David Kinnaman

Discover What's Working and Find HopeNegative perceptions. Church dropouts. Prodigals and nomads. It's easy to get discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. Yet what's going right? In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. In Faith for Exiles, the author of unChristian and You Lost Me unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working--five practices that contribute to resilience. Enter the world of resilient young adult Christians and learn how they are sustaining faith. Finally, you can find hope in all that God is doing among young disciples today.Caught Between CulturesIn a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship. Faith for Exiles reveals findings from a groundbreaking three-year research study of young Christians whose faith remains resilient even in exile. Barna president David Kinnaman teams up with former executive director of Youth Specialties Mark Matlock to help you:• Make sense of chaotic cultural changes and respond with compassion to the next generation of believers• Recognize the biblical concept of exile as an essential framework for following Christ today• Discover five research-based practices that cultivate faithfulness in digital Babylon• Prepare young Christians to be on mission with Jesus in the world• Empower Jesus followers of all ages to thrive in our current exile

Sharing the Gospel Amid Today’s Most Pressing Challenges and Questions In a culture whose needs and obstacles to faith are continuously shifting, Christians are wise to ask themselves: How do we share and defend the gospel with relevance for today?Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture is a practical how-to guide for conveying and upholding the Christian faith in our contemporary cultural context. With contributions from 23 leading voices in Christian apologetics and six in-depth expert interviews, this empowering resource addresses both classic and new apologetics issues, helping you engage confidently with non-Christians with guidance from a diverse group of seasoned apologists converse biblically and effectively on pressing issues including the mental health crisis, contemporary critical theory, deconstruction, gender narratives, and more learn practical skills for defending the faith online, teaching apologetics to the next generation, doing apologetics in the church, and helping people through doubt Suitable for both individual and group study, this relationally-driven guide will help you honor God and love others better as you engage today’s issues with truth, wisdom, and compassion.

It may surprise you to know that the majority of non-Christians are not hostile to the faith or looking for a fight. In fact, most are open and even curious about spiritual matters. Yet evangelism training and apologetic resources are often geared toward knowing what to say to hardcore atheists and evolutionists, who make up less than 10 percent of the unchurched population.If you're ready to have respectful and fruitful spiritual conversations with your spiritually curious friends, neighbors, and family members, Mark Matlock offers this research-based approach. He shows you how to· create a church culture that is open to spiritual exploration and discovery· help foster meaningful connections to Jesus and his Church· start spiritual conversations and break through common communication barriers· bridge the gap between traditional Christianity and the modern spiritual climate· and much more

For anyone who feels the weight of injustice, trauma, and suffering, the founder of the Jude 3 Project invites you to discover how to find hope when you can't make sense of the pain. Living as a Black woman in America, Lisa Victoria Fields understands the tension of relying on God in a broken world. While pursuing her calling in full-time Christian ministry--an often white, male-dominated vocation--she saw the contentions many people have with Christianity. She heard the theological questions, but instead of arguing for her faith, she listened to the barriers and heard the pain in their hearts: Why doesn't God protect me from suffering and injustice? Others don't seem to think I have value--does God? Now, in her debut book, Fields shows us how emotional pain--often more than theological concerns--is at the root of our doubt. She invites us to bring our deepest soul questions to this journey as she explores: - Seven pain points that might be keeping us from faith: a lack of personhood, peace, provision, pleasure, purpose, protection, and power - Honest talk about how Christianity doesn't seem to meet our very valid needs - Why wrestling with God doesn't negate our faith but instead deepens it - What it looks like to allow God to bring healing to our pain so we can see Him and others more clearly Through vulnerable storytelling and thoughtful use of Scripture, Fields tends to our hurting hearts and offers hope and resolve. She helps us move forward as we cling to a faith that brings us back to the truth of Christianity--not despite the pain of this world but in light of it.

How can pastors become resilient in a rapidly changing world? Is it possible to love well and lead faithfully? In the wake of crises that have exposed and accelerated massive cultural shifts, we see more clearly the seismic shifts of post-Christendom, the surging storms of a new paganism and pluralism, and the scattered debris of the cultural aftermath.Drawing on new research from the Barna Group, Scripture, and church history, pastor, theologian, and researcher Glenn Packiam addresses some of the most pressing questions for today's leaders, including- What is a pastor's calling and vocation? - How do church leaders regain credibility in a disillusioned world?- How do church leaders cultivate a deeper life with God?- How do pastors develop meaningful relationships?- Why does the church gather in worship? Does it still matter if we do?- How do we actually make disciples in this new landscape? - How can we face the challenges to unity presented by nationalism and racism? - What is the church's mission in the world?- How do we welcome the presence and power of God in our churches?This book is for all who are burdened by the challenges facing the church as well as the turbulence of our times. With infographics, enlightening data, and insights from other ministry leaders, this book is the perfect resource for church leaders who want to cultivate resilience in their ministry today.

