"What a refreshing book! Imagine a church whose primary emphasis is to make people "feel at home." I wish every young pastor could read this book. Thanks, Lee, for a wonderful reminder of what the church is to be." - Erwin W. Lutzer , Pastor Emeritus, The Moody Church, Chicago Is your church acting like an organization or a home? You love your church, but you wonder if it could be more. There’s a greeting team, but is there a true spirit of welcoming? There are committees, leaders, and programs, but is there a Spirit-led vision? There are small groups, but are people truly connected? Pastor and award-winning author Lee Eclov was troubled by these questions. Then, he had a realization: he wasn’t called to lead an organization, but a family. His job was to be a "homemaker," not a CEO. This paradigm shift changed everything. In Feels Like Home, he shares what he’s learned from over 40 years of ministry about being the family of God and how to live into that beautiful reality. This short volume is full of stories of small adjustments that make a huge difference in the effectiveness, warmth, and growth of a church community. Discover how the love of a family can transform your church. Praise for Feels Like Home “What a great read Lee Eclov has given us—it’s readable, inspirational, and practical. The title of the first chapter pretty much says it all: “You Can’t Feel at Home in an Organization.” With all the past church emphasis on leadership, management, and organizational theory, it’s easy to forget what the church has been called to do, that is to create a family environment where God’s people, using their God-given talents and abilities, can share the gospel. In these circumstances evangelism becomes second nature, not a duty that makes many break out in a cold sweat. There’s good theory here and lots of practical tips you can use to make your church feel like home. Give it a try.” —BOB RUSSELL Retired Senior Minister, Southeast Christian Church; author of After Fifty Years of Ministry “It’s one thing to pay lip service to the idea of church as a family. It’s another thing entirely to reorient every part of a church around this perspective. Drawing on a lifetime of faithful pastoral ministry, Lee Eclov challenges contemporary assumptions and paints a compelling real-life picture of church as a true home. I pray that its beauty moves more leaders to boldly recapture a vision for pastoral parenting.” —ANGELA J. WARD Ministry author and teacher; writer at Church Matters; host of the Church Chat podcast “What a refreshing book! Imagine a church whose primary emphasis is to make people “feel at home.” This book is more desperately needed than ever in a day when the nuclear family is falling apart and people are seeking meaningful connections and fellowship. In short, they are seeking for a family. I wish every young pastor could read this book and be liberated from the need to keep up to date with the latest insights on church growth, church management, and church messaging. All these are important, but there is no substitute for attending a church that makes you feel at home. Thanks, Lee, for a wonderful reminder of what the church is to be.” —ERWIN W. LUTZER Pastor Emeritus, The Moody Church, Chicago “In my first groggy moments after waking up in an unfamiliar bed on vacation, nothing is more reassuring and clarifying than my wife’s voice saying, “Remember, you’re in a hotel room.” Weary church leaders will experience a similar reaction to Lee Eclov’s crucial refrain in this book: “Remember, your church is a home.” By drawing liberally from Scripture and his considerable pastoral experience, Eclov replaces dry, corporate metaphors for ministry with warm, encouraging—but never overly saccharine—stories of God’s people as a family. I especially appreciate the thoughtful and creative ways he implements these biblical concepts in his own congregation. Eclov’s pastoral heart beats on every page. I never felt like I was “eating my veggies,” but I know my understanding of church life is healthier having read this book.” —KYLE ROHANE Editor, CTPastors “Too many books on pastoral ministry set Christian leaders up to fail by promoting scale over substance, success over faithfulness. Not so in Lee Eclov’s Feels Like Home . In this excellent book, Pastor Lee reminds ministry leaders that their job is not to be CEOs of successful companies, but to lead a family of believers with Christlike love. Let this book teach, inspire, and challenge you as it did me. Most of all, let it remind you that God calls every Christian leader to be a “homemaker.”” —JARED E. ALCANTARA Associate Professor of Preaching, George W. Truett Seminary, Baylor University “A book about the church being a family—that’s not a new idea. But such a book that is not clinical or therapeutic or theological, but like a father running hard, arms flung wide, to welcome home his wayward son—maybe that’s not new either, but it’s fresh, beautiful