Friday, January 11, 2008
Barna's Body Work
I love the body of Christ. I love how God structured us each to be unique yet instrumental to the overall health of His kingdom work here on earth. Paul's description of the body at work in 1 Corinthians 12 has always struck me as one of the most liberating passages in scripture—particularly for ministers. Some of us function as the eyes, constantly seeing what lies before us; some serve as the feet, traveling tirelessly to places for the gospel's sake. Others work primarily as the hands, touching those around us with the power of Christ through us.
Then there are those of us who, like George Barna, David Kinnaman and the rest of the team at the Barna Group, get to be the brains of the bunch. I'm convinced that just as the human brain has millions of fascinating, intricate parts to it that help direct the rest of the physical body, so does the body of Christ have countless individuals whose insight and wisdom help us process what the rest of the body is reporting. In my opinion, the Barna Group serves as one of those guiding forces for American Christendom. No, I'm not labeling these guys the sole geniuses of the pack—though they are brilliant. I'm just praising them for the pivotal role they play in the lives of countless pastors and church leaders looking for some help in understanding those they're called to shepherd and guide.
And on that note, I'm excited to point you to the latest Barna study released earlier this week about the changing face of American Christianity. Bottom line: It's an exciting, challenging time for charismatic and Pentecostal churches nationwide. A few of the interesting nuggets to whet your appetite:
Then there are those of us who, like George Barna, David Kinnaman and the rest of the team at the Barna Group, get to be the brains of the bunch. I'm convinced that just as the human brain has millions of fascinating, intricate parts to it that help direct the rest of the physical body, so does the body of Christ have countless individuals whose insight and wisdom help us process what the rest of the body is reporting. In my opinion, the Barna Group serves as one of those guiding forces for American Christendom. No, I'm not labeling these guys the sole geniuses of the pack—though they are brilliant. I'm just praising them for the pivotal role they play in the lives of countless pastors and church leaders looking for some help in understanding those they're called to shepherd and guide.
And on that note, I'm excited to point you to the latest Barna study released earlier this week about the changing face of American Christianity. Bottom line: It's an exciting, challenging time for charismatic and Pentecostal churches nationwide. A few of the interesting nuggets to whet your appetite:
- While only 8 percent of the overall population is considered evangelical, almost half of all evangelical adults can be described as charismatic.
- One of every four Protestant churches in the United States is charismatic.
- Among nondenominational congregations, four out of every 10 are charismatic.