What makes people lonely? And how can Christian communities better minister to the lonely? In The Loneliness Epidemic, behavioral scientist and researcher Susan Mettes explores those questions and more. Guided by current research from Barna Group, Mettes illustrates the profound physical, emotional, and social toll of loneliness in the United States. Surprisingly, her research shows that it is not the oldest Americans but the youngest adults who are loneliest and that social media can actually play a positive role in alleviating loneliness. Mettes highlights the role that belonging, friendship, closeness, and expectations play in preventing it. She also offers meaningful ways the church can minister to lonely people, going far beyond simplistic solutions--like helping them meet new people--to addressing their inner lives and the God who understands them.With practical and highly applicable tips, this book is an invaluable tool for anyone--ministry leaders, parents, friends--trying to help someone who feels alone. Readers will emerge better able to deal with their own loneliness and to help alleviate the loneliness of others. Foreword by Barna Group president David Kinnaman.

What should I do with my life? Whether you're just starting out on your journey or you've found yourself at a crossroads and feel the need to change direction, each of us wants to know what our purpose is on this earth. We want our work and our lives to have meaning and impact far beyond our immediate context. But how do you know what you were meant to do? And once you know . . . then what?Based solidly in the most up-to-date Barna research, You on Purpose offers you a clear and simple 4-step process for discovering and carrying out your calling with confidence:Define: set your intention for what you want to achieveDiscover: dig deep into who and where you areDecide: narrow your choices and zero in on your callingDo: start acting on your calling, one step at a timeEach chapter dismantles a common myth about calling, replacing it with truth born from solid, current research. If you long to discover your unique place in the world, this book will help you catch that vision and make a plan to pursue it.

A proven plan to raise sons of integrity, faith, and consequenceDads today are often overwhelmed with both the responsibility and the complexity of raising sons in this challenging culture. At the same time self-initiation is killing our young men. Without strong mentors, boys are walking alone into a wilderness of conflicting messages about who they should be as men.The Intentional Father is a helpful antidote, filled with practical steps to help men raise sons of consequence--young men who know what they believe, know who they are, and will stand up against the negative cultural trends of our day. Jon Tyson lays out a clear path for fathers and sons that includes? guiding principles? intentional steps to take? questions to think about? stats, charts, and data visualizationsIt's not enough to hope our sons will become good men. We need them to be good at being men. This book shows new dads and fathers, grandfathers, and other male mentors how to lead the way.A great dad book for Father's Day gift ideas for a new dad, dad to be, first time father, or husband!

Christians need a compelling way to share their faith that combines the timeless practices of Jesus with timely perspectives about our post-everything era.In a post-Christian, post-modern, post-truth society where Jesus followers aren't often well regarded, modern evangelism methods and efforts are eroding and increasingly ineffective. Christians often talk more than we listen, confront when we should converse, and demand that people believe before they belong.Author and Executive Director of Alpha US Craig Springer believes that reaching non-Christians is possible, but only if we are willing to shift our perspectives, abandon ineffective methodologies, and consider the unique cultural moment in which we live.In How to Revive Evangelism, he shares the often-overlooked evangelistic approaches of Jesus himself and demonstrates how returning to these fundamentals are the key to reviving evangelism in the 21st century. Incorporating groundbreaking and often startling data, Springer offers Christians seven shifts in how to share their faith--with friends and family members, neighbors and coworkers--that create greater potential for life change and interest in Jesus.

Are you tired of hearing people dismiss the church as an irrelevant relic? (Do you secretly wonder if they are right?) Don Everts explores an exciting reality that is revealed in Scripture, shown throughout history, and confirmed in the latest research: when Christians pursue the common good of the neighborhood, the world stands up and notices. It turns out this is exactly what we're called to do. When Christians make good things, we bring blessings and hope to our local community. With original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries on how Christians relate to our neighborhoods, this book is filled with constructive, practical ways that Christians and churches bless those around us. As Christians join together for the common good, we bring hope to the world, credibility to the church, and glory to God.

