Church Pitfalls (Part 5)

Bob FranquizUncategorized

#5 – I thought I knew everything – Just about every church planter I’ve ever met is a little cocky. Some are just confident in their calling and others are down right arrogant. I was a punk kid who thought he knew everything when I really knew nothing. I believe one of the greatest assets of a church planter is being sure of his calling. But we can’t let that cause us to get to the point where we aren’t teachable. God opposes proud people but gives grace to the humble. Hard times tend to beat arrogance out of people. … Read More

Church Pitfalls (Part 4)

Bob FranquizUncategorized

#4 – I was trying to be someone else – Here’s what I didn’t realize when I first started in ministry, that Jesus didn’t save us to clone us. God created you to be you. When we started our church, I was 26 years old, and I was desperate to know how a Senior Pastor acted. So I did what I knew: I wore a tie every Sunday, I taught the way I was taught to, and I said “Praise the Lord” and “God bless you” in all the right spots. What was the result? I was miserable. I hate … Read More

Church Pitfalls (Part 3)

Bob FranquizUncategorized

#3 – I had a hard time saying “no” – When we stated Calvary Fellowship, the last thing I wanted to do was say no when someone asked me something. What resulted was getting roped into commitments I didn’t want to be part of, agreeing to start ministries I didn’t feel called to, and allow people into positions of influence that had no business being there. The result: chaos. If you’re a leader, “No” is your best friend. “No” means you’re clear about what you’re called to do and what you aren’t called to do. “No” means you’d rather please … Read More

Church Pitfalls (Part 2)

Bob FranquizUncategorized

#2 – An Unclear Vision – Churches that aren’t sure why they exist tend to simply find out what another church’s passion is and adopt that as their vision. The problem with trying to take someone else’s vision is the same problem with as trying to date another man’s wife: she’s already taken. Taking another church’s vision and mission doesn’t help you because it’s not the mission God has empowered you to do. So you will spend your life struggling to accomplish something God has never called you to. The solution to an unclear vision is to spend time with … Read More

Church Pitfalls (Part 1)

Bob FranquizUncategorized

When we started Calvary Fellowship in 2000, we made so many mistakes. This week I’m going to share a few of those. #1 – Conference “Confusion” – This is a illness that church planters (and many young pastors) get. They go to a conference and get really excited about the host church, the speakers, and the model being presented, that they go home and immediately try to change everything to match what the conference speaker was teaching. The problem is, once the next conference comes around, they go home and try to do the same thing. What happens is that … Read More

Sunday Stuff…

Bob FranquizChurch

– It was a good day. Not stellar, but good. – We had some power issues before the 1st service. – We’re still learning the ins and outs of the school. – I felt great about my message today. – I taught on godliness and what it means t live a godly life. – We celebrated communion together. That was really powerful. – We had a baptism in the afternoon and had a bunch of people take the plunge. That was awesome! – I’ve been assessing mode lately. I’m looking at the holes in our church and how we need … Read More

Where I’m speaking

Bob FranquizTeaching

Just an FYI – I added a new page on the blog. It has all of the upcoming speaking engagements I’m going to be involved in outside of Calvary Fellowship. I don’t say yes to much outside speaking because I want to make sure Calvary is my focus, but I do agree to teach at events on occasion. So if you want to know where I’ll be, that’s the place to check.

Book Reviews

Bob FranquizBooks

Here’s a couple of books I’ve read over the last week that I want to put on your radar: 101 Ways to Market Your Business – This is obviously a business book, but it has some great ideas that churches could use. I walked away with about 25 ideas ideas that we couple implement immediately. If you’re a Pastor, this is a good book to pick up. Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln – I’ve been hearing about this book for a couple of years and I finally got around to reading it. It’s 21 principles for public speaking. I … Read More

You’re always sharing Vision

Bob FranquizChurch

You are always communicating vision in your church. It’s not just the day you decide to do a “Vision Talk”. I contend that everything you do in your church is speaking about what the vision of your church is. – You communicate vision with the language in your bulletin – You communicate vision with your appearance – You communicate vision with your style of teaching – You communicate vision with your signage – You communicate vision with your follow up processes – You communicate vision with how often you present the Gospel – You communicate vision with your worship style … Read More

A New Box to Check

Bob FranquizUncategorized

I used to check off the box that said “25-34”. But I turned 35 today. This means I have to check off a new box. You know the box that says “35-44”. But even though I’m a little older, hopefully I’m a little wiser 🙂