Lack of Disciple-Making = Lack of Cultural Impact | Dr. George Barna

Ideas Have Consequences

Are we experiencing a spiritual revival—or facing a full-blown discipleship crisis in the American church? In this powerful conversation, renowned researcher Dr. George Barna shares alarming new data and challenges us to rethink how we measure spiritual health and make disciples in a post-Christian culture.

Main Topics

• The Decline of Belief in the God of the Bible
  • The fastest-growing spiritual segment in America is now the “don’ts”—those who don’t know, don’t believe, or don’t care if God exists.
  • Barna reveals a 30-year decline in belief in the God of the Bible.
• Why Discipleship Metrics Are Failing
  • Most churches track attendance, programs, and budgets—but not spiritual transformation.
  • Barna outlines six biblical criteria for true discipleship based on Jesus’ teachings.
  • Only 1 in 10 born-again Christians actively disciples others.
• The Crucial Role of Children’s Ministry and Worldview Formation
  • A child's worldview is largely formed by age 13, starting as early as 15–18 months.
  • Only 12% of children’s pastors have a biblical worldview themselves.
  • Barna’s "Seven Cornerstones" research shows that rejecting even one foundational belief drops the likelihood of a biblical worldview from 83% to just 2%.

What if the greatest threat to the church today isn’t cultural hostility—but our failure to make true disciples?

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Chapters

1. Introduction to George Barna (00:00:00)

2. Steep Decline in Biblical Faith (00:03:16)

3. Discipleship Crisis in Churches (00:07:57)

4. Children's Ministry as Foundation (00:17:20)

5. Six Criteria of a Disciple (00:22:33)

6. Measuring Worldview vs. Beliefs (00:28:13)

7. Seven Cornerstones of Biblical Worldview (00:41:20)

8. After-show Discussion: Worldview Insights (00:47:19)

9. Conclusion and Resources (00:55:42)