Christian Retailing

Guest Editor: Randy Davis Print Email
Written by Randy Davis   
Monday, 05 November 2012 12:14 PM America/New_York

RandyDavisGUEST EDITOR RANDY DAVIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING, PROVIDENT DISTRIBUTION

Mirroring the principles of evangelism 

Best practices in Christian retailing parallel communicating our faith

“Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.’ They didn’t ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed” (Mark 1:16-18, MSG).

The concepts of intentional relationship evangelism are easily understood, but they are often not as easily executed. The simple message of the Good News is that it is, well, good news!

Jesus likened evangelism to fishing. Grab your net. Cast your net. Go fish. Sure, there will be some you chase after and don’t catch. However, there will be many you don’t go after and catch anyway. But, you don’t really fish just standing on the bank looking at the water. You jump in the boat and row away from the shore.

Like this, relationship-based sales and service should be proactive, not reactive. Relationship-based sales principles may not come naturally to all, but with a little practice can truly have the greatest impact on your in-reach into your local community.

Today, technology offers so many new ways to inter-connect with others in the culture we live. Unfortunately, because of the ease of viewing life from afar, we can become more isolated in our up-close, personal relationships. Sure, we “post,” “tweet” and “pin” to dress the set of who are, or at least who we want the world around us to think we are. But we have shortened the experience of our interactions with others to the maximum-allowed 140 characters per tweet. We have become “safe for the whole family” as the tagline goes.

In business, we have followed suit. We strategize on the maximum content for strategically placed emails to get the highest open rate. We have dissected our market into demographic slices of pie of an infographic-laden meal served to our friends who consume the most. We know about their habits based more on zip code than on the personal history we have with them.

And, when things go south, as they do, we are often left looking—and eventually finding—the real relationships that will stand the test of time. Most often they are not the casual followers of our posts or readers of our blogs, but those whom we have with walked through life. Real life. Wind and rain, drought and flood, birth and death kind of life. They are neighbors and relatives. They are friends from school and parents of the kids you coach. They are people. You care for them and they care for you. They love you for it!

In Christian retailing, they are the guests in our stores—our customers. And, contrary to the old customer-service adage, they are not always right. But they are always our customers who, with a few simple reminders, will deliver a treasure of rewards, in addition to continued business as we engage and serve them.

RELATE

The first habit in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “Be proactive.” Know your customer. No, not just their buying habits and statistics. Rather, truly know your customers—their names, where they go to church, what they like and what they have purchased from your store. Ask questions. Listen. Remember.

Practically speaking, get out of the office and into the store. Engage customers and don’t be shy in recommending books, music and DVDs that are current in your community or have had an impact on your life. Get out of the store and into your car to make intentional visits to pastors and their church staff to offer to serve them, not just to get a quick sale, but to offer services that set your store and staff apart. Have each person on your staff be a specialist/customer service representative to individual churches and offer to drop off orders on their way home.

And now, the truly daring part—get to know your marketplace competitors—and not merely their pricing and promotion plans or corporate structure. But, purpose to know your competitor as an individual. What’s his life story? Where does she go to church? How can you pray for him or her? This is the part where you step into the boat and row out into the deep water. Be kind and never speak ill of them.

INVITE

  • Share a relevant message … and a meal. You are on the cutting edge of now-trends in music, new messages through home entertainment and new books and studies on the truth of God’s love for the community you serve. When you find something you really believe in, share it! Really S-H-A-R-E it. Offer a free copy of the book or study to key influencers in your market. Invite them to join you for theatrical screenings of upcoming faith-based movies. Invite them to dinner. Invite them to lunch. Invite them to breakfast. Invite! Invite! Invite!
  • Pray. Pray for yourself and your staff. Pray asking, not merely for God to bring customers, but for God to send you to meet the needs of others, who may just turn out to be customers in the end.
  • Do a little. Do a lot. Do something! Like fishing, you do not have to begin after practicing and perfecting your plan. Start slowly and add a little at a time. My grandfather started me fishing with a cane pole and a bobble. Just bait the hook and drop the line in the water. Start fishing.

 

iStock_19585284Medium_CREDIT-MichaelSvoboda“After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, ‘I’m going fishing.’

The rest of them replied, ‘We’re going with you.’ They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.

Jesus spoke to them: ‘Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?’

They answered, ‘No.’

He said, ‘Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.’

They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It’s the Master!’

When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.

Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.’ Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip.

Jesus said, ‘Breakfast is ready’ ” (John 21:1-12a, MSG).

 
Guest Editor in Conversation: Randy Davis Print Email
Written by Randy Davis   
Monday, 05 November 2012 12:28 PM America/New_York

StevenCurtisChapmanIconic artist is still drawn to Christian retail stores
Steven Curtis Chapman sees the work of Christian retailing as an ‘incredible privilege’

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN shares his thoughts on Christian retail and this year’s Christmas release, Joy. Chapman has sold more than 10 million records, including two RIAA-certified Platinum albums and eight RIAA-certified Gold albums. He has amassed 46 No. 1 singles, 57 GMA Dove Awards; five GRAMMY awards, an American Music Award and more than 200 songs recorded on 17 original albums in his 25-year career. In 2013, Chapman will follow the Christmas release with his first full studio release of all new material since 2007’s This Moment.

You’ve been a songwriter and singer of Christian music for quite a few years now. I’m interested in finding out what a typical experience looks like for you when you walk into a Christian retail store.

To be completely honest, I always feel a little overwhelmed when I walk into a Christian retail store because I’m immediately reminded how many great books there are that I don’t have yet. It’s a little bit of a problem because I usually have a stack of books sitting on my night stand that I haven’t finished yet, but as soon as I walk into a store, I start wanting to add more to the stack. I’m a sucker for a cool cover. Then there’s the music and the video/DVD section! Seriously though, I am always encouraged to see and be reminded how many great resources are available to encourage people on their journey (OK, sometimes I covertly check to make sure they have some of my music in stock, too).

In your entire music catalog, which record or records do you feel were most embraced by Christian retail and why?

That’s a tough question. I’ve been grateful to hear stories of how each of my records have been used by God to encourage and minister to people in unique ways. I guess if I had to pick out a few, I’d say More to This Life was one that I felt was particularly embraced by Christian retail probably in part because that record had “I Will Be Here” on it. That song seemed to connect with many people and has been used in many weddings, which has probably brought a lot of people in looking for that song and that album, particularly before the iTunes era. Then I’d say The Great Adventure was another one that seemed to be very strongly supported by Christian retail. Why that was is hard for the artist to answer, but I’d say [it] was partly because of the excitement the song “The Great Adventure” itself created among Christian music listeners and particularly youth groups and church groups. I think records like that one and Speechless created excitement among my friends at Christian retail because of songs like “Dive,” “Fingerprints of God” and “Speechless” that really seemed to connect with people.

If you could offer any advice to the readers of Christian Retailing—many who are Christian retail owners and employees—what would that be?

I’d probably just want to encourage them to know how important what they do every day really is to the building and growing of God’s kingdom. I know it’s a business and work, but we have this amazing opportunity with what we do to point people toward the eternal and precious truth of God’s love and grace, expressed in music and books and, ultimately, the Holy Bible, and that’s an incredible privilege! I would just want to remind Christian retailers to never forget what a gift we’ve been entrusted with and know that what they do really matters.

Anything you want to offer to our readers that may or may not have anything to do with Christian retail?

As always, I’d just encourage them what I need to be reminded of everyday—we are loved more than we can imagine by the God of the universe! I’d also want to remind them that the One who loves us has entrusted us with gifts and abilities that we can use uniquely to worship Him and bring Him glory, and that is ultimately what we were made for.

The music industry has shifted quite a bit in the last 10-15 years. How has this impacted you? Does this at all influence what you’re thinking about writing or recording?

Well, I can tell you I’m more humbled than ever to still be doing it. I’ve been doing this for 25 years! Can you believe that? I started when I was very, very young, of course, a child prodigy of sorts you might say. Actually, no, I wasn’t. But I have been extremely thankful for the opportunity to record and release these 17 albums and counting. I still feel God has things for me to say and share, and I want to be faithful to Him in doing so. From the beginning my goal has been to know Him and make Him known, and I want to try to be true to the writing and storytelling God has given me to do. I plan to keep doing that as long as you’ll have me.

Joy-StevenCurtisChapmanYou just wrote and recorded a Christmas record called JOY. Tell us about it; what influenced you and a couple of your favorite tracks (and why)?

