Stuff You have to know (but didn’t realize it) – Part 4

Bob FranquizChurch

#4 – Manage the cash flow  This is the one thing that sinks churches faster than most others.  Managing cash flow is easy in theory but harder in practice. Here it is in simple terms: make sure there's more money coming in than going out. That's it.  There's moments you can rely on savings to bail you out, but don't live there. If you do, you will eventually run out of money.  Managing cash flow means you need to pace yourself when it comes to expenses. You can't do a 10,000 piece direct mail outreach and buy all the equipment … Read More

Sunday Stuff…

Bob FranquizChurch

– Great day at Calvary! – I taught Ephesians 6:5-9 and talked about work – More than work, I talked about how every believer is a missionary. – The band did a great job as always  – Loved seeing people take next steps!  – I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching Ephesians and am equally excited about start Judges in 3 weeks! – Speaking of 3 weeks from now, we're celebrating 10 years at Calvary!  – It's been an amazing ride and I know this is the tip of the iceberg. 

Favorite Books of 2010 (so far)

Bob FranquizBooks

I've read a lot this year (thank you iPad), but these are my personal favorites so far:  How to be a Fierce Competitor by Jeffrey Fox – I love everything Jeffrey writes, but this book was one of his best. This was a great book on the practical stuff that makes people effective. Loved this book! No Excuses by Brian Tracy – This was a great book about taking personal responsibility and getting things done in your life without making excuses. Very motivational. Really enjoyed this one.  7 Lessons for Leading in a Crisis by Bill George – This is … Read More

Stuff You have to know (but didn’t realize it) – Part 3

Bob FranquizChurch

"Leadership is lonelier than you think" I've heard people say, "If you're alone in leadership then you aren't doing it right." I disagree. If every Senior Pastor were honest, they'd admit that it's lonely to be the Senior Pastor.  Too many people are debating if it's lonely, when we need to be answering why it's lonely. The reason it's lonely as a Senior Pastor is 3 fold:  #1 – Because everything falls back on you – here's what I've learned: when a decision goes well, "we" decided that. When it goes terribly wrong, "I" decided that. No matter what you … Read More

Sunday Stuff…

Bob FranquizChurch

– Great day today!  – I can honestly say that this was my favorite service of the year. – The worship was amazing. The message was very well received. The overall vibe was great.  –  Can't believe we're almost done with Ephesians. 3 more weeks until we start the book of Judges.  – September 19th is our 10 year anniversary. Can't believe it's been a decade!  – Going to continue the "Stuff you need to know" series of blog posts. Glad they've been so well received. – I have a new coaching network starting this Thursday. Great group of guys. Can't … Read More

FREE Seminar: It’s Happening Today!

Bob FranquizChurch

I'm hosting a free tele-seminar entitled, "Leadership Essentials" today at 1PM EST. Here's the seminar description from the www.church-strategies.com site: What does it take to lead well? What are the skills necessary to take your church to the next level? In the world we live in, it is vital to continually learn new skills to meet the leadership challenges we face everyday. This tele-seminar focuses on the 10 most important skills a leader needs.Be warned: There will be no theory taught in this tele-seminar. We will be talking rubber meets the road, no hold barred, reality about leading a growing church.What specific skills … Read More

Stuff You have to know (but didn’t realize it) – Part 2

Bob FranquizChurch

Here's another thing I was never taught before planting a church… #2 – How to run a meeting As a rule, I don’t like meetings. The reason is that I have spent years of my life in meetings. The majority of those meetings have been a complete waste of time. Then, I planted a church and swore I would never be the cause of one of these “snooze fests.” Sure enough, when I became a senior pastor, I committed the same “meeting sins” that those who led me had done. So much so, I even structured my meetings the same … Read More

Stuff You have to know (but didn’t realize it) – Part 1

Bob FranquizChurch

We started Calvary Fellowship almost 10 years ago. I was admittedly naive and idealistic. I had my Bible and a guitar and I thought that's all I needed to build a church that reached lots of people.  What I learned was that there were a lot of things that had nothing to do with Bible study or worship that are necessary to lead a strong, healthy church.  So I figured I'd talk about a few over the next week or so.  #1 – You have to know how to read a P/L report & Balance Sheet.  I'm no CPA, but … Read More

Sunday Stuff… (Monday Edition)

Bob FranquizChurch

– Amazing day at Calvary!  – We met at our Miramar campus as one church on Sunday and it was great! – I was a little nervous that people weren't going to make the move, but we had a great turnout.  – The band sounded amazing.  – I taught Ephesians 5:1-21. Talked about what it means to live a godly life.  – Talking about marriage next week. Looking forward to that.  – Loved the energy in the room. People were really excited to be there.  – We brought back our cafe. Great decision :)  – We're now offering espresso, cafe … Read More

Sharing Bad News

Bob FranquizChurch

A couple of weeks ago we told our congregation that we were losing our Miami Lakes campus. The school we meet in was no longer allowing us to meet there and despite many attempts on our part to make it work for them, we couldn't.  I had to tell our church that we were moving a few miles north to Miramar (where our 2nd location is).  For some this was bad news. So I had to navigate how to share this with our church. Here's some of what I learned in this process:  1. Remind People that God is in … Read More