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Christianity Today, April, 2008 |

Bringing the Bookstore to Church

More and more churches get into the book business.

Cindy Crosby | posted 4/11/2008 10:10AM

The Christian bookstore you shop at tomorrow may be as close as your church's front door. More and more churches want to be the place you'll buy your next Beth Moore book or study Bible. Church bookstores ...

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Marc	Posted: April 17, 2008 2:10 PM


Let's be careful here on the church bookstore and the trend it might be going torward. Didn't Jesus vent his biggest wrath on the money changers in the Temple?

Paul Wilkinson

Posted: April 16, 2008 1:54 PM

Much of the momentum for rejuvenating church bookstores is coming from Strang Publishing, who also -- in a bit of a conflict of interest -- publish Christian Retailing, an industry magazine. They have a vested in this because they publish charismatic books, and many of the larger churches that can invest in a bookstore are of the Pentecostal/Charismatic variety. For them, this is about survival. But it's not just them. There are also publishers of very conservative theological books whose titles are not represented in the regular Christian bookstore environment to their satisfaction. Some are so conservative that broader based stores that want to be considered 'evangelical mainstream' don't want to touch them. So for those publishers, a church-based store provides the answer. So what you've got is the people at the extreme ends of the doctrinal continuum expressing their frustration and dissatisfaction by starting their own little, narrow outlets in protest.

Todd L.

Posted: April 15, 2008 11:37 AM

I always wonder if Jesus would overturn the tables of these type stores. They always seem to be between the entry door and the worship center, just like the money changer's tables in the temple courts. Mark describes Jesus forbidding anyone "to carry merchandise through the temple courts." (Mark 11:16), and chastized them for making it a "den of robbers." John, the apostle whom Jesus loved, told the story this way, "In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" (John 2:14-16) The house of gathering is not a marketplace!

Discerning believer

Posted: April 14, 2008 5:20 PM

Russ, try YWAM Publishing. Probably not a wholesaler but they may work out a mutually beneficial agreement with you when contacting by phone. Their missionary books, Christian Heroes: Then and Now, are simply outstanding. Teens love them, and the writing by Geoff and Janet Benge is top-notch. I've read several books about David Livingstone but I loved their book about him. They took the time to write about his life growing up and how he flubbed his first sermon.***Someone gave me the YWAM book about Gladys Aylward. Then I saw the old Hollywood film about her missionary work in China called Inn of Sixth Happiness, available at libraries. It's a terrific film but the YWAM book is even more exciting. ***Also, for those who love Christian books, request them at your local library. They will often honor requests, and it's a great way to make Christian books available to those who would never see them otherwise.

Russ	Posted: April 12, 2008 12:09 PM

Not particularly informative, this. We are about 2 years into our "bookstore project". We took over the "tape ministry", now graduated to CDs & DVD, and turned it into a "Resource Center". That includes a mini-bookstore, specializing in Bibles, things for children and teens, and a few gift items including various home decor and accessories that help testify to our faith and church identity. We try to be a resource for feeding and building our faith, our identity as Christians and members of our church, and to facilitate sharing our beliefs and faith with others. We're really small, occupying an unused classroom that we remodeled, but we are definitely having an impact by being so readily available in a city with no remaining Christian bookstores. But our biggest problem: getting those resources ourselves. There are few places we can buy our inventory. CBD is hardly a wholesaler, leaving us enough margin to pay our way and expand on our own. So we even shop ebay! Any tips for us?

Peter F. Benson

Posted: April 12, 2008 7:12 AM

I have noticed that growing church congregations have a vibrant church resource center/library available to members, as well as a church bookstore. Some church bookstores and libraries are highly selective, only providing books approved by their denomination, while others are more open-minded in their selection. Some church bookstores that are real retail bookstores, not located in a church building, have found the only way to survive is to also over an internet option for bying. CBD, Christian Book Distributor, located in Massachusetts is one of those who market their books nationally with their url of christianbooks.com. Small local Christian book stores should do likewise. I always wanted to support our local store, Morning Star, but their lack of online availability made me chose CBD, even though CBD is about 50 miles from my house. Their online shipping was far more convenient. It doesn't take much for a small bookstore to go online. Pete from UNITYINCHRIST.COM

Rita	Posted: April 11, 2008 3:46 PM

Our faith is so good we should want to give it away. Plus, I worry about the associations that might come to the minds of church visitors because of a church bookstore, like news headlines about pastors who preached out of greed for money, or, less dramatically, the idea that truth can be bought or sold and doesn't stand on its own as an absolute. (I also feel uncomfortable when churches charge for church dinners devoted to Bible study or for conferences. For example, the Bible tells women to instruct younger women on loving their families, so why should we pay to attend a conference on it?) There may be nothing wrong with having a bookstore as part of a church, but it seems a lot safer not to. My husband and I used to attend a church where the bookstore was right across the hall from the sanctuary and a preacher once based a sermon on a book he had written--that was for sale that day. It was a great church, but we wouldn't bring a seeker there and ultimately we did not join.

elly	Posted: April 11, 2008 2:31 PM

in my opinion, a better step would be better church libraries. honk if you're tired of church libraries stuffed with nothing but out-of-date social issues books, 60-year-old apologetics books that use logic and methods no longer effective in our current society, and the Christian equivalent of harlequin novels. the churches can buy new books from struggling Christian bookstores to re-stock the library, and everyone wins! :D

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