There's more to college than classes, credits, and a nonstop social life. It's more than getting a degree to improve one's job prospects. College is a time where students develop into the adults they will be for the rest of their lives, a time to explore the big questions about life and human destiny, a time when they form their character and faith.The perfect gift for high school graduation, Make College Count helps students make the most of their time in college. It encourages young people to ask important questions of themselves, such asWhy are you going to college?What kind of person do you want to be?How do you want your life to influence others?With whom will you surround yourself?What do you believe?and more

Many Christians today feel overwhelmed as they try to live faithfully in a culture that seems increasingly hostile to their beliefs. Politics, marriage, sexuality, religious freedom--with an ever-growing list of contentious issues, believers find it harder than ever to hold on to their convictions while treating their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even family members who disagree with respect and compassion. This isn't just a problem that affects individual Christians; if left unaddressed, the growing gap between the faithful and society's tolerance for public faith will have lasting consequences for the church in America.Now the bestselling authors of unChristian turn their data-driven insights toward the thorny question of how Christians talk with people they know and love about the most toxic issues of our day. They help today's disciples understand what they believe and why, and how to keep believing it without being judgmental and defensive. Readers will discover the most significant trends that offer both obstacles and opportunities to God's people, and how not only to challenge culture but to create and renew it for the common good. Perhaps most importantly, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons invite fellow Christians to understand the heart behind opposing views and show them how to be loving, life-giving friends despite profound differences. This will be the go-to book for young adult and older believers who don't want to hide from culture but to engage and restore it.

Is the Church Losing the Next Generation?More than half of all Christian teens and twentysomethings leave active involvement in church. Based on research conducted by the Barna Group, You Lost Me exposes ways the Christian community has failed to equip young adults to live "in but not of" the world--to follow Christ in the midst of profound cultural change. This wide-ranging study debunks persistent myths about young dropouts and examines the likely consequences for young adults and for the church if we maintain the status quo. The faith journeys of the next generation are a challenge to the established church, but they can also be a source of hope for the community of faith. Kinnaman, with the help of contributors from across the Christian spectrum, offers ideas for pastors, youth leaders, parents, and educators to pass on a vibrant, lasting faith, and ideas for young adults to find themselves in wholehearted pursuit of Christ.

David Kinnaman trains his researcher's eye on these young believers and reveals the factors that contribute to the dropout problem. You Lost Me shows why Christians ages 18 to 29 are leaving the church and rethinking their commitment to the faith.Based on new research conducted by the Barna Group, You Lost Me exposes ways the Christian community has failed to equip young adults to live 'in but not of' the world--to follow Christ in the midst of profound cultural change. This wide-ranging study debunks persistent myths about young dropouts and examines the likely consequences for young adults and for the church if we maintain the status quo. The faith journeys of the next generation are a challenge to the established church, but they can also be a source of hope for the community of faith. Kinnaman, with the help of contributors from across the Christian spectrum, offers ideas for pastors, youth leaders, parents, and educators to pass on a vibrant, lasting faith, and ideas for young adults to find themselves in wholehearted pursuit of Christ.

Close to 60 percent of young Christians who went to church as teens drop out after high school. In You Lost Me, the bestselling coauthor of unChristian trained his researcher's eye on Christians aged 16-29, exposing why they leave the church and rethink their faith. Now small groups can study this groundbreaking book with a new DVD and discussion guide.This DVD and discussion guide will inform, equip, and empower groups and churches to understand the unique challenges that are affecting younger Christians. It's not eough for us to know that they are dropping out and rethinking their faith; this video study and discussion guide provides key insights and practical ways that we can actively enage this generation with thoughtful conversation.

Christianity has an image problem. Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like "hypocritical," "insensitive," and "judgmental," young Americans share an impression of Christians that's nothing short of . . . unChristian.Groundbreaking research into the perceptions of people aged 16-29 reveals that Christians have taken several giant steps backward in one of their most important assignments. The surprising details of the study, commissioned by the Fermi Project and conducted by The Barna Group, are presented with uncompromising honesty in unChristian. Find out why these negative perceptions exist, learn how to reverse them in a Christlike manner, and discover practical examples of how Christians can positively contribute to culture.Now available in trade paper.

Many teenagers leave home for college but don't take their faith with them. Popular writer and speaker Sean McDowell offers a solution for this problem: a new way of approaching faith that addresses the questions the emerging generation is asking and that incorporates a radically humble and relational approach.An impressive list of contributors including Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus but Not the Church), Brian Godawa (Hollywood Worldviews), and Josh McDowell show that today's apologetics must employ...a clear connection with everyday lifean invitation for people to express their doubts and wrestle with tough questionsa culturally savvy understanding of the way secular people view Christiansan engaging methodology that captures the imagination before engaging the minda strong emphasis on the resurrection and how it changes everythingThis resource is imperative for leaders who are ready to engage a new generation with the claims of Christ.