We all long for homes where we can thrive and flourish. What does it take to have a spiritually vibrant household?Don Everts invites us to contemplate what the Bible says about households and consider what a new research project has revealed by pulling back the curtains on everyday households of faith. Original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries shows that some of the healthiest, most vibrant homes extend beyond the nuclear family and include people that may not be biologically related but feel like family. These households have vital practices of spirituality, hospitality, and community that make them delightful places for living and thriving.In the end you might just be surprised by how God wants to work in and through your household. And you'll have practical steps for nurturing a vibrant household of faith, no matter what stage of life you are in.



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: Brooke Hempell, Senior VP, Research, Barna Group



Introduction: Why Do We Get So Emotional About Home?



1. Homelife: Recognizing the Spiritual Significance of the Mundane



2. Households: Unpacking How the Bible Sees Our Homes



3. Vibrancy: Pulling Back the Curtain on Spiritually Vibrant Homes



4. Messy Prayers: Helping Our Households Relate to God



5. Loud Tables: Helping Our Households Have Spiritual Conversations



6. Open Doors: Helping Our Households Extend Hospitality



Conclusion: When Did I Become So Hopeful About Home?



Acknowledgements



Appendix 1: Research Partners



Appendix 2: Research Methodology



Appendix 3: Definitions



Notes



"In The Spiritually Vibrant Home, Don Everts provides an informative and empowering tool to maximize our relationships for gospel influence. He reminds us that spiritual vitality is shaped not primarily through institutional exertion but by our little personal orbits impacting people in meaningful ways. If you want to discover authentic pathways to get people connected to Jesus, let The Spiritually Vibrant Home inspire you and guide you."



"If you only have time to read one book this year on energizing your family's spiritual life, read this one. Since I finished The Spiritually Vibrant Home, I have found myself talking about the content and quoting it every day. I love the blend of quality research by the Barna Group and the excellent practical insight of Don Everts. You will find real hope and understanding to help your family thrive spiritually."



"This book provides Christians with a roadmap to developing intentional rhythms that nurture their spirit, honor their heavenly Father, and pass on their faith to the next generation."



"Everts has done it once again! He has woven together the great data-driven research of Barna with crisp biblical analysis and topped it off with illustrative material from his life that makes the possibility of passing on the faith within households come alive for the reader. Like all Everts's writing, I come away encouraged to live in ways that I can now see concretely."



"Nothing drains the joy out of home quite like the stress of wanting to do it right. Don rescues his readers from duty and fear with low-barrier, accessible insights backed by solid research. Scripture and his own family story come together with a few simple practices to give us more hope for home, and for the spiritual vitality we find when our households welcome the messy, loud, and unpredictable adventure of friendship with Jesus."