George Barna’s work in faith-based statistics and leadership (The Barna Group)is frequently cited as an authoritative source by the media. He has been hailed as “the most quoted person in the Christian Church today” and is widely considered one of the nation’s most influential Christian leaders.
A native New Yorker, George has filled executive roles in politics, marketing, advertising, media, research, and ministry. He founded The Barna Group in 1984 and helped it become the nation’s leading marketing research firm focused on the intersection of faith and culture. The company has served several hundred parachurch ministries and thousands of Christian churches throughout the country. It has also supplied research to numerous corporations and non-profit organizations, as well as the US Navy and US Army.
After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two Master’s degrees from Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he was awarded the Eagleton Fellowship. He also received a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. George is a popular speaker at ministry conferences around the world and has taught at Pepperdine and Biola Universities and several seminaries. Barna served as a pastor of a large, multi-ethnic church and has been involved in several church start-ups.
George has written 48 books, mostly addressing leadership, trends, church health and spiritual development. They include best-sellers such Revolution, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, The Frog in the Kettle, and The Power of Vision. He has published more than 100 articles and writes a bi-weekly research report (The Barna Update) accessed by more than a million people each year through his firm’s website (www.barna.org).
