Barna Group is a visionary research and resource company located in Ventura, California. Started in 1984, Barna Group seeks to provide people with credible knowledge and clear thinking, enabling them to navigate a complex and changing culture. During its nearly three decades of work, Barna Group has carefully and strategically tracked the role of faith in America, developing one of the nation’s most comprehensive databases on spiritual indicators.
Barna Group's work is relied upon by media, churches and educational institutions for insight into matters of faith and contemporary society. Its public opinion research is frequently quoted in major media outlets, such as USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Dallas Morning News, and The Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, Barna Group has worked with thousands of non-profit organizations and churches across the country, including many Protestant and Catholic congregations, denominations, and faith leaders. Some of its notable clients have included the Salvation Army, World Vision, Compassion, the American Bible Society, and Habitat for Humanity. It has also served mainstream business and non-profit leaders at organizations like SONY, Walden Media, Easter Seals, CARE, the ONE Campaign, the Humane Society, the Gates Foundation and NBC Universal.
Carol Howard Merritt is a pastor who has served Presbyterian (USA) Churches in the swamps of Cajun Louisiana, a bayside village in Rhode Island, and an urban neighborhood in Washington D.C. She is the award-winning author of Tribal Church (The Alban Institute, 2007) and Reframing Hope (The Alban Institute, 2010), and has contributed to numerous books, websites, magazines, and journals. She blogs at the Christian Century and co-hosts God Complex Radio, a podcast with Derrick Weston. Carol lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee as a full-time writer and speaker.
