“President Obama has the support of evangelical leaders on a number of issues and initiatives,” said Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, in his analysis of the November Evangelical Leaders Survey.

When asked to name one issue on which they agree with President Obama, evangelical leaders answered with variety, listing 18 different issues of agreement, from the New START treaty and use of drones in fighting terrorism to the reduction of abortion and emphasis on fatherhood. One respondent simply stated that he agrees that Obama is the President of the United States.

“Not surprisingly, immigration was the most mentioned item of agreement,” Anderson said. In July, the NAE welcomed President Obama’s announcement to work to fix the nation’s broken immigration system. The tenets he included for comprehensive immigration reform reflected those passed by the NAE in its Immigration 2009 resolution.

Stemming from a shared concern for the poor, the need for health care reform came in second place. Yet many noted their disappointment with the legislation that passed.

Peter Borgdorff, Executive Director Emeritus of the Christian Reformed Church of North America, said, “The bill that was passed may not be perfect, and the task may not yet be done, but the President has my support for addressing a critical issue against significant political opposition.”

Various education strategies and foreign policy issues were also mentioned repeatedly.

“In the current political climate, many focus their energy on fueling issues of disagreement — people of faith included,” Anderson said. “But, I find it really interesting that evangelical leaders readily look for where we can agree and support.”

The Evangelical Leaders Survey is a monthly poll of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals. They include the CEOs of denominations and representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations including missions, universities, publishers and churches.