After recording re:creation, I wasn’t quite sure what next step to take in my creative journey. I started exploring the idea of writing and arranging some new Christmas music. I have to admit I was kind of surprised by the joy that began to surface in the process, considering the journey my family has been on these past four-and-a-half years with the loss of our daughter Maria in the accident. I think that I just started remembering my childhood and then really celebrating my family. Even as hard as things have been, and as bittersweet as it relates to things like celebrations and holidays, we have begun to experience that the sweet is starting to trump the bitter for us more and more each year. Christmas is becoming a less hard thing for us each year. It’s not that it’s easier to get through because we are forgetting. It’s like we can remember now without it just being so painful, and the memories can be sweet. So when I started writing these new songs I was really excited. I’ve written a couple songs on this Christmas record that sound like they could of come off a Nat King Cole record or an Andy Williams album. They sound like the old stuff that I love. One of my favorite Christmas songs is Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song.” I just love that song and I love the A Charlie Brown Christmas record. Joy has seven classics I’ve redone and six new ones I’ve written, and much of the album has that cool vintage sound that just says Christmas. I can’t wait for you to hear it.

You have a new studio record out in 2013. Can you give us a sneak peek at its theme? What can listeners expect?

It’s still a little too early in the incubation to share specifics. I can say I feel like God is giving me fresh things to say and I’m emerged by the music I’m writing and the ideas that are coming.

Read more of this Q&A at www.christianretailing.com/chapman.

 
Guest Editor Retail Essentials: Randy Davis Print Email
Written by Randy Davis   
Monday, 05 November 2012 12:34 PM America/New_York

RandyDavisMarket for value-driven music and movies is still strong
Christian retailers must consider how best to appeal to wider community

“The digital revolution may not be as revolutionary as believed, according to a music survey that found listeners more in tune with friends’ tips and radio than blogs and social networking.”—Edna Gunderson, USA Today

Companies like The Barna Group, Nielsen and others track the things that make us tick, drive our passion and motivate us to perform one way or the other. They help us understand those we serve and those we seek to serve.

In The TRU Study 2012 of Christian Music Consumers, a division of TNS Custom Research, “Value Monitor” indicators rank the importance of Religion and Faith, the similarity of Worldview with our parents’ generation and Traditional values. All of these come out exceptionally high among Christian music consumers when compared to the country at large.

At the same time, the indicators also show we drastically undervalue the importance of clothes or products with a particular brand (equating specific brands with quality) and that we hold the value that “Success” means making a lot of money. The importance we place on happiness skyrockets on Religious and Spiritual Fulfillment and plummets compared to the general populace on “Partying” and having material things.

Commonly, our complaints align with others on daily life in regard to sleep, money and work. We chart highest on “not having enough time in the day” and “stress.” We are more likely to view our generation as “living in dangerous times” and less likely to view opportunity for the future and focus on goals against the populace as a whole.

For the under-30 crowd, the statistics show Christian music consumers foresee having kids as more likely than our peers and that they view themselves as less likely to get divorced, fired or to have multiple/many romantic relationships.

When we look for specific behavioral activity that affects the Christian industry and those we serve, NPD Group’s recent Contemporary Christian Music Executive Summary is enlightening. Of specific note, out of the estimated 15.5 million Contemporary Christian music fans, the highest degree of separation in TV viewing habits when compared with our non-believing neighbors is watching Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and the Gospel Music Channel (GMC). Yet even the Christian community seems to follow the trends of our society and gravitates to Country (GAC) and family/kid-friendly cable networks such as Disney XD, ABC Family, Boomerang and Nick at Nite. Interestingly, Full House (ABC) is our highest-indexing show followed by What Not to Wear (TLC).

You may ask, “So, what does that mean to our industry, our channel and your customers?” What it tells me is that the entertainment category in our industry is increasingly important for stores to consider. Not only does it mean we need to continue to support core Christian artists and programs, but we need to recognize that society trends and demands—even among the church crowd—are looking for wholesome forms of entertainment in music and movies. We as an industry need to recognize this, embrace it and perhaps grow the relevance of our retail footprint in the communities we seek to serve.

The NPD study further reveals that customer’s magazine consumption indexes highest ministry favorites like Focus on the Family and Guideposts. In addition and not so surprisingly, Southern Living ranks high with our market. Our online habits trend comparative to users as a whole on the staples of Facebook, Bing, Google and eBay, while top indices for Christian consumers against the general populace is for Christian content found at Biblegateway.com, Christianbook.com and GodTube.com.

More than 50% of us communicate connect with friends, post messages and post photos through social networking sites. We play and sing with a band, write music and lyrics, and play musical instruments other than guitar more likely than others. We like to make records and videos as a hobby. We love to meet in book clubs. And, obviously, we like to go to church.

From The Barna Group we learn that radio still ranks highest for music discovery, followed by friend and relative recommendations. For product purchases, radio has double the impact of social media, while a pastor’s recommendation trumps them all.

Why is all of this so important in the Christian products industry? Because we need to understand exactly who our customers are, what makes them tick and what they value most. What will drive them into our stores to buy our products? You see, folks, our consumption of music and video in physical format is above trends in the general market, according to Nielsen’s comprehensive consumer survey, Music 360. Ergo, our customers still find physical Christian product a value.

Christian music fans skew toward females over 25. The majority of Christian music listeners live in the South in a four-plus member household with an average income of $45,000-$74,000. While the female buyer prefers Adult Contemporary/Pop, Males purchase Rock most often. Live music events are most attended by 18-34 year olds followed by the 45-and-older crowd. Teens up to age 54 are mostly likely to purchase T-shirts at a concert while 55 and up will purchase CDs/DVDs.

These are the people who are consumers of the products we create and sell. These are the hungry—looking for spiritual truth through many forms of entertainment. These are the sons and daughters of our Creator who are looking to raise their families and enjoy for themselves Christ-centered alternatives to what the world is offering. Like the study shows, they desire wholesome products from many providers and look for it in many areas.

The Christian products industry has always been and hopefully always will be a true source of solid products for adults and children alike. Our customers will have purchased 7 million units of music titles through the Christian retail channel as of press time, and we will see upwards of 6 million units of DVD/Home Entertainment.

Consider these statistics from some of our industry’s best-known brands and new releases making an impact this year:

  • Courageous has led the charge with more than 500,000 units across the counter in its first four months and is well on its way to a million in sales.
  • Our friends Bob & Larry and the VeggieTales release of Robin Good will scan more than 100,000 units this year.
  • October Baby has made a big impact in the lives of our most defenseless, and sales continue to climb in only its first few weeks in retail.
  • We have welcomed new, traffic-driving music releases from top-sellers Wow Hits 2012, TobyMac, Third Day, Kari Jobe, Mercy Me and Francesca Battistelli.

You see, we still serve members of a community that looks very much like our neighbors, yet has a worldview that draws them to the content of your store. We have traffic-drawing releases that are ripe for your customers and are exactly what they want—from a shop ethos based on values just like their own. So, don’t lose heart as technology innovations change seemingly at the blink of an eye. Know your customer and serve them! And, remember, as Mark Twain so eloquently stated upon hearing that his obituary had been published in the mainstream media: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

 
Guest Editor Recommended Reads: Randy Davis Print Email
Written by Moriah Peters   
Monday, 05 November 2012 12:39 PM America/New_York

Defending the faith, thinking practically and looking up
Recommended reads for your business life

TheCaseForACreatorThe Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel (Zondervan, 978-0-310-24144-7, 2004).

This book has really helped me in strengthening my faith in God. There was a time when I questioned His existence because I was being bombarded by the “facts” of evolution and secular theories. I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking knowledge in defending his or her faith. 

MereChristianityAudioMere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins Publishers, 978-0-060-57263-1, 2003) 

No matter how many times I read this book, I always reach a new revelation. Lewis uses practical thinking, which is golden in our world of philosophizing and over-analyzing. Pull out a pen, put on the audiobook and get ready to think!

HeavenHeaven by Randy Alcorn (Tyndale House Publishers, 978-0-842-37942-7, 2004)

Heaven is one of those books that can change the way you live. It is rare to find theological research on the topic of heaven. Based on Scripture and a life dedicated to the study of life after death, Alcorn paints a vibrant and tangible picture of heaven. For the first time, it's like heaven is a real place to me, not just some floaty, cloudy thing!

ThenSingsMySoulThen Sings My Soul: 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories by Robert J. Morgan (Thomas Nelson, 978-0-785-24939-9, 2003)

This is for every writer of any kind! It's a book of hymns, their history and their composers. There is something about a hymn that brings me to a simple appreciation for the cross, and learning about the struggles of their writers just gives me a deeper love for the Jesus they sing about. 

