George Barna
Born	1955[1] New York City, USA
Alma mater	Boston College, Rutgers University, Dallas Baptist University
Occupation	pollster, market researcher, founder of The Barna Group[1]
Religious beliefs	Baptist[1]
Spouse(s)	Nancy Barna[2]
Children	Samantha, Corban, Christine[2]

George Barna (born 1955) is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture. He also serves as the chair for Good News Holdings, a media distribution outlet.

The Barna Group conducts opinion polls, which are generally interpreted from an evangelical perspective, and often cited within evangelical circles. His research has revealed "a radical gap between what we heard Christians professing they believed and the values and the lifestyle that grew out of the values." ^[3]

Contents 1 Background 2 Findings 3 Selected Publications 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Background

Barna grew up a Catholic in Princeton, New Jersey, but has since converted to evangelical Christianity. ^[3] He graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology (along with a minor or secondary focus in religion), and holds two master's degrees from Rutgers University and a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University.

Barna leads seminars for church leaders, speaks at ministry conferences, has taught at seminaries, and has been a pastor. As an author, he has written more than three dozen books on contemporary Christian issues, with topics ranging from worldviews, trends and children to church life, spiritual growth and leadership. He also writes columns which are published on the website of The Barna Group. As a result of his work, Barna has coined several terms, including:

• Mosaic Generation – the demographic profile of those born between 1984 and 2002. According to Barna, this generation is "very mosaic in every aspect of their life." He continues, "There's no attribute that really dominates like you might have seen with prior generations." Barna also describes this group as "comfortable with contradiction", "post-modern" and exhibiting "non-linear" thinking.
• Theolographics – the theological perspectives and applications of people;
• Spiritainment – a portmanteau which refers to the blending of spirituality and entertainment, toward influencing people's spiritual perspectives.

He is married to Nancy Barna, and they have three adopted daughters — two from Guatemala, one from Russia.

[edit] Findings

Barna is known for providing extensive surveys regarding Christianity and the state of the church. Among his findings that have generated substantial interest or controversy in recent years include:

• children are the most important population segment to minister to because of their spiritual vulnerability;
• Protestant churches are generally ineffective vessels for evangelism and discipleship;^{[citation needed]}
• most Protestant pastors are neither called to nor competent in leadership;^{[citation needed]}
• less than one out of every ten born again adults possess a Biblical world view;
• every church engages in marketing, but few do it well;^{[citation needed]}
• mass media has the most dramatic effect on people's behavior and beliefs;
• alternative forms of church life — including house churches — are growing rapidly;
• a growing group of spiritually devout Christians, known as Revolutionaries, are embracing a post-congregational narrative that is reshaping spiritual life in the U.S.;^{[citation needed]}
• most "church growth" is simply the recycling of church-goers from one congregation to another.^{[citation needed]}
• divorce rate amongst born-again Christians is significantly higher than that for atheist/agnostics^[4]. A more recent 2008 Barna report shows a closer divorce rate gap between born-again Christians (32% had been divorced) and atheist/agnostics (30% had been divorced). ^[5].

[edit] Selected Publications

• Pagan Christianity
• Revolution
• The Frog in the Kettle
• The Power of Vision
• Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
• The Seven Faith Tribes

[edit] See also

• Christian conservative
• Christian fundamentalism

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• About George Barna
• Interview with Barna
• Pagan Christianity Website