George Barna has filled executive roles in politics, marketing, advertising, media development, research and ministry. He founded the Barna Research Group in 1984 (now The Barna Group) and helped it become a leading marketing research firm focused on the intersection of faith and culture before selling it in 2009. He has served several hundred parachurch ministries, several thousand Christian churches, and many other non-profit and for-profit organizations as well as the U.S. military.
Barna has written 48 books, mostly addressing leadership, social trends, spiritual development, and church dynamics. They include numerous best-sellers such as Revolution, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, The Frog and the Kettle, Pagan Christianity?, The Cause within You, and The Power of Vision. His most recent books include Maximum Faith, which discusses his ground breaking research on how God transforms people’s lives. Several of his books have received national awards and his works have been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages. He has sold more books based on survey research related to matters of faith than any author in American history. His work 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 has been named by various media as one of the nation’s most influential Christian leaders.
A popular speaker at ministry conferences around the world, he has been on the faculty at several universities and seminaries, and has served as a pastor of a large, multi-ethnic church as well as a house church, and has helped to start several churches.
After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two Master’s degrees from Rutgers University and has a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University.
George has been married to his high school sweetheart Nancy, since 1978. They have three adopted daughters and live in southern California.