 
Guest Editor: Cris Doornbos Print Email
Written by Cris Doornbos   
Tuesday, 09 October 2012 11:10 AM America/New_York

CrisDoornbos_mugGetting back to the lost art of making disciples

Publish. The word is defined as “to make public, or generally known; the activities, process or business models of a publisher.” As publishers, we are in the midst of the most significant and rapid change this industry has ever seen. Dr. Leonard Sweet calls it “moving from Gutenburg to Google.” We all know the process and business models are changing at a mind-numbing pace, but the goal remains the same: take the messenger’s message and make it public or generally known. Still, some days it’s easy to feel like this challenge is new and unprecedented. It is, but it’s not. Let me try and explain.

I love to ride my Harley through the mountains of Colorado. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee, Wis. I was curious to learn the history behind this truly American success story. While there I found these words etched in display glass next to the first motorcycle they built in 1903:

“The pace of change in the technological progress in the final decades of the 19th century was dizzying. Electricity was tamed, the gasoline engine, the radio, the telephone, and dozens of new devices were invented in quick succession. Life in Milwaukee was changing just as fast. Having made its name from processing the fruits of the land, milling grain, packing meats, and brewing beer, the city earned a new reputation for making iron and shaping it into machinery. By 1900 Milwaukee had so many shops, mills, and foundries that it took the nickname ‘Machine Shop of the World.’ Aspiring inventors Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson were working in Milwaukee machine shops, both dreaming of building a motorized bicycle. They were in the right place at the right time to realize their vision.”

Those last two lines about bowled me over. Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson found themselves in a time very similar to our own. But they held fast to their aspirations and dreams and discovered they were right where they needed to be to see those become reality. But they had to stay with it and not give in to fear.

I couldn’t get away from the parallels for Christian publishing. As Christian publishers, we find ourselves moving at this dizzying pace, oftentimes not knowing the next best step. We’re all having to learn new ways of doing things, but our aspirations and dreams are constant: to make the message known. So the challenge for all us—from CEOs to copyeditors to online marketing specialists to authors and speakers—is to believe that we’re also in the right place at the right time, and if we’re faithful, the vision will be realized.

In some ways, it’s not unlike the time when Jesus prepared to ascend back to the Father’s side. I bet the disciples thought the pace of those days was dizzying and everything was about to change. What did Jesus do? He told them not to be afraid and then He told them His dream, His aspiration: that they would go and make disciples. He left, but He promised to always be with them and that His Kingdom would be realized.

iStock_000006066162Medium_PeteWillHere at David C Cook, the process of publishing has changed, and we are diligently embracing the changes and new opportunities to do our part to equip local churches on a global scale, for making and teaching disciples who obediently transform today’s generations. That’s our mission, our dream, and we believe we’re in the right place at the right time.

When I arrived at David C Cook over six years ago, I had a word in my head I could not shake. I believed it defined our organization’s reason for existence. Today, I’m more committed to that word than ever because I believe it is also the primary purpose of the church. That word is “DiscipleShaping.”

I have to tell you that word came from a long season of wrestling to clearly hear God’s voice. I had been journaling for some time and I clearly remember writing down the question: “How am I listening to God?” I was convinced that God was trying to speak to me on a single matter, one focused on how God would have me best serve the local church on a global scale. This wrestling began years before I came to David C Cook. I knew God was preparing me for a change, but it turned out it wasn’t the change I was looking for. Deep in my spirit, I heard “No, Cris, you’re not listening.”

I’ll never forget that Thursday evening at the Opryland Hotel, after many months of intentional work to reduce the clutter of other voices from books, magazines, TV and newspapers, and all the music that surrounded me in those days. I had walked back to my hotel room and in angry frustration called out to God: “What are you trying to tell me, God? How much longer must I wait?” As I was heading home the next day, I made a quick stop at the office and received a phone call, one still I refer to as a “blinding flash of the obvious.” In order to do what I knew God wanted me to do, I was going to have leave my current position and my hometown and take the helm of a 135-year-old organization known as David C Cook. And this is where I would receive instruction on the word—DiscipleShaping—as God’s agenda for David C Cook.

If asked to define that word, I’d say this: DiscipleShaping is “to equip the Church with Christ-centered resources for making and teaching today’s disciples who obediently transform today’s generations.” Essentially we are here to publish leadership and discipleship resources to the Church with a capital ‘C’ through the church with a small ‘c’ on a global scale. We are focused on God’s great dream, the Great Commission: DiscipleShaping!

Things have not been easy these six years. We’ve been through difficult days like many of our fellow publishers, and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of them. But each day begins with a choice: fear or faith. If faith is the essence of things unseen, then this time in the history of publishing is tailor-made for faith. Rather than give in to the pressures and anxieties, we’re fixing our eyes on Christ and taking each new step one day at a time.

We’ve been privileged to partner with such godly communicators as Francis Chan, Leonard Sweet, Tullian Tchividjian, Britt Merrick, James MacDonald, Stasi Eldredge and Becky Harling. These and others are helping us help them as we all do our part to publish—to make the message known. And its not just any message, but the good news, the joy-filled truth that God so loved this world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will never die but have everlasting life.

Is it a dizzying time? Sure. I’ve about decided it always has been. But the daily choice of faith over fear allows God the freedom to work through our efforts to bring transformation to a world desperately looking for a dream to believe in. And we have the distinct opportunity to present the message the world has always needed. It’s the right time and you’re in the right place. Don’t give up the good fight!

 
Guest Editor In Conversation: Cris Doornbos Print Email
Written by Cris Doornbos   
Tuesday, 09 October 2012 11:14 AM America/New_York

MichelleAnthonyHelping parents lead their families

MICHELLE ANTHONY is family ministry architect at David C Cook. A wife and mother, she also serves as the family ministry ambassador for ROCKHARBOR Church in Costa Mesa, Calif.

In what ways has God specifically impassioned your heart for the family and today’s generation?

I feel impassioned that they would hear God’s voice in a personal relationship, and be able to discern His voice among all the other voices clamoring for their attention. I also long for this generation to have a desire to obey God’s voice when they hear it—aligning their will to His call. Lastly, my hope would be that children and families would learn to obey God in the power of His Spirit and the strength He offers, rather than merely adopting a “try-harder” type of Christianity. All of these things are deeply rooted in relationship rather than religious behavior.

 

Many people are describing the focus on family ministry in today’s churches a movement of God. Do you agree with this and why?

I do agree. I think that one reason we describe it as a movement of God is based on the breadth of it. Before there was a champion or before there were adequate resources, God was awakening His people to this passion all across the globe. There are churches and individuals in cities and countries too numerous to count with common language and vision for families—that’s a God-sized phenomena.

Secondly, I see this focus on family as a movement because of the depth of it. Partnering with parents in the current definition of “family” is choosing to walk into deep waters with them. I believe that out of God’s love and grace, He has initiated healing in our families. But, the issues facing the 21st-century family are something that only God can heal, and no clever program or eloquent author will be able to address the level of redemption that is needed without Him at the helm.

 

You seek to inspire the church and parents to each play their unique roles in passing on their faith to the next generation. How do you see their roles as distinct and as complementary?

These roles are distinct in that God designed the family to be the heartbeat of faith formation (Ps. 78, Deut. 6). The home was God’s design for faith to be passed on from generation to generation. However, sin corrupts and distorts God’s perfect plans for us, and parents, even in biblical eras, neglected to succeed in this endeavor. The church was commissioned to spread this good news and equip the saints to do the work of the Lord (Eph. 4).

Practically speaking, their roles are complementary in that both the home and the church are instruments of proclaiming Christ to a new generation. But it is the church that is tasked with making sure that our ministries strategically equip parents and grandparents to have the tools necessary to raise spiritually healthy families.

 

iStock_000003397250Medium_digitalskilletYou have used the term “spiritual parenting” to refer to the type of parenting that we need in our homes today. What do you mean by this, and how does one become a spiritual parent?

Well, first of all, “spiritual parenting” is not perfect parenting. Often we think of something spiritual as something that is more holy. Yet, “spiritual parenting” is parenting with an eternal perspective—parenting with eternity in mind, rather than just trying to make it through another day. As parents, we can become consumed with the temporal things in raising children—household duties, meals, homework, errands, sporting events and so on. But, God calls us to see every moment as an opportunity to impact faith formation. He wants us to redeem the time for something greater than today.

We become “spiritual parents” when we align our efforts with God’s plan. We ask ourselves in every moment, “God, what are you doing in the life of my child, and how can I come alongside of that?”

