Christian bookshops have seen depressed sales in recent months and several have closed. Various reasons are given for this including the busy lives we all lead, the impact of increased bank interest rates on mortgages, and an increasing tendency to buy books on the Internet … or is it that Christians are not reading Christian books? The trustees & management of Crown Books @ The Centre make a plea for Christians to support their local Christian bookshop.
Christian bookshops are a shop window for the Christian faith and a visible witness of the unity of the Church
People who are apprehensive about going into a church, may be more comfortable with the familiar retail environment of a bookshop. They can browse through Bibles and books looking for something that will meet their specific need without feeling threatened. Sensitive shop staff can be on hand to offer assistance. At Crown Books we have had some tremendous opportunities to talk to people and, where appropriate, point them to local churches or courses such as Alpha and Christianity Explored.
Christian bookshops are open when churches are closed
Most Christian bookshops are open eight hours a day, six days a week – what an opportunity! It is a privilege and a challenge to be available for people who have spiritual and emotional needs or who just need somewhere to go either to be quiet or to find a sympathetic listener. These include people who are shopping, office workers on their lunch break and even people who have just visited a local undertaker. There are also Christians who have problems they want to share with somebody who is outside their immediate church circle. A cup of tea or coffee, a listening ear, and advice on a book that will help, can be a great comfort at times of need.
Christian bookshops are an extension to local church ministries
Many churches give generously to mission at home and overseas, others support relief agencies and other social projects. But the local Christian bookshop is sometimes regarded as a ‘commercial’ venture rather than a mission that must make some sort of profit to survive. Bookshops like Crown Books try to support the work of local churches – we can often negotiate competitive prices on bulk orders and give discount on purchases of teaching resources, publicity materials etc. The recently launched Church Partnership Scheme is an ideal route to supporting each other in our ministry.
We have been thrilled recently to receive encouragement from customers telling us of conversations that played a significant part in their own spiritual or emotional journey.
USE IT OR LOSE IT
If this ministry is to continue, Christian bookshops need your business.
A recent survey found that only 2% of Christians visited a Christian bookshop regularly. Some buy their Christian books on the Internet, some rely on events like Spring Harvest and the Christian Resources Exhibition, others buy from secular bookshops … but many just don’t read Christian books!
The increasing use of the Internet threatens all bookshops – Christian and Secular. Users forget that they may have to pay carriage charges which will wipe out some, if not all, of the savings. It is particularly disheartening when Christians play off their local Christian bookshop against the Internet, trying to get the price down, or even look at books in the bookshop and then buy them on the Internet!
Some of you may have read the recent article in the February issue of Christianity in which the competition from the internet is cited as a very real factor in reduced High Street sales. Unless people really grasp this, more and more lights on the high street are going to be snuffed out. The stark reality is, USE US OR LOSE US! So many Christians seem determined to only buy discounted books at all costs. And that is exactly what it is doing – COSTING individual shops their livelihood and ministry.
Finally, and most important, please pray for the ministry of Christian bookshops locally, nationally and worldwide.
