Righteous Brood: Making the Mission of God a Family Story

by Hugh Halter, Dave Ferguson (Foreword), Sue Ferguson (Foreword)

IS OUR GOAL TO RAISE RELIGIOUS KIDS, OR ARE WE HOPING FOR SOMETHING MORE?

Our kids are growing up in a mass church exodus. A life attending church and following religious rules isn’t big enough to hold their attention—and why should it be? Do we want our kids to just go to church, or do we want them to truly follow Jesus? As Christian parents, most of us long for our children to know the God who loves them and who is able to work powerfully in their lives and in the lives of those around them.

Missional leader and father Hugh Halter invites your family to live a bigger story—a story with the mission of God at its heart. With key tools and practical advice gleaned from Hugh’s own parenting journey, Righteous Brood equips parents at all stages—and with all kinds of challenges—to nurture disciples of Jesus who live out his mission in the world.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

ENDORSEMENTS

Righteous Brood is the book I would have loved to have when we began our missional journey as a family. It unapologetically unpacks the challenges of family life in today’s world and provides a clear, concise, and practical toolkit for any family wanting to join God in his mission in the world.
—BREE MILLS, mother; coach; speaker; director and founding partner, Micro Churches Australia; leader, The Village, Melbourne, a micro church network church plant

Righteous Brood should be included in every microchurch and traditional church training. Microchurch life is solely based on doing the mission of God as an extended spiritual family, and Hugh has given us a manual and a devotional for how to do it and how not to do it.
—ROB AND MICHELLE WEGNER, leaders of Kansas City Underground; North American regional director, NewThing; co-author, The Starfish and the Spirit

I have known the Halters for over twenty years, and they are the real deal! They have lived out the principles in this book and as a result have created a family that truly lives on mission. Righteous Brood is a must-read for any family that desires to have a positive impact, both inside and outside of their home. This book is filled with practical ideas that will help parents foster healthy missional rhythms. The church desperately needs the perspective that Righteous Brood gives to those who aim to follow Jesus.
—LAUREN AND DAVE RUNYON, co-founder and director of CityUnite; co-author, The Art of Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door; parents of four children

Hugh and Cheryl have learned to raise kids by creating a family ethos, where they love their neighbor, exhibit the kingdom, and live in the messiness of life with others. What you hold in your hand is not a prescription for parenting but culture-building principles that steward and disciple young Jesus-people. If parenting is more art than science, then this book gives you the tools, colors, and creativity to begin painting the young canvases you are helping to create.
—L.

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2023

About the author

Hugh Halter is a pastor and popular author of numerous books including Flesh, The Tangible Kingdom, And, Sacrilege, and Primer. Hugh and Cheryl are presently enjoying the spoils of empty nest living but love to use their ranch as a haven of celebration, hospitality, and friendship to the lost and least on the south side of Denver.

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a preview copy from the author. An excellent read for parents who want their children to gain a deeper relationship with God, each other, and their neighbor.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Righteous Brood by Hugh Halter is an adventure of a book!

"God’s mission flows from our normal life, as we run with a limp. The beautiful thing about making the mission of God a family story is that it not only makes room for the broken, but it assumes we are broken. Said another way: When you sign up your family to live for God’s purposes in the world, brokenness isn’t something that hinders mission; brokenness is the bedrock of mission." Hugh Halter, The Righteous Brood

I’ve read a lot of books on parenting and the family, but this one is my favorite. It’s not a manual on how to keep your kids safe. It’s more of a manual on raising children who will intuitively live as a poured-out drink offering to the world.

The Righteous Brood will challenge you and your family to think about the role of family in missional living. It’s not just about getting our kids through adolescence and hope they love Jesus on the other end; it’s about living life together as a family of missional practitioners that allows our lives to be used by God to change the world. Hugh does a great job in using examples from his own family to pave a pathway forward.

I highly recommend this book for any family seeking to live out a missional spiritually, or anyone who wants to be more intentional about raising their children in a way that honors Christ and His Kingdom. The book is full of wisdom and insight about what it means to raise children who are actively involved in the cause of Christ—and it also includes great reflection questions at the end of each chapter so you can go through it with a group friends or small group and talk about how you can apply these principles in your home.

I really enjoyed this book. The Halter family and their story has been so helpful and a blessing to my family as we sought out how to live out a missional, Jesus-centered lifestyle at home and in our community.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of good stories in this, and I really love his tone and overall ethos -- following Jesus and leading a family in doing that means welcoming the other and being driven by love. I also recognize that this book is about the author's own family, so I don't want in any way to detract from that. I think my disappointment with this book, though, is that it inadequately addresses the pain and challenge of kids of parents in ministry. I agree with his statement that we shouldn't make our families into idols. Yet I know enough people in ministry -- and know my own inclinations -- to be aware that this is not typically the primary temptation. More often, the temptation is to see ourselves as the ones God is using. It's a temptation to be the hero in some missional adventure. This doesn't mean that only single or childless people should be in ministry. It can also be an amazing, shaping gift for kids to work alongside their parents in serving those in need. It for sure has been for me. Yet it's not only good. And I think we need more acknowledgement of that in these kinds of books. Sometimes it all works out. Kids stay connected to the church -- they maybe even stay active in ministry themselves. But there can be resentments that linger. And in other cases the damage caused by Christians -- using parents, neglecting children -- can lead to deep wounds.

[Paul Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugh Halter’s Righteous Brood challenges the typical modern Christian family’s approach to faith, arguing that true discipleship extends beyond weekly church attendance into an intentional, mission-driven lifestyle. He critiques the cultural idols of individualism, consumerism, and materialism, challenging families to raise children who actively follow Jesus rather than simply conforming to societal expectations of success, safety, and stability.

The book emphasizes the importance of living out faith through community, contribution, and sharing, highlighting the necessity of modeling Christ’s love within the family. Halter offers a countercultural vision of parenting—one that prepares children to engage the world as servant-hearted followers of Jesus rather than passive churchgoers. His insights into the “upside-down kingdom” call readers to a deeper trust in God, especially in discomfort and sacrifice. I appreciate Halter’s emphasis on authenticity, community, and mission, making this a valuable read for parents who want to cultivate transformative faith in their families.

[Summer Cromartie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing and perfect for where we are as a family right now. I love his transparency about how imperfect he is and how imperfect his situation has been. His hope is to encourage people to leave behind the goals of "Metroville" (think Stepford Wives and kids) and step into the true abundant life that God calls us to: a missional, messy, meaningful existence that draws us and others to Christ. BOY, I want that for me and my family. I also love how he touched on families who have someone with a disability; it can make missional living seem impossible, but it can be a great opportunity to see God move.
I can't recommend this book enough. It's so relatable and honest; we need more of that.

[Daniel Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Always a fan of Hugh Halter, this book doesn't disappoint. I am buying physical copies to hand out to new dads.