 

What are some of the greatest challenges ministry leaders will face in faith formation of today’s generation? How can leaders overcome these?

Ministry leaders are dealing with extraordinary challenges in our churches today. There is an apathetic, and even antagonistic, condition in this generation toward the gospel. We are dealing with more addiction, depression and sexual promiscuity than the generations that have preceded us. The family unit is complicated and fragmented, and young people are busy, distracted and disengaged. All of these issues create an unbelievable vortex of complexity for ministry leaders who are often ill-prepared for this type of mission field.

The hope that ministry leaders will have in reaching this generation will be in joining forces in laser-focused efforts, that cross-denominational, generational and programmatic barriers to present the gospel authentically through discipleship. We will need to eliminate the excess in our ministries and become united and focused in order to have a lasting impact.

 

In what ways do you feel that the church has become misguided or distracted in their mission to a young generation?

We have become misguided in that we have not accurately understood how faith formation works. Unfortunately we got off track when we largely adopted a religious system in our Christian education programs and called that faith. We focused on a model that encouraged behavior modification through memorization, information and attendance, while often neglecting spiritual formation through genuine discipleship, inward transformation and community.

We have been distracted by preservation. When a previous generation seeks to “preserve what they had,” their eyes are focused in the rearview mirror instead of the windshield. The windshield shows us where we are going and is a bigger perspective. The rearview mirror is small and, while important, keeps us tethered to the past.

 

How can Christian retailers assist congregations who are making an effort to come alongside parents in learning to spiritually lead their families?

Christian retailers play a significant role in assisting churches, attendees and leaders in providing resources that are current and relevant to the topics that are most beneficial to the Christian community. Often retailers lead the way in helping churches to even understand what these issues are in the first place. The resources are important, but even further, retailers can hold book signings or partner with local churches for conferences and events to help promote conversations about the topics that effect leadership.

For the issue of parents leading their families spiritually, retailers can provide books, family night resources, as well as provide local opportunities that engage parents in a local church that might provide message series, classes and events to enhance spiritual conversations and faith in the family.

 

You are passionate about how we teach God’s Word to children. Explain how your approach can impact young hearts and minds and why it’s important to you.

I am passionate about God’s Word and its impact on children. I believe that it’s important for children to see the Bible as one story of love and redemption where God is the main character. Often, we teach His Word as a collection of stories where Moses is the main character one day and Peter is the main character another. In reality, those people merely play a supporting actor role in God’s big story, and when told in a chronological manner, we can ask ourselves at every page, “What do I know about God from this?” rather than, “How can I be more like so-and-so?” It is then that we begin to see ourselves as playing a part in a huge storyline that is still being written. This is important because one way will allow kids to understand history, while the other will engage kids to actually be a part of it.

 

Some have said that your concept of “creating environments” in their home is freeing to them as parents. What are these environments, and how do they bring spiritual health and freedom to parents?

The environments are described in my book Spiritual Parenting and really have to do with how we view our role as parents. If it is God’s role to do [handle?] the supernatural and bring about transformation in my child (at best, I can only control behavior), then it begs the question, “What is my role?” I see the role of parenting as one of creating an environment in my home where God can do what He does best—change hearts and lives.

It’s freeing because I am no longer the one trying to manufacture faith through good behavior or controlling circumstances, but rather focusing on a climate in my home that puts God and His character on display. My children simply get to live in the path of the divine, and it’s His divinity, through grace, that changes them.

 

What do you feel is the greatest obstacle in parents assuming their God-given role to spiritually lead their families?

This obstacle is multifaceted because there are many contributing factors, but the greatest obstacle is that parents are not awakened to this God-given role. Christian parents have historically felt satisfied if they dropped their children off at a weekly Sunday school program, led and taught a moral life, and included prayer at meals and bedtime.

Biblically speaking, a Christian parent is one who is actively engaged in spiritual conversations and teaching in every moment throughout the week, erasing the line between sacred and secular, while choosing to disciple their children in active engagement of spiritual disciplines, which include prayer, reading and studying God’s Word, service, community, confession and worship, just to name a few. Unfortunately parents are too busy and ill-equipped to assume this type of a role and will need the church to come alongside to help them, with God’s Spirit to become awakened [in them].

Read more of this Q&A online at www.christianretailing.com/anthony.

 
Guest Editor Retail Essentials: Michael Covington Print Email
Written by Michael Covington   
Tuesday, 09 October 2012 11:23 AM America/New_York

MichaelCovingtonManaging our response to inevitable change

Paradigm shift, downsizing, long tail, “co-opetition,” change management—the buzzwords created and used in business today are just a way of helping us cope with and describe our response to the changes that are being thrust upon us. In spite of the last entry on the list above, many of the changes that life throws our way aren’t really manageable, are they? Instead, many times what we are forced to do in business, as in life, is manage our response to change.

I have been around the Christian bookselling world for more than half of my adult life (yes, I am over 40). Starting out in the early ’90s as a book buyer for an independent Christian bookstore was an eye-opening experience. The industry was in its heyday and Christian bookstores (we were still called that back then) all seemed to be doing very well. I was around during the “stack-’em-high and watch-’em-fly” craze all the way through to the “Just-In-Time inventory management” days (a much-needed change-response to bloated inventories and high-return rates).

In 2006, I moved to a new position with the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), where I learned that publishing and retailing are completely different worlds. That’s not to say that there aren’t competent, skilled, dedicated and mission-minded individuals in both arenas, only that the actual business processes conducted by each were completely different, and necessarily so. The lines that separated the two were distinct, the roles were well-rehearsed and executed.

Last year I made yet another move, this time to David C Cook. Designated the director of digital content, my new job included the role of “strategist,” someone who could evaluate all of the changes taking place and recommend a course of action, a change-response, to the rapid expansion occurring in the digital marketplace. It’s in this role that I can finally see the common change-response that publishers and retailers must adopt.

I propose that our common change-response should be as follows: To survive in the digital age, publishers and retailers must add value between the author and the consumer.

Consumers seek out value, plain and simple. Notice I didn’t say gimmicks and tricks, but true value. In publishing, that value exists in the way we connect content creators to our expert ability to help craft a story, design a product and bring it to the marketplace.

Retailers have the same challenge before them, respond to the change by leveraging the ways you add value to the equation. There are many ways a retailer can do this, and they are as unique as each individual market they serve. Having said that, I don’t want to leave you without some practical ideas of what this might look like.

Here are three strategies you might consider:

Dig deep. As a Christian bookseller, readers need to know that you are a content expert. Consider placing more emphasis in your store on merchandising hand-selected backlist and lesser-known authors. These titles can practically serve as an exclusive product, as you can be sure your digital competition isn’t doing anything to feature them.

Welcome the little children. The digital space just doesn’t have a good solution for delivering printed content to children. Besides this, kids are tactile creatures; it’s why we’re always telling them, “Look with your eyes, not with your hands.” Make sure your kids’ section is front and center. Let kids touch and then follow up those touches with a gentle nudge to mom or dad who will help them make that purchase decision.

Host the party. Some of my fondest memories as a retailer were the impromptu Bible studies, prayer meetings and discussion groups that would just “happen” in our store. This is really something I think Christian retailers should capitalize on—make your store the place for folks to gather. Be careful though, doing this intentionally means you cannot meddle too much in what it looks like. Instead, seek out “tribal leaders” in your community—people who are leading the discussions—and offer them your store as a place to visit.

It’s true that the digital shift has brought about unprecedented change. With that change are sure to come more adjustments to your product mix, but it should not affect how you add value—by intentionally loving and serving your customers.


Michael Covington is director of digital content at David C Cook. As a retailer, he was awarded the Jim Carlson Bookstore Manager of the Year in 2001.

 

 
Guest Editor Recommended Reads: Cris Doornbos Print Email
Written by Cris Doornbos   
Tuesday, 09 October 2012 11:30 AM America/New_York

LaunchingALeadershipRevolutionLeading people, adapting to change and staying healthy

Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence by Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward (Business Plus, 978-0-446-58071-7, 2007)

Sooner or later, we are all called to lead in some capacity. Leadership skills are vital in corporate settings, small businesses, church or community organizations and even within the home. Brady and Woodward have recognized this need and have jointly created an in-depth, step-by-step guide for developing leadership skills.

Utilizing an abundance of historical examples, the authors have developed a unique five-step plan that charts a course for creating and maintaining strong leadership in any organization. The plan guides the reader through the “Five Levels of Influence”:

  • Learning: a leader must be able to learn from anyone
  • Performing: persevere through failure to find success
  • Leading: extend your ability by expanding your team
  • Developing Leaders: learn to trust your people 
  • Develop Leaders who Develop Leaders: create a legacy

This book is full of prescriptive advice, quotes and anecdotes that illustrate the authors’ principles.

