Churchless by George Barna and David Kinnaman

I typically enjoy reading Barna books.

This one left me wanting. After reading other reviews on Amazon, it must just be me but, it seems like I've read all this information before from them.

I know that America is post-Christian in the culture and that many churchless people view the church as out of touch and judgmental. These were covered in great detail in previous Barna books.

The only new information I could find was the bit about advertising/promoting your church and how the ways don't work anymore.

For instance, churches shouldn't make unsolicited phone calls if they expect the average "churchless" person to start coming. The basic mailer won't work either. (Surprise, surprise. Most mail goes in the trash)

The answer, according the Barna's research, is to find a need in the community and meet that need. Maybe it's a matter of everyone know's the answer but nobody's doing it so they feel the need to repeat it.

I must be in the minority after reading this but this was not a great read from the Barna Group. It felt like rehashing the same data we've read before.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Tyndale.

Futurecast by George Barna

George Barna has revealed new research on how our behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs are shaping our future.

Inside Futurecast, Barna uses his polling data to explain a number of topics in America:

Our Lifestyles and Aspirations
Our Family Life
Our Attitudes and Values
Media, Technology and Entertainment
Our Religious Beliefs
Our Religious Behavior
Institutional Faith
Our Profile.

Barna explains what his polling and questionnaires reveal about our culture and how each generation is altering the American landscape.

Near the end, you get the feeling that Barna, as a Christian, isn't happy with the direction and he uses the final chapter to offer advice as to how we can redirect the current trends.

This book can be pretty slow with all the numerical data and percentages. Church leaders may want to take a look at the belief''s segments as they pertain to why people are leaving the current denominational church model and opting for more house-church styles.


This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Tyndale Publishers.