George Barna - The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter

Youd think after writing more than forty books Id have figured out the process and this one would have been a breeze.

Well, I havent and it wasnt.

Im not complaining, but this book was a bear to write. First, there was the massive amount of data to plow through and try to make sense of. Then there were the divergent tracks of thought regarding what to do about these seven tribes whose worldviews and behavior are so different. Add to that the sociopolitical realities of the United States you know, the fact that the country is dying a painful death and nobody seems to have much of a solution. And, of course, concurrent to working on the book, the other dimensions of my life stubbornly marched on our family (three teenage girls), my company (can you say declining economy?), the church I lead (pray, people, pray!), and other responsibilities.

So as you can imagine, being able to churn out two hundredplus pages of text could not have been done in isolation. I am eager to thank those who encouraged me and made this book possible.

My team at The Barna Group, the research firm my wife and I started twenty-five years ago, has been stellar. David Kinnaman has run the company with skill and passion. He assumed extra duties, beyond his own insane inventory of obligations and opportunities, in order to relieve me a bit. Terry Gorka brought a laugh to my life each day while managing the details of our organization (and playing some great guitar licks). Pam Jacob crunched more data for me than you can imagine and with a great attitude to boot! Celeste Rivera kept taking care of our customers without even complaining that I was sequestered elsewhere creating more resources for her to fulfill. Lisa Morter consistently did everything we asked and needed of her and still had time to encourage me along the way. This is a great group of people with whom I am blessed to serve. I am grateful for their prayers and their partnership.

My church has been very supportive. Thank you to my good friends and fellow faith explorers: the Tice family (Tim, Tia, Josh, Lindsey, and Whitney), the Woodruff family (Jack, Jana, Brenton, Parker, Nolan, and Carter), and the Schultz family (Bill, Amy, Ryan, Renae, and Janine). I am grateful for your prayers and encouragement.

My publishing partners have been terrific too. My literary agent, Esther Fedorkevich, has been a superb guiding light throughout the process. Esthers feedback and affirmation were crucial in the development of this project. (I do feel bad for her husband, Jimmy, who was made to suffer through various drafts of the manuscript. Thanks, Jimmy, I owe ya....)

My friends at Tyndale have been wonderful as well. Those with whom I have worked most closely on the composition stages of this project have been patient, insightful, and supportive. This group includes Jan Long Harris, Doug Knox, Lisa Jackson, and Sharon Leavitt. Its gratifying to know that you are appreciated and prayed for by your publisher. It would be great if this book meets or exceeds their expectations: they deserve it.

Last, but never least, is my family. My wife, Nancy, has been through this drill many times, but she has remained married to me anyway. In this case, she juggled constant crises and challenges while I locked myself in the office to peck at the keyboard (yes, I type with two fingers). I dont know how she survived some of the ordeals that ravaged our family during this writing period, but she was a tower of strength and wisdom. In between handling family issues and ministry matters, she found time and energy to read (and sometimes reread) chapters or sections of the manuscript. Talk about enslavement! Must be love.... And my daughters, none of whom wants to follow in my footsteps (see: wisdom), were kind enough to regularly ask how it was going and when I would finally be done. All of my girls gave up a lot of Dad time during the weeks when I was writing and rewriting this book time with them that I will never get back. That is perhaps the greatest sadness to me about writing: the sacrifice of time and shared experiences with my children and wife. Lord, please vindicate their gift to me by using this book to transform lives and culture. Thank you, Nancy, Samantha, Corban, and Christine, for supporting and surrendering me for a while and then welcoming me back into the fold when it was all done. I love you all dearly.