This is the best book I’ve read on leadership to date! It addresses the priorities and practical issues of what a leader is, what a leader brings to his team/organization, what a leader does and how a leader grows, all the while using historical examples from real people like Winston Churchill, William Wilberforce, the apostle Paul, Theodore Roosevelt and more.

The7HabitsOfHighlyEffectivePeopleThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey (Free Press, 978-0-743-26951-3, 2004)

Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, he reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service and human dignity—principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

When I first read this book as a young man, it completely changed the way I viewed managing time and leading people. This is an absolute must-read for future leaders. Just last week I gave this book to my nephew, who is a youth pastor in a small church in Michigan.

SpiritualLeadershipSpiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda by Henry & Richard Blackaby (B&H Books, 978-1-433-66918-7, 2011)

Drawing on their own extensive leadership experience as well as their ministry to leaders in all walks of life, the authors Blackaby offer insightful counsel into the ways God develops, guides and empowers spiritual leaders. Clear guidance is given as to how leaders can make a positive impact on the people and organizations they are currently leading.

One of the best reads on vision came from this book in the chapter “The Leaders Vision: Where Do Leaders Get It and How Do They Communicate It?” The other chapter that spoke to me was “The Leader’s Schedule: Doing What’s Important.” These two chapters alone were worth the price of the book!

NoneOfTheseDiseasesNone of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets for the 21st Century by S.I. McMillen, M.D., & David E. Stern, M.D. (Revell/Baker Publishing Group, 978-0-800-75719-9, 2000)

Asserting that the truth of the Bible holds the key to healthy living, None of These Diseases identifies how many life-threatening medical conditions could be prevented through living a committed Christian life and following the instructions in the Old and New Testament.

As a young man, the examples in this book of how we get and prevent diseases served to strengthen my faith in the creator God and validate the more obscure passages in the Bible, particularly in Leviticus. They also helped me understand the absolute and profound wisdom of God in the creation of the human race and how I could better care for my body as the temple of the living God.

 
Guest Editor Retail Essentials: Chuck Wallington Print Email
Written by Chuck Wallington   
Tuesday, 25 September 2012 02:30 PM America/New_York

ChuckWallingtonLeveraging spiritual partnerships in your community

Every Christian retailer is searching for cost-effective ways to increase the awareness of their store’s offerings to the best customer base in their community. One approach that is often overlooked, perhaps because it is not a derivative of the latest social media or advertising trends, is partnering with churches and ministries in your community. After all, most Sundays, the biggest block of your potential customer base is sitting in local church congregations; the challenge is how to reach them with the message of your products and your store.

Admittedly, having been a very involved partner in the spiritual community of our rather small town for in 60 years does give us an advantage, but these relationships and partnerships can and should be nurtured, whether you’ve just opened or have been serving your area for decades. It only makes sense and can be a win-win for both parties when done properly.

Understand this: Most churches and ministries are actively looking for ways to deepen the spiritual experiences of their members. As the local Christian retailer, you have resources that can help them do just that, at no additional cost to them in terms of dollars or time invested! In order for these partnerships to work, however, it requires some investment of time and work on your part.

We have had great success in the last eight to nine years, for example, by sponsoring an annual back-to-school party in our store parking lot. Named “PrayBack” by the local youth pastors, we normally have 500-700 middle school and high school kids gather in our parking lot in mid-August the first Wednesday night after school resumes. For many weeks prior, the youth pastors are announcing each week that everyone is to “meet at Christian Supply” for this event. In many cases, the senior pastor even announces it from the pulpit to the entire congregation, an invaluable endorsement of our store, not to mention the free word-of-mouth publicity it generates—in addition to good will from appreciative parents!

In order to make this happen, we have to invest in a small honorarium for a local praise band to lead worship, and rent a generator to run the sound system. We also have to coordinate the date by hosting a set-up lunch several weeks in advance with the local youth pastors, and secure a flatbed trailer (normally donated) for a “stage.” The entire event costs us less than $800 and brings hundreds of youth to our store at the very beginning of the new school year. It’s a great way for us to connect with them as their new year begins.

This fall, we will be hosting a church event for our entire community. When contacted by the publisher about having best-selling author Max Lucado come for an in-store signing, we instead offered to move the event to a local church to enlarge our prospective crowd. The event, which will be called “The Grace Event,” will not only serve to promote his new release, Grace, but will also give us a high profile in the community as the store that is the sponsor of the entire evening. The anticipated crowd is 1,500-2,000, far in excess of what we could have reasonably expected in our store for a traditional signing. As an added benefit, the local church that is hosting it will be promoting it for many weeks in advance to their entire membership of some 5,000.

While some planning, creative thinking and energy are all required in order to partner with local churches and ministries, the rewards can be highly productive and lasting. Summer is a slower time for most of us. Why not take advantage of this and use some of that “down time” this summer for you and your staff to brainstorm a bit about how you can better connect and partner with churches in your area, to the benefit of both parties?


Chuck Wallington is president of Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C., and the Covenant Group. Christian Supply ranks as the largest independent Christian retail store in the industry, and Covenant Group is a marketing services company serving leading Christian retail stores with promotions, catalogs, branded websites and other marketing tools. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
 
Guest Editor Recommended Reads: Max Lucado Print Email
Written by Max Lucado   
Tuesday, 25 September 2012 02:41 PM America/New_York

TheSingerRecommended reads for your business life

The Singer: A Classic Retelling of Cosmic Conflict by Calvin Miller (IVP Books, 978-0-830-82285-0).

“It’s the story of Jesus in poetic form, and … one of the greatest creative pieces I have ever read.”

KillingGiantsKilling Giants, Pulling Thorns by Charles R. Swindoll (Zondervan, 978-0-310-42040-8).

“It’s actually a coffee table book, not a thick study book Swindoll is known for. For me, Chuck is the model of really clear, engaging communication. He doesn’t sacrifice biblical loyalty and accuracy for great creativity.”

PeculiarTreasuresPeculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who’s Who by Frederick Buechner (HarperOne, 978-0-060-61141-5).

“This book is such fun writing. It basically includes one-page character sketches of favorite biblical characters. I couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t exactly a Bible study, and it was a tad irreverent. It made me think, Is it really OK to write like this? I loved it.”

TheMessageofRomansThe Message of Romans by John R.W. Stott (IVP Academic, 978-0-830-81246-2).

“This book from ‘The Bible Speaks Today’ series brought me to a deeper understanding of grace. Stott’s verse-by-verse explanation modeled biblical teaching for me. He gave a clear dissection of Scripture. Personally, this book helped me trust the grace of God.”

 
Guest Editor Q&A: Cheryl Green Print Email
Written by Cheryl Green   
Tuesday, 25 September 2012 02:47 PM America/New_York

CherylGreenServing the church

Bookstore provides ‘quality, meaningful service’

CHERYL GREEN, director of constituent services for UpWords Ministries, the Bible teaching ministry of Max Lucado, reflects on the history of the church store that helped to launch the author’s bookselling ministry.

Tell us about the UpWords Bookstore at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. How did the store get started, and how do you function in conjunction with the church?

The UpWords Bookstore at Oak Hills is one facet of the UpWords ministry. About 20 years ago, a trusted member of Oak Hills Church named Gordon Carruth voluntarily began a small bookselling operation as a service to church members and visitors interested in purchasing books written by their new, young minister, Max Lucado. Together, Gordon and Max coined the name UpWords, and the bookstore consisted of a few folding tables in the corner of the church foyer. 

When the church moved to a new building where space was designated for a bookstore, Gordon retired, and Oak Hills Church leadership asked UpWords Ministries to take on the fiscal responsibility of the bookstore, and we were happy to do so.

What types of books do you carry?

In the early days, UpWords carried only books by Max Lucado. Gradually, a few other titles were added, and the product mix greatly expanded when a store location was designed in the new building at Oak Hills Church. Although guests in our store can find a full line of Lucado books, we hope to meet other expectations of our customers as well. We try to keep all titles that appear on the CBA lists for top sellers along with a variety of Bibles and study resources.

In the last several years, you've built up your offering of gift products. How does this fit into your overall strategy?

Our most popular item on any given weekend is the actual sermon message on CD. The church's technology team quickly duplicates the message and makes it available for purchase immediately following the service. Like many small retail bookstores, we also feel the impact of digital sales, both in music and books. Adding a carefully selected line of gifts has helped bring traffic to the store and provided a service to our customer base. 

