1. Church Engagement + + +
Key questions help the Christian products industry build deeper church connections.
By Lora Schrock
Serve the Church
of the Future
an underserved mar-
ket,” says former CBA
Board Chairman George
Thomsen, manager of
Harvest Christian Books
at Southern California’s
multi-campus Harvest
Christian Fellowship.
But the Church is
changing, and Christian
retail needs to change
with it.
Alan Briggs, direc-
tor of Frontline Church
Planting and multi-
plying pastor at Van-
guard Church (Colo-
rado Springs, CO), says
churches will always
need Christian retailers
to resource the Church,
“but they will need to
work harder to develop
a niche than in the past.”
To achieve ministry
and business success, the
Christian products industry needs to answer
some important questions in order to meet
the Church’s needs now—and in the future.
Do the Church and Christian
retail have the same mission?
Michelle Anthony, family ministry architect
at David C Cook, believes churches and the
Christian marketplace are partners in the
same mission—they just go about accom-
plishing it in different ways.
“The Church is charged to equip the saints
to do the work of the Lord in Ephesians 4,”
she explains. “In order to do this, the Church
has leaned heavily on the Christian products
industry. Together, they create a beautiful
marriage as they work to build up the body
of Christ.”
Author Bill Hybels, founder and senior
pastor of the megachurch Willow Creek
Community Church (Barrington, IL), sees
Christian resources as an extension of what
the Church is trying to create.
“Every time we try to advance a new ini-
tiative for God’s kingdom, we ask, ‘What
kind of resources can we put in people’s
hands as they leave?’” he says.
David Beck’s perspective is unique; he’s
been on all sides of the question as the au-
thor of Luminous (IVP), the pastor of Sanc-
tuary Covenant Church (Sacramento, CA),
and the former manager of Good Book Store
at Hope Chapel (Hermosa Beach, CA).
“Specialized ministries do great work but
ultimately fill some kind of support role to
the Church,” he says. “The Christian prod-
ucts industry is such a specialized ministry.
It provides products that support disciple-
making, which ultimately leads back to the
Church.”
Not everyone agrees, however. Briggs feels
a silent divide exists between the Church
and Christian retail.
“There’s an assumption, largely a wrong
one, that the Christian products industry’s
main goal is to simply make money,” he says.
And what do churches that have differ-
ent ethnic demographics think? Dr. Samuel
Rodriguez, president of the National His-
panic Evangelical Association (NHEA), feels
that in the Latino community, “Christian
products serve as an afterthought. They’re
complementary but not necessary as critical
pieces of a holistic resourcing arsenal.
“This must change,” he adds.
What do churches want that
they aren’t getting?
While it isn’t possible to fulfill the Church’s
every want, Christian retail will grow only if
it learns where the gaps are and moves to fill
them. For Rodriguez, the Hispanic church
has large needs that are going unmet.
“Who is better equipped [than
you]… to serve the local church,
the youth leader, the Sunday
school teacher, the pastor?”
Former CBA Executive VP John Bass
once asked this of Christian retailers, and it
remains a valid question today. The Chris-
tian products industry continues to pro-
vide churches with the resources that share
Christ and help believers grow as disciples.
It’s part of the store’s ministry; it also makes
good business sense.
According to the 2012 edition of Barna
Reports Pastors + Books, beyond pastors, the
typical church environment also has many
other consumer groups: board members, el-
ders, deacons, staff members, and volunteers.
“I believe there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit
for retailers when it comes to churches. It’s
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continued on page 20
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2. Church Engagement + + +
“Translation alone doesn’t suffice. The
Christian [products industry] must produce
materials and resources for a bilingual, bicul-
tural community. Ethno-cultural contextual-
ization with cultural-specific content will bet-
ter serve the demographic,” he explains. “In
order to achieve this metric, the industry must
view this not just as a market but as a partner in
development, not just for distribution.”
Laura Sumner Truax, senior pastor at La-
Salle Street Church, a dynamic, 350-member
congregation in Chicago, says the Christian
products industry can help the Church by
providing fresh perspectives at the seminary
level.
“Pastors continue to employ the skills
learned in seminary, but these tools don’t
fit the new environment of our culture,” she
says. “For instance, doesn’t it seem strange to
you that so many of our faith communities
are still organized around the big block of
text-based sermon/speech-giving time?”
Beck says he and many other pastors want
to see more resources from small-church
practitioners.
“My greatest disconnect with the Chris-
tian publishing and products industry is that
their interest in megachurches doesn’t rep-
resent the reality of the American Church
landscape,” he says. “The majority of U.S.
churches have 100 people or fewer. Yet the
Christian products industry tends to be
geared more toward the large church con-
text.”
Briggs feels the Church wants to see more
imagination in products.
