president of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute in Mercer Island, Wash., the workplace consulting group that conducts the survey. He founded his group to combat the often all-too-true image of Christian organizations as places where workers were underpaid and given little opportunity to shape the vision and culture of their workplace.

The Coalition for Christian Outreach, whose office is in East Liberty, was among 10 organizations named in the "parachurch and mission" category, although those 10 were not ranked.

The list is based on a voluntary 56-question survey of employees, and requires at least 95 percent participation of the staff. Some well known organizations named along with the Coalition were Crown Financial Ministries, which helps people with personal finances; Joni & Friends, a ministry to disabled people; and Open Doors with Brother Andrew, which supports mission work in countries where it is illegal or dangerous.

Vince Burens, vice president of the Coalition for Christian Outreach, said everyone there was excited to make the list again. He believes the high ratings stem from shared vision.

"The people who work for us are very compelled by our mission which is transforming college students to transform the world," he said. "We help college students apply their faith to all areas of their life. Our hope is that students who are in our ministries for four years would know not just how to apply their faith on Sunday morning, but have a real sense of how to apply it to their vocation, their families, the environment, politics."

Although the award is gratifying, the reason the Coalition participates each year is that "it's an opportunity for an internal audit, to have your staff anonymously evaluate your work" so that weak areas can be identified and improved, he said.

The Coalition's standing is especially noteworthy because its workers are required to raise at least half their own salaries by seeking donations. Salaries start at $27,000 and don't even flirt with six figures, Mr. Burens said.

Despite that, its workers have doubled over five years to 215, nearly all of whom serve on campuses. This year about 200 people will apply to work for the Coalition, which will accept about 35, Mr. Burens said.

The Coalition scored very high in several areas including ongoing training and staff development, Mr. Lopus said. There was also a high level of trust between senior management and employees, he said.

Its top score was for encouraging workers "to experiment and be innovative," Mr. Lopus said.

One example was a project a worker initiated at Duquesne University to provide assistance to the distressed Hazelwood neighborhood. It not only involved students who participate in Coalition activities, but enlisted resources of the university itself, he said.

Coalition employees feel they have a voice in shaping the organization, Mr. Lopus said.

For instance, five years ago many staff members -- most just out of college -- said they would like to work for the Coalition long term, but didn't believe that would allow them to save for retirement. In response, the Coalition created a benefits package that included a 401K retirement account.

Now that workers are staying past the old three- to five-year average, the Coalition has doubled in size and expanded its geographical reach beyond the Tri-State area to stretch from Staten Island, N.Y. down to southern Virginia, Mr. Burens said.

"We are really seeing that trend of people staying on and making this a vocation, as we experience explosive growth," he said.