In addition to the most popular music CDs, we try to stock music by guest worship leaders as well as the music enjoyed in our children's Bibleland programs. We have greeting cards and gift items, including some of the top-selling inspirational lines from Demdaco and DaySpring.

How many square feet is your store? How do you maximize the space?

Our store is approximately 1,000 square feet. The majority of space is taken for bookshelves, which fill the center of the store. The three perimeter walls contain best-sellers, children's books and gifts items. We have racks up front for music, greeting cards and more gifts. It's definitely a challenge to use our space to its best advantage. 

You've been selling books through MaxLucado.com for years. What advice do you have for Christian retailers and church bookstores looking to branch out into online stores?

We love offering Max's full product line both to constituents who visit our online store as well as those who call in or write to the ministry. We've certainly seen competition for Internet sales increase over the years. We realize we don't provide all the options of the Internet superstores, and we don't market as well as they do. However, we offer personal attention and knowledge of the products. We'll continue to sell online as long as it's a viable option for UpWords to do so. Anyone considering the launch of an online store should meticulously research all the factors. Staying upgraded and meeting the expectation of online shoppers can be tricky.

How does your online shopping offering compare with the physical store?

MaxLucado.com is limited to Max Lucado titles and a very select few others such as Karen Hill, Max's executive editor, and his daughter, Jenna Lucado Bishop. We have tried to define and stay within our niche in both areas of e-commerce and church bookstore. While both produce revenue that is beneficial to UpWords Ministries, providing a quality, meaningful service to our constituents is our primary motivation.


Learn more from Cheryl Green by visiting www.christianretailing.com/upwords.

 

 
Guest Editor: Max Lucado Print Email
Written by Production   
Wednesday, 12 September 2012 03:17 PM America/New_York

MaxLucado2Grace-shaped retailing

Grace. We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings and pre-meal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means.

But do we really understand it? Have we settled for a wimpy grace that politely occupies a phrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign? It never causes trouble or demands a response.

But God’s grace is greater than the labels we’ve put on it and more powerful than we can describe. It has a drenching about it. A wildness about it. A white-water, riptide, turn-you-upside-downness about it. Grace comes after us. It rewires us.

The grace of God changes us and shapes us. Strengthens and softens us. Snatches us by the nape of the neck and shakes us to our senses.

It changes everything.

Including the way we run bookstores.

May I offer a few thoughts on grace-shaped retailing?

iStock_000009623617Medium_CREDITPeteWillResting in Grace

Are you working hard?

I don’t even need to ask. I know the answer to that. We all are.

It seems to me that bookstore owners and staff work harder than most. Long days on your feet. Wide smiles for even the snappiest customers. Lifting boxes of heavy books. Recommending Lucado titles.

It’s an unending cycle. We race. We run. Work weeks drag like Arctic winters. Monday mornings show up on Sunday night. We slug our way through long lines and long hours with faces made long by the long lists of things we need to do, customers we try to please, websites we need to upgrade or gadgets we need to buy.

Every time we catch our breath, someone else needs something else. Another task master cracks his whip.

And we’re tired. We’re worn out and weary. We’re worried.

The work continues, and it’s important work, this spreading the good news of the gospel through written words and recorded music. Sharing words of the hope found in Christ alone is essential.

And I bet sometimes it feels a little never-ending.

So the grace-shaped retailer finds rest in the one place where it can be found. In the arms of God.

Take this one worry of your place. You don’t have to wonder if you’re doing enough to please God. Of all the things in life you have to earn, his unending affection is not one of them. You have it. Stretch yourself out in the hammock of grace.

You can rest in that.

And you can rest in the work that God’s grace is doing in your life.

Relying on Grace

If you’re having a hard time resting in grace, maybe you’re having a hard time relying on grace. Maybe your view is a little small and your understanding a little bit little.

Grace is simply another word for God’s tumbling, rumbling reservoir of strength and protection. It comes at us not occasionally or miserly, but constantly and aggressively, wave upon wave. Grace upon grace.

May I use my friends Heather Sample and Kyle Sheets as an example? This father and daughter joined a team of medical missionaries treating AIDS patients in Zimbabwe. While this wasn’t Kyle’s first medical mission trip, it was the first time his hand had been cut during surgery. The first time he’d been directly exposed to the AIDS virus.

Heather urged Kyle to immediately begin the anti-retroviral treatment in order to prevent HIV infection. Both knew the treatment wasn’t without side effects. Within hours, he was violently ill as they faced a 40-hour trip back to the States.

By the time they boarded their transatlantic flight from South Africa, Kyle was having trouble breathing and was unable to sit up. Incoherent. Eyes yellowed. Liver enlarged and painful. Both doctors recognized the symptoms of acute liver failure. Heather felt the full weight of her father’s life on her shoulders.

Several minutes into the flight Kyle drifted off to sleep. Heather made her way to the bathroom where she slumped on the floor in a fetal position, wept and prayed, I need help.

Before long a concerned passenger knocked on the door asking if she was OK. She told him she was a doctor. His face brightened as he explained that he and 99 of the other passengers were physicians as well. One hundred physicians from Mexico were on the flight, one of them a top-tier infectious disease specialist, who offered to evaluate and watch Kyle while Heather rested.

Kyle is now fully healed, but with an amazing story of God’s provision and protection. Can you imagine 100 doctors right there, just when he needed them?

Maybe your transatlantic flight isn’t illness. Maybe it’s the red ink in the ledger. The dishonest employee. The downturn in the economy or the spike in rent.

Sustaining grace meets us at our point of need and equips us with courage, wisdom and strength. It surprises us in the middle of our personal transatlantic flights with ample resources of faith. Sustaining grace does not promise the absence of struggle, but the presence of God in it.

Rely on God’s grace to show up. It will.

Giving Grace

Relying on grace means accepting it. And to accept grace is to accept the vow to give it. Grace doesn’t stop with us. It pours out of us into even life’s hardest situations.

We all know the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. We heard it in Sunday school, maybe even saw the flannel-graph version. Maybe in high school or college you even acted out a modern-day version of the foot-washing.

Jesus—CEO, head coach, king of the world, sovereign of the seas—washed the feet of his disciples in the Upper Room.

Feet with heels and toenails. Bunions and fungus. Corns and calluses. Some maybe large enough to warrant a zip code.

And Jesus touched them. He touched the stinky, ugly parts of his disciples. Knowing he could arch an eyebrow or clear his throat and every angel in the universe would snap to attention. Knowing that all authority was His, He exchanged His robe for the servant’s wrap, lowered himself to knee level and began to rub away the grime, the grit and grunge of a long journey.

And he didn’t pass a single man. He didn’t skip Peter, who would deny Him. He didn’t pass Judas, who would betray Him.

And that water still washes feet. Look down. If you’ve accepted God’s grace, your feet are wet too.

But receiving grace isn’t the end of the story. It wasn’t for the disciples and it’s not for you. Grace is a two-way street where we receive it and then give it to others.

Is it tempting to be stingy with grace? Of course. Hurts run deep. Rude customers. Demanding vendors. Angry coworkers.

But as we consider the amount of grace poured out on us, giving it—even to the rude, demanding and angry—becomes not only easier, but essential.

If grace were a wheat field, God has bequeathed you the state of Kansas. Can’t you share your grace with others?

So, I leave you with an essential question. Is your retailing shaped by grace? Are you resting in grace, relying on grace and giving it out as generously as you’re receiving it? If you find yourself weary, quick to snap or slow to offer a smile to a customer this week, would you remember that God’s grace is greater than the toughest situation you’re facing? Rest, rely and give.

 
Guest Editor In Conversation: Max Lucado Print Email
Written by Production   
Wednesday, 12 September 2012 03:23 PM America/New_York

MatthewCrouchTBN leader encourages the use of new formats to communicate truth, hope and grace

MATTHEW CROUCH is assistant to the president at Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN).

How has the type of programming TBN airs changed in the last few years?

This is a time of transition. Traditional pulpit programs are moving to our Church Channel network, and we are developing programs with more innovative formats for the main network. A good example is Max Lucado’s new program, Grace. It's a traditional message presented in a fresh way.

Are there assumptions made by consumers about TBN programming that may have been true, but aren’t any longer? Is TBN’s brand changing to accommodate new technologies and voices in the market?

