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 confirmedin 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.



Don Everts is the senior pastor at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Missouri, and has been serving in ministry for over thirty years—on campus with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and in the local church with the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. He is also an award-winning author who has published over twenty books including Jesus with Dirty Feet, I Once Was Lost, and The Spiritually Vibrant Home. An avid reader, frequenter of rocking chairs, and amateur chicken farmer, Don and his wife, Wendy, have three adult children and live in a home solidly built in 1887.



Foreword: David Kinaman



Introduction: Living Above Place

1. Pursue the Common Good: The Shared Work of All Humans

2. Use Every Gift: The Process of Blessing Your Neighborhood

3. Love Everyone Always: The Power of Grace in Tough Seasons

4. Give God Glory: The Joy of Promoting God's Brand

5. Join the Revolution: The Hope of Uniting Around the Common Good

Conclusion: This Little Patch of Ground



Acknowledgments

Appendix 1: Research Partners

Appendix 2: Research Methodology

Appendix 3: Definitions

Notes