Feels Like Home, by Lee Eclov

Long-time pastor Lee Eclov points out that the Bible uses many metaphors to describe the church: the bride, the field, the temple, the body.  But "God's household is the very definition of the church.  We're not like a household or family.  We are one."  In Feels Like Home: How Rediscovering the Church as Family Changes Everything, Eclov challenges the church to live up to this calling, to be the family of God--and act like it.

Unlike a biological family, physical resemblance doesn't mark the church family.  Rather, "among Christians our distinguishing family feature is this: 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.'"  Our problem is that, like virtually any other human endeavor, we tend to be numbers driven.  Eclov writes, "The Bible never tells us to grow our churches bigger, but it tells us again and again to love one another. . . . Still, it's much easier to count noses than to measure love."

One of the weakness of Feels Like Home is that Eclov never satisfactorily answers the question of church growth.  He writes, "The larger our church grows the harder it is to keep track of people who slip away quietly."  He calls on churches to deemphasize numerical growth, and offers ideas on having smaller groups within the congregation in which the functions of a family can be seen, but his model and mindset seem to stay away from the culture of the megachurch.

That said, Eclov's emphasis on family life, corporate prayer, and the natural evangelism that emerges in Christian community is right on.  Like Eclov, I have seen numerous examples of people whose lives have been changed and who have become Christians as a result of being connected to a church family.  Eclov is right, a church that feels like home is "a gospel miracle."

The bottom line is that church leaders must resist thinking of a congregation as an organization, and remember that the church is first and foremost God's family.  Any Christian who has experienced this--and hopefully you do, every single Sunday and many days between Sundays--can attest to the truth of this. 


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!