“There seems to be no curveballs or forward
thinking,” he says. “I believe creativity has bent
the knee to marketability. Christian retail-
ers are failing to capture entrepreneurs in the
Church who are looking for innovation.”
How can the Christian
marketplace best engage the
Church?
The 2012 Barna research found that pas-
tors’ key motivations to use Christian retail
are convenience and selec-
tion, with a desire to support
Christian business being a
minor motivation. The report
concludes, “If Christian re-
tailers continue to reduce the
number of books displayed in
their stores, they will jeopar-
dize their ability to retain the
business of pastors.”
So, how can the Christian
marketplace draw churches
to Christian retail? The key is
developing relationships and
making personal contact.
“I don’t think in general
that as suppliers and re-
tailers that we’re proactive
enough in making the effort
to building relationships,”
says Thomsen. “Church staff
is often busy and looks for
the quickest and easiest solution, which may
not always be the best or most economical.
Retailers need to reach out and initiate the
building of relationships.”
Anthony agrees. “You have to think of why
a person would go to a retail store instead of
ordering online or direct. The answer is both
relational and informational. It’s relational
in that you know the people who are work-
ing in the store and you build trust in them.
Secondly, the Internet can be overwhelm-
ing. I may not know which Bible to choose.
A knowledgeable and friendly store worker
increases my odds of going there instead of
going it alone online.”
In Beck’s experience, retailers should
adopt the motto “think small, buy local.”
“Develop a personal relationship with lo-
cal pastors and leaders, asking how God is
moving in their ministries and working to
connect them with resources. The pastors I
know are loyal people; they’re the ‘buy local’
type,” says Beck. “However, they buy from
Amazon because they don’t have a personal
relationship with a local bookseller who un-
derstands their ministry.”
Jack Savage, who started in the business
almost 55 years ago, owns Jack’s Church
Supplies (Salisbury, MD). He emphasizes the
importance of retailers getting to know who
does the ordering for the church.
“Get to know the church secretary,” he
says. “Go to churches to measure for certain
items and observe their other needs. Give
service, service, service.”
The Official Magazine of CBA20 CBA Retailers+Resources | 08.14
continued from page 18
Churches and Christian retail are partners with the same mission who accomplish it it different
ways.
“With all other things being equal, personal service trumps
impersonal service every time,” says Harvest Christian Books
Manager George Thomsen.
Here are some proven steps you can take to deepen your
connection with local churches:
• Take local pastors out for coffee, learn about their ministry,
and ask what they need.
• Offer discounts for church staff.
• Stock a full line of church supplies.
• Send gift cards and free books to senior pastors.
• Create a rewards program for churches whose members
shop in your store.
• Exhibit at special church events.
• Sponsor a pastor’s luncheon or a National Day of Prayer
breakfast.
• Visit church Web sites to learn about their activities, class-
es, and events.
• Set up a kiosk at a local church.
Build Relationships with local churches
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3. Church Engagement + + +
08.14 | CBA Retailers+Resources 21The Official Magazine of CBA
How can Christian retail serve
the Church in the future?
As churches adapt their strategies to accom-
modate the new, “on demand” society, retail-
ers and suppliers can partner with them in
new ways. Truax, who also serves as a teach-
ing pastor for World Vision and for the Uni-
versity of Chicago Divinity School, thinks
the Christian marketplace can become a
bridge between the traditional way of “doing
church” and cutting-edge technology.
“A lot of pastors don’t have the time or
bandwidth to be current on the resources
available,” she says.
Briggs suggests that retailers show an in-
terest in and work with churches on projects
and initiatives.
“This could be more traditional retail-
ing that resources in-house events like VBS,
adult ministry classes, or new believer disci-
pleship processes. This could also delve into
less-traditional retail areas, like providing
care packages for community-centered out-
reach events,” he says.
To compete with online options, retailers
should think outside the box when it comes
to service.
“Perhaps retailers can make it more
known that they will do the find-and-seek
process for churches to get the product they
need, saving churches time and energy,” says
Briggs.
Anthony notes that while it’s not possible
for Christian retailers to carry the variety
Amazon or other online stores do, they can
still shine when it comes to service.
“If stores were prepared to find the item
desired and have it shipped overnight or
with a two-day delivery—even if that meant
purchasing from another supplier—I think
many consumers would be inclined to go to
their local store,” she says.
Service, product knowledge, and personal
relationships are pluses Christian retailers
have over the Internet.
“In the age of the online megastore that of-
fers convenience and low prices, the advan-
tage the local store has is personal contact,”
says Beck. “Online commerce is wonderful,
but it will never replace people.” R+R
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Building relationships with local churches
helps retailers serve them well.
Building relationships with local churches
Feature_Church Engagement.indd 21 7/10/14 11:05 AM