I would say the perception that TBN is strictly Southern gospel, Pentecostal is something that’s outdated. At the beginning, most of our stations and guests were from the South, so that was the dominant flavor of the network. But now, we have facilities all over the country and we reach something like 98% of the country’s population, so our programming reflects a diversity of styles and themes. TBN is definitely changing to reflect new technology. Live streaming is a major part of our outreach, and our new “video on demand” service, iTBN, offers thousands of hours of archived programming. In fact, Max Lucado’s daily inspirational spots are available now on iTBN, and his new Grace program will be available on iTBN right after it begins playing “over the air.”

Is it more important to you to have TBN air programming from established voices in the Christian faith or up-and-coming voices? Or is it important to have a combination of both?

You need to have a combination. The seasoned veterans are important for their wisdom. Check out Psalm 71:17-18, but you also need the fresh perspective of younger “up and coming” voices; see 1 Timothy 4:12. 

Why is media produced with Christian themes—books, television programming, music and so forth—so important, especially in our current culture?

Right now, mass culture is looking for truth. With all the mixed messages and false teaching people are exposed to today, it's important that our voice—the voice of truth, hope and grace—be out there in the media for everyone to hear, and we need to make that message accessible to people around the world in a variety of formats.

What technology changes in the last five years or so have most affected the way that TBN functions?

The Internet has changed everything, not only with the video streaming and “video on demand” that I mentioned before, but also in the whole area of social media. There’s the potential for instant interaction between programmers and viewers that’s simply stunning. 

How are you actively connecting with your established audience as well as with new viewers?

We’re using every means available. Some people will continue to prefer “over the air” broadcasting and communicating with us by telephone and snail mail. But video streaming, “video on demand” and social media—those are the platforms that have “changed the game.” They’ll continue to grow and are the future of what we now know as broadcasting. But, the message, the content is what’s really important, and good content will always have a place. 

How can Christian retailers use some of these same models to reach new consumers? 

Retail has gone from “bricks and mortar” to Internet shopping. I think Christian retailers can benefit from embracing the technology that is available. 

Do you have any advice for Christian retailers on how to change to meet the needs of consumers?

Be attuned to the trends and movements within Christianity. I think the “grace” message will define our generation just like “dispensationalism” defined the past 40 years. People need to hear about God’s grace. That’s why I’m so glad Max Lucado wrote about the topic in his latest book. 

What do you see in the future for Christian media as a whole?

My dad, Paul Crouch Sr., just entered the room, so I’ll let him answer: “simply utilizing current technology to its maximum extent and keeping eyes, ears and spirit open to every new technology that mankind comes up with.” I couldn’t have said it better.  

 
Guest Editor: Pamela Clements Print Email
Written by Pamela Clements   
Tuesday, 11 September 2012 02:54 PM America/New_York
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Meeting needs in the church—all of it

Let’s consider the broad nature of the body of Christ, as well as seekers

I have had the privilege of working in Christian publishing for almost 25 years. In that time much has changed—in publishing, in the church and in me.

Christian publishing has provided me with a unique education. Where else could I have the opportunity to hear so many views on the gospel and the Scriptures? Sometimes those views range from one end of the spectrum to the other, but they still represent the views of the church. “Not my church,” you might say. To which I would respond, “Yes, your church, because it is all our church.”

Christian publishers are all church publishers because we are all publishing for the church. Understanding my place in the church has been one of the best gifts I have received from my career. I now consider myself part of the larger church, the entire body of Christ, American and international, conservative and liberal, evangelical and mainline.

Certainly I don’t always agree with everything I hear or read, but when I am challenged by someone who believes differently, especially about issues of faith, it makes me think that much harder about what I do believe and why I believe it. That is the entire purpose of Christian publishing, to exchange ideas, to look at Scripture with a fresh eye, to grow in our faith and to share that with the whole world.

As the associate publisher of the Christian Living and Abingdon fiction divisions of Abingdon Press, I am now part of the work of The United Methodist Publishing House. Some of our other divisions provide curriculum, programs, small-group studies, Vacation Bible School resources and Bible reference and leadership resources for the church, and they do this very well, just as many other denominational publishers do.

One might think that as a denominational publisher, we are concerned only about reaching people in our denomination, but that is not the case. Denominational publishers are committed to the same goals as other Christian publishers. We are publishing books and materials that will reach the world for Christ and help believers grow in their faith.

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At Abingdon, some of our books contain a Wesleyan worldview, but so do books published by many trade houses. We do publish for the church; we just see the church as the whole body of Christ. We also publish for the seeker or the person who has no idea that the answer they are seeking is Christ, but they will find what they really are looking for in one of our Christian novels or Christian Living books that shows them how to parent their adult children.

Receive a 'Revelation'

When I first began my career in Christian publishing, I could not understand why many books had 13 chapters with questions at the end of each chapter. An experienced editor explained that it was so that book could be used as Sunday school curriculum. That was the most outrageous thing I had ever heard. I truly believed that all Sunday school curricula came only from a denominational publisher. It never occurred to me that a Sunday school class might choose—or even just consider choosing—a book to study together.

That was one of many revelations I have had through the years. I realized that the books we published were read not just by individuals, but also by small groups, Sunday school classes and even entire congregations who came together to share in the discovery of a new idea.

Now that I work with a denominational publisher, I see this from the other side—books intended for use within the church sometimes reach out to touch an entire society. At Abingdon Press, 24 Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton, originally was designed as a Lenten study, but then something wonderful happened: Readers began to discover it. Readers who may not even observe Lent found this little book that so beautifully walked a believer up to Easter in a new and challenging way.

By the third year of the book’s release, more people bought it than in its first year, and I believe the number of people who buy it next year will exceed the total of the first two years combined. Hamilton’s 24 Hours speaks to the whole church and to anyone who wants to better understand Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Both the church and our industry have faced and are continuing to face a difficult time. Church attendance is down on Sundays, and foot traffic is down in our retail stores. And yet I remain encouraged. I know there is a future for the church and for those of us who work to serve it by finding fresh new voices to publish and sharing a new way to look at Scripture.

We are all called to do things differently, and that might include embracing a new idea, reaching out in a new way or trying something crazy. Just as churches are opening their doors to community groups, developing culturally relevant curriculum and experimenting with alternative worship styles, Christian bookstores must also reach out in a new way.

Reconsider Your Reach

If you are retailer, look at your store shelves. Are you serving the whole church? Are you serving the seeker? Are you meeting all the needs of your regular customers? Are you carrying and promoting books that challenge and encourage and engage your customer? Are you reading books that challenge the way you’ve always thought?

One of my favorite books was created because a woman walked into her local Christian bookstore and asked for a book on hospitality. Benita Long was told by store staff members that they did not carry books on hospitality because it did not fit their mission. She was appalled.

“But hospitality is one of the gifts of the Spirit,” she said to me. “How could it not be part of the mission of a Christian bookstore?”

So she went home, worked with three good friends and a photographer, and created Come to the Table, a beautiful book that celebrates everything that is good about sharing Christ through sharing your home. It is also a best-seller because there were a great many people—just like Long—who wanted that book and could not find it until she created it.

Let me encourage you to do something new. Visit a different church. Select one that is as different as possible from where you normally worship. Look around at your brothers and sisters in Christ. Ask yourself if your store is meeting their needs.

Ask these new friends what they are reading or what they want to read but haven’t found. Ask who their favorite authors are and see if those are the names on your front table. Don’t hold a focus group. Don’t wait for them to come to you; you go to them. Ask yourself if you are providing the resources that the whole church needs in order to grow.

Yes, there has been change—in the industry, in the church, in me, and, I hope, in you too. But some things do not change: the gospel, God’s grace and our mission as Christians to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I hope you grow as you seek to serve the whole church and the whole world.

 
Guest Editor In Conversation: Tim Way Print Email
Written by Tim Way   
Wednesday, 12 September 2012 10:16 AM America/New_York
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Work together to maximize book sales

Former chain book buyer encourages retailers and publishers to join forces

TIM WAY recently retired from Family Christian Stores, where he was the chain’s divisional merchant manager.

How has the mix of books changed in Christian publishing?

I don’t know that the mix has changed for the better. In many ways, people’s reading habits have become more trite. What you carry in your store is determined by what your customer tells you they want to buy, so you tailor your inventory to that customer base. But I have been concerned that many of the books that are popular now are lacking in depth. Some of the older authors, the classics, are starting to lose popularity, which is a concern. There are some authors coming up now who are strong and who have some depth, but I don’t see those authors getting the wide consumer approval that authors did in past years.

Max Lucado is a great popular writer. But even his last couple of books has not gotten the attention that his older releases did. The same is true for John MacArthur and other similar authors. These standard bearers have lost some steam along the way, and that is sad because they have something to say.

