Highly anticipated movie release from 'Fireproof' makers is backed by multiple tie-in book releases

Christian retail stores could find themselves at the center of a widespread social movement if expectations are realized for a major release campaign launching this month.

Many are hoping that the Sept. 30 debut of Courageous will produce the kind of personal impact and big sales generated by the DVD release of the makers’ previous movie Fireproof and its tie-in book, The Love Dare (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group). Both were credited with saving many marriages from breakup—and stores from closing.

Several books and licensed gift products have been produced to coincide with the theatrical release of Courageous, which is set to open on more than 1,000 screens nationwide. There is also to be a theatrical release in Canada and the U.K.

Following the lives and struggles of four police officers, Courageous addresses the problems caused by fatherlessness and has been applauded by North American leaders of Worldwide Marriage Encounter as “a must-see movie for all those who believe in a strong commitment to fatherhood.”

The organization is just one of several ministries that is offering support for the film—due to be released on DVD early next year—and related books from the producing team at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.

Senior Pastor Michael Catt—whose Courageous Living: Dare to Take a Stand (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group) comes out this month—said that the team behind the film did not want to measure Courageous against previous releases. “Our job is to present the message He has given us,” he said. “It is His job to multiply it—we have to be faithful to trust Him with the results.”

Filmmaking brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick—who co-wrote The Love Dare, based on a plot device in Fireproof—have teamed up again for The Resolution for Men, released this month by B&H Publishing Group. The book looks at what it means for men to pursue God’s role for them in their homes and families—a commitment made by characters in Courageous. B&H is also bringing out a companion title, The Resolution for Women, by Priscilla Shirer.

Moody Publishers released Rite of Passage: A Father’s Blessing by Jim McBride—executive pastor at Sherwood and the fourth member of Sherwood Pictures’ leadership team, along with Catt and the Kendricks—last month. Drawing from personal experience as a father of four, McBride shares ideas on how to create a coming-of-age ceremony to pass on values.

FamilyLife Publishing has released Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood by Dennis Rainey, FamilyLife co-founder, president and CEO. The book looks at the challenges facing men during their different life stages, from boyhood through to becoming a patriarch and how they can help others.

Alex Kendrick said that Christian retailers had an important role in the Courageous campaign. “The retail community is the pipeline to get resources into the hands of people,” he said. “We can’t do what we do without them. Yes, there is a business side to this, but first we see the ministry impact on a culture, so to say we are grateful to retailers for their support is an understatement. They are of vital importance.

“The greatest thing that happens to us is when someone in Christian retailing tells us a life-changing story that happens from somebody that has bought a DVD or a book, when they feel like they haven’t just sold product, but they have had a part in seeing lives changed,” Kendrick added.