“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called home to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance” (Heb. 11:8). The call to a specific place can come as part of your original calling, or later. Generally, there is a clear correlation between who you are and the place God calls … Read More
The Church Planter’s Call to Understand His Spouse’s Call
“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one” (Mark 10:7-8). If you are married, God will not call you without confirming the call in your spouse. Go slowly in this area and communicate clearly with your spouse … Read More
How to Know Your Calling As A Church Planter
If you have been called to start a church, not only will the calling be undeniable, but you will also be able to trust that God will equip and empower you to do the work that He sets before you. When He is the one who has chosen you, it is because He knows that you can fulfill the … Read More
The #1 Mistake Church Planters Make When Launching a New Church
Did you know– The majority of church starts fail within the first year. Why? Because the majority of church planters start churches without a clear calling from God. In order to plant a healthy church, you have to know that you are undeniably called by God. Period. So do you know for sure that God has called you to start a new Church? … Read More
Church Pitfalls (Part 5)
Bob Franquiz, Guest Blogger: #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 … Read More
Church Pitfalls (Part 4)
Bob Franquiz, Guest Blogger: #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. … Read More
Church Pitfalls (Part 3)
Bob Franquiz, Guest Blogger: #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 … Read More
Church Pitfalls (Part 2)
Bob Franquiz, guest blogger: #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 … Read More
Church Pitfalls (Part 1)
Bob Franquiz, guest blogger: 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 … Read More
Q & A: How To Read More
Got this question from Church Planting Coaching Network Alumni Mike Sorcinelli (New Day Church – www.newdaychurch.cc ) in Longmeadow, MA: “I really want to be a reader but it literally took me 6 hours + to read your book “Fusion”, which is a short book. It’ll take me almost a month to read “Planting Missional Churches” (I’m about half way … Read More