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.

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.