I see new authors struggling to get traction, particularly if they have write on a deeper level. It is more difficult for new authors to break out and get traction now, and that is a concern.

What did you look for in deciding which books to carry?

The bottom line is you have to buy the books that are going to keep you in business, not necessarily just the books that you would love to sell. But there have been some pleasant surprises in the last few years. The Bonhoeffer biography [by Eric Metaxas] is a good example. This was a book we were proud to have on our shelf.

But then there are some titles on the best-seller list that make you wonder what customers are thinking. Do they simply want something that is going to tickle their fancy, but not provide any depth? It appears that the market wants something lighter and frothier.

When considering a new book for your assortment, it helps if there is a history that you can reference. If an author has a history of success, then his newest release will more likely sell well as opposed to a similar book from a new author. Now, more than ever before, it is so hard to get traction as a new author. People are simply more careful how they are spending their money.

One important thing to look at is the timeliness of the topic. Is the subject matter something that people are likely to be talking about? One book that I think the industry may have underestimated is the Mormonizing of America and other similar books on the Mormon religion, primarily because of the upcoming election.

Look at what is coming up, what is going to fit those trends, what is going to fill a felt need and what has been hot in the past. Trends shift and sway on a whim. Sometimes a trend is fueled by a best-seller in a category, and people then want more books in that category. Two years ago, biography was a hot category fueled by the books about Bush and Bonhoeffer. As I was leaving my position last March, we saw biographies begin to slow down.

Also national movements like the old Promise Keepers, which created an interest in men’s books—even if it wasn’t men who actually bought them—help sell books. I called the Promise Keeper books “bedside table books” because the wives bought them and put them on the husband’s bedside table, hoping that they would read them.

On the other hand, some categories are always solid. Books written for and/or by women are always going to sell well. Approximately 80% of the average CBA store’s customer base is women shoppers; so if it appeals to women, has some depth and is by a good author, then you likely have a winner.

Publishers need to look for those categories that have holes. If you see an older book that worked well, and there is nothing like that out in the market right now, then go after it.

What do you believe most impacts customers to buy a new book?

What influences people most is word of mouth. One Thousand Gifts is a perfect example of a book that is a word-of-mouth, buzz title. Women read it and loved it and told other women. The author also had a blog that caught fire, plus she was getting cross-promotion from other women’s blog groups. The very best-selling books have been word-of-mouth titles. Heaven Is for Real is one of those. People would come in and buy 50 copies and give them out to everyone they knew.

What role do covers play?

While I think that people do buy books by the cover, that is not always true. The cover on the Bonhoeffer book, for example, was far too academic in appearance to typically gain traction in our market, yet it did. People bought it in spite of the cover. Good press and good word-of-mouth can overcome an average cover.

Again, One Thousand Gifts is one of those examples of the cover helping to sell the book. But what in the end made it a best-seller was the content.

With more people choosing to buy on their digital devices, what can publishers and retailers do to encourage the purchase of print books?

That is a difficult question. You can run sales, do great displays, build a great website and do all the right things, but at the end of the day, there are only just so many levers available for a retailer to pull.

I think it is going to simply come down to the fact that some people like to read printed books and others like to read on their devices. My experience in a recent study was that my classmates were evenly split. Some only read on devices, and some purists, like me, preferred a [print] book. I like a “real” book.

I think the move to digital is an unstoppable trend, yet I don’t see books going the way of music. There is still a need and a desire for printed books. But, to be profitable in this time of change, booksellers need to find other avenues to make money. I talked to someone from California who loved their local bookstore because of the great depth and breadth of books they carried. This person then commented that their store had also added a very extensive gift annex. I told him that the profitability of the gift annex was likely what was allowing their book section to have the depth and breadth that it had.

How can publishers better equip retailers to be successful with new authors?

I know it is frustrating for publishers to get retailers to pay attention to new authors. It takes so much energy to build a new author that sometimes you ask if it is going to be worth it when so many of them don’t make it. I think publishers need to be willing to pay an up-front price to launch a new author.

The one thing I would suggest is that publishers need to be aggressive in pricing a new author. In the CBA marketplace, a publisher can’t launch a new author and expect the customer to pay $25 for a hardcover. Take some shorter margins to launch that author. It is a risk, but this way the publisher and the bookseller are sharing the risk. If this author has the potential to grow, then the payoff will more than offset the lower margins on the front end.

How can publishers best help retailers be successful with their new releases?

Publishers and retailers need to work together to get the buzz going. Publishers who do Facebook and Twitter, especially if they work closely with the retailer’s website, can be very effective. If retailer has a solid list of customers who read a particular genre, then [publishers should] consider creating buzz by working with that retailer to send out galleys to those customers. I know I said there are only so many levers that you can pull, but if the publisher and the retailer work to pull those levers together, then they are both more likely to be successful.

At the store level, the levers are price and real estate, and you have to leverage both. Both the publisher and the retailer have to use discounting and special placement to get the buyer’s attention.

What is the most efficient way for retailers to be aware of the broad range of new products that are available?

That’s simple: Pay attention during product demonstrations. Frankly, I don’t understand how independents do it, particularly since many publishers no longer send sales reps to visit the independent stores. But I would suggest that you read through trade magazines and look at what is being advertised. Also talk to publishers and pay attention to what is being promoted. I always asked publishers straight out what was going to be the hot titles. I wanted to know what they thought were their best releases for the next season.

The publisher has to be wise and realize the retailer has limited resources in open-to-buy and retail space. Therefore, not every title will be treated the same. Everyone has to pay attention to what will turn those dollars for both the publisher and the retailer.

Different stores in different regions have customers seeking a different mix of products. How can retailers tailor their stores to meet the needs of their market?

If you are an independent bookseller, this is a no brainer. You pay attention to your market and make sure your inventory selection reflects your customers’ needs and desires. If you are part of a chain, it is different. Most chains have the benefit of having outstanding I.T. systems, but their individual stores must be communicating to make sure they have what they need for their customer. The buyer at the headquarters has to rely on their stores helping them out. Stores have to be able to say, “Why are you sending me this?”

And then it is vital to effectively use the systems that are in place. It is common sense that if one store sells 10 of something and another sells none, don’t send the store that can’t move it any more of that title, but keep that store where it is hot well-stocked. This applies to both older titles and new.

How do retailers successfully create a product mix that will grow their reach in the community?

I think you need to take a look at what is out there and then take some risks. Some of the things are really basic to all stores, but there are some categories that may be more market specific. For example, we knew from surveys that we had a strong Catholic customer base, so we made sure to buy gifts and books that appealed to that base. At first there was some guesswork being done with the help of the Catholic suppliers, but we started by selling Catholic Bibles and gifts. Then, since that was working, we expanded into books and other product lines. That is not going to work for everyone, but the stores that make up their mind that they are going to appeal to the ecumenical marketplace will do well.

We found that our Catholic customers were already buying general books and gifts in our stores, but had to go online to get their Catholic products. We were missing sales and not meeting the needs of our existing customers. This change let us take advantage of a customer base that was already shopping in our stores, and reach new customers too.

What one thing do you wish retailers would do differently in order to be more successful?

Retailers would be wise to use pricing as a promotional tool both through in-store promotions and coupons. I think a combination of the two is best.

Your competition is not the bookseller down the street. It is the online retailer, and they are aggressive price-wise, plus they have a much broader inventory, including used books. If you are a one-trick pony and you are up against a competitor who is using multiple levers, you are going to lose that battle.

How can retailers make the most of every customer that they already have?

One of the most successful things a retailer can do to maximize every customer contact is to have point-of-purchase promotions at the cash register area. The independent CBA retailer needs to get better at this tool. There is a fine line between irritating people and wisely suggesting add-on purchases. You must pay attention to your customer. Maybe you select three different things that are appealing to your customer at the register area to suggest as an add-on sale, and aggressively price these products. Or you could sell them a service. If a customer walks up with a Bible, always suggest imprinting it. That is a pure profit add-on and is providing good customer service. If only 10% or 20% of your customer base says yes to your add-on suggestions, you have increased your sales per customer and your profitability. I think that is one thing that independents can learn from the chains.

The number-one advantage that the independent bookseller has over their chain-store competition is that they know their market intimately and can tailor their approach to their specific market better than the chain. Then the independent bookseller can get excited about and hand-sell a book better than their chain-store competitor. There is nothing more powerful than having a bookseller who is passionate about a good Christian book and telling the story to their customers—and there is nothing more powerful than outstanding customer service.

Read more of Tim Way’s Q&A at www.christianretailing.com/timway.