As bookstore managers in a church, we are a rare breed. Most of our co-laborers on the church staff are seminary- or Bible school-trained, they are focused on a given ministry of the church, or they work in support of one of those ministries as an associate or administrative assistant.

The majority of church staffs have formal schools they can go to or have attended. Administrative assistants have technical schools and continuing education classes they can be a part of in order to hone their skills.

Not us. We have brought into the church a rare

Monday, Aug. 10, at Harvest Bookstore at Eastview Christian Church in Normal, Ill. (within three hours of St. Louis, Chicago & Indianapolis). Topics and vendors TBD.

Contact regional director Susan Chipman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

TEXAS

Thursday, Aug. 20, at Gateway Church's Southlake Campus in Southlake, Texas, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Topics and vendors to be confirmed. Will include discussion and training for church coffee bar managers and staff.

Contact regional director Bobby Williams at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Book clubs can be an effective way of building repeat traffic and sales. Consider:

- Book clubs help you build relationships with your customers.

A majority of book-club participants choose to read fiction books. Since fiction readers are typically your most frequent and loyal customers, these clubs give you an opportunity to establish relationships with them when they come in to purchase their new titles.

This happens occasionally, andthere is a simple remedy. Call the

publisher or distributor to say that you received a product you did not order, and tell them that you want them to credit your account and pick up the item.

By practicing a few safeguards when ordering, you can prevent any confusion during this process. Always keep full documentation of orders that you make. After placing the order, ask for

Unwed pregnant teens and 20-somethings who attend or have graduated from private religious schools are more likely to end their pregnancies than peers from public schools, according to research in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

"For me, Williams-Sonoma is a favorite. They seem to know who they are and they do it well. Their staff tends to be very knowledgeable, and they always have that item that you couldn't find elsewhere. The experience I have there is so good I don't mind the cost, which at times has been more than other stores.

"Another example

Helping customers find the right version or edition of God's Word for them to use personally or to give as a gift to someone else is the most important task in your store-yet many staff and volunteers are nervous about the responsibility.

What do you do in your store to help frontliners serve Bible-purchasers effectively? What training tools have helped? What advice would you pass on to others?

Share your thoughts and ideas with others at

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"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered."

Prov. 17:27, NIV