Welcome Home Welcome Home! A statement that has become very familiar in the church world, but also in the business and marketing world. We see furniture stores and TV stations saying This is Home, Welcome Home, and many other versions of this statement. I believe it is because this simple statement has struck a chord in the lives of so many. At the end of the day, no matter where we go, and what we do, we all want to be able to come home. At Encounter Church, the church that I pastor in Hot Springs, AR, we use this phrase to welcome guests and attendees alike. We want it to be a place that truly does feel like home. A true home, loving, respectful, and compassionate. That may or may not be a description of the home you grew up in, but man I know this, we all wish it was. In ministry, as well as life, we have a very specific and strategic plan to help make that happen. Now, I personally echo Andy Stanley and feel that true spiritual growth happens best in the context o