Cultural turbulence is the new normal, and people crave guidance to help them live a meaningful life in the midst of a rapidly changing world. Now, Barna Group research firm and Zondervan are partnering to launch a revolutionary platform called FRAMES to address critical trends of the day. FRAMES will be an annual series of big ideas, combining softcover mini-books, ebooks, DVDs, infographics, digital and social elements, and live events. The first series debuts on January 7, 2014.

Each FRAME will tackle a crucial trend on which the church is called to speak prophetically. Contributors are experts who are passionate and informed about a particular subject, with a fresh perspective to offer. Each one will include major new research from Barna Group. The 10th FRAME in each series will be contributed by a new voice chosen through a process outlined on www.BarnaFrames.com

“Cultural analysis is the new apologetic,” says Barna Group president David Kinnaman.
“FRAMES will equip people to think differently about their lives in the midst of a complex, accelerated, digital-Babylon-like world, with practical ideas that help them make sense of the times and their calling.”

FRAMES is a new model for publishing, marrying long-form essays with visual and digital elements. Confronting the problem of information overload, the FRAMES approach offers a way into these crucial issues that will not overwhelm: “Read Less. Know More.” Each package in the series offers the essentials on one big trend—everything you need to know in a potent, shareable, simple package with helpful infographics and a clear point of view.

Season One of FRAMES will feature nine trends, with the 10th Frame to be named later:

• Greater Expectations by Claire Diaz-Ortiz, social innovation leader at Twitter, discusses finding contentment in an on-demand, all-access, always-on age.
• Multi-Careering by Bob Goff, founder of Restore International and a partner in the D.C. law firm Goff & DeWalt, looks at doing work that matters at every stage of your journey.
• Schools in Crisis by Nicole Baker Fulgham, founder and president of The Expectations Project, examines the nation’s public education crisis and how Christians can help—whether they have kids or not.
• The Hyperlinked Life by Jun Young, founder of ZUM Communications and David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, explores how to live with wisdom in an age of information overload.
• Wonder Women by Kate Harris, executive director of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture, looks at the challenges of motherhood, career and identity.
• Becoming Home by Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, shows how Christians can lead the way to solving the orphan crisis through foster care and adoption.
• Sacred Roots by Jon Tyson, lead pastor of Trinity Grace Church in New York, makes the case for why church matters.
• Fighting for Peace by Carol Howard Merritt, writer and Presbyterian pastor, and Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, Baptist pastor and founder of the Two Futures Project, a movement of Christians for the global abolition of nuclear weapons, calls for Christians to examine their comfort level with violence, and their responsibility for creating peace.
• 20 and Something by David Kim of the Center for Faith & Work at Redeemer Church in New York, looks at the new economic, relational and spiritual realities of being “twentysomething” and offers ways of finding rootedness in this unstable decade of life.

“David Kinnaman and Barna Group are the perfect partner to pioneer this fresh model for publishing and to bring readers this elegant fusion of custom research, lush digital visual assets, and terrific authors to help readers understand and even shape the zeitgeist even while improving their personal lives,” said Chip Brown, senior vice-president and publisher at Zondervan, adding, “It is especially exciting to be building a platform to help new and aspiring authors contribute to the shaping of culture.”

The FRAMES series is also looking for new voices to identify and lead conversations about other important trends. The 10th FRAME submission process will be launched at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta, October 2-4, 2013, where David Kinnaman and FRAMES author Bob Goff are speaking. Anyone can propose a 10th FRAME. Learn more at www.BarnaFrames.com and participate in conversations by following #BarnaFrames on Twitter. The person chosen to write the 10th FRAME will be invited to attend the FRAMES live event with all of the Season One authors in Los Angeles on January 29, 2014.

David Kinnaman is President of Barna Group, a research company located in Ventura, CA. Kinnaman has designed and analyzed hundreds of market research projects, and has overseen 86 nationwide studies on matters of faith, spirituality, public opinion, political attitudes, and cultural dynamics. This body of public opinion research is frequently quoted in major media outlets such as USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. Kinnaman is author of You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church…And Rethinking Faith and coauthor of the best-selling book unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. Kinnaman is represented by The Fedd Agency, www.thefeddagency.com. He speaks often on trends, vocation, leadership, and generations.

About Zondervan
Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications.  Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI.  For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.