A quick note to anyone still awaiting the arrival of the man (or woman) with all the answers to the challenges we face as an industry. He (or she) is not coming.

From new formats to multiple channels, our industry has many more faces than a few years ago. So it shouldn’t be surprising that it needs multiple heads, too.  And as I look back on 2010, I am encouraged to see the emergence and recognition of individuals providing leadership in different areas of our world. 

The following eight folks probably won’t thank me for singling them out, but I thank them for their varying contributions to our industry.

As they ready themselves for the busiest season of the year, and one that could be make or break in some instances, Christian retailers are making sure that their shelves are in good shape.

I hope they make the time to ensure that their selves are, too.

For this final, crucial quarter won't just be about securing a good 2010, it will be vital for a healthy 2011 and all the years thereafter.

Shopper loyalty has probably never been at a lower ebb and with good reason. Consumers can find Christian products at countless other stores, or the Internet if they don't even want to venture out of the house, and the economic pinch means they are evaluating every purchase in multiple ways.

The first thing they teach you at novel-writing boot camp is that every good story needs some conflict, so it's appropriate that there is some in the one that is Christian fiction.

While the category continues to bloom—with sales up and significant mainstream media atttention—some publishers are being cautious about expanding their territory in the light of the still-sluggish economy.

Which leads me to lesson two in Fiction 101: Show, don't tell. So let me take you to the closing banquet at this year's American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference in Indianapolis, in September.

Hundreds of attendees in their finest party clothes are trying to get downstairs to the big awards event, but the hotel only has so many elevators. On too many floors, when the doors open, there's no room for anyone else to board the already-full cars.

If the road to that other place is paved with good intentions, it must also have a lot of sinkholes—a hazard we know something about here in Florida.

You can lay a nice new track and paint fresh markings, but if there is nothing of substance underneath, it’s only a matter of time before you’re going down rather than ahead.

This sad reality comes to mind at a time when I am vigorously enthused about a new sense of direction for our industry.

There’s fresh leadership at CBA. A sense of renewed commitment to and appreciation of the Christian retail channel from some suppliers. A new level of openness to cooperation and collaboration.

Take Christian Store Day, debuting next month. More than a year of discussions and negotiations have gone into the event, and credit to those who have been involved in the efforts. Then there are the ongoing talks about some sort of industrywide platform to help Christian stores provide e-books for their customers.

Yes, we have much to be encouraged about. But I believe that we also need to be realistic in the days to come, or things could come crashing down. So let me offer some cautions as we work on the road in front of us.

Compromise does not have to be a dirty word. We may be confident about the vision that God has given us, but it’s easy to confuse that endpoint with the actual implementation of getting there. Just because someone suggests a different route to the one we have mapped out doesn’t mean we won’t get where we want to.

Win-win isn’t always possible. Sometimes it’s enough that neither side loses, in the short term—at least they get to stay in the game together. Buying into the idea that there’s always an immediate fix that’s great for everyone ignores the fact that change can be a process that unfolds in stages and time, not as an instant event.

Let’s not rush to question others’ motives. It’s too easy to give ourselves a pass and decide that “they” have bad or selfish intent because our plans or programs are at cross-purposes. Maybe we should focus more on the facts of the matter—and addressing them--and invest less emotional energy in deciding why they did this or that. We all know what assuming does.

Hold our certainties lightly. I’m not talking about being careless about our core values, but be honest, how often do we end up majoring on minors? Just because we need to do it this way doesn’t mean everyone else has to. Try insisting everyone else paddles on the left-hand side, like you, next time you are in a canoe and see where that gets everyone. Nowhere fast. And dizzy.

Faithful does not mean successful. At least, not in the 21st - century Christian terms we have generally come to accept (big name, big car, big house. Big deal). God does bless, but not always in the ways we might think. Seems to me that the heroes of Heb. 11 would not get a book deal or a TV spot if they were around today.

Unity isn’t easy. The Bible exhorts us to “make every effort” to maintain the bond that we share with other believers. In other words, it’s not just about having a fuzzy feeling, and it won’t just happen. And, given that God commands a blessing where unity is found, we should not be surprised that there are efforts afoot to pull us apart.

With all this in mind, I encourage you to embrace opportunities to collaborate and cooperate. Stores, sign up for Christian Store Day. It may not be everything you would like, first time out, but the indie music store initiative it is based on took time to grow into the success it is now, and you can be part of making sure it has a future.

Will the e-book initiative in the works suit everyone? Unlikely, but that does not mean it isn’t worth supporting.

Back to the road: If we are going to get ahead, we are also going to have to go deeper and lay some good foundations for the future.

No surprise, perhaps, that a vegetable is the one to remind us that the salad days are over.

Bob the Tomato—at least the man who voices him, Phil Vischer—nailed this year's International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) from the start.

Speaking at the event's opening Pacesetter event, the VeggieTales founder recalled how the rise and fall of his former endeavor had mirrored the arc of Christian retailing's boom years.

"The party may have ended, but our call to ministry has not," he reminded everyone. "We would actually prefer to see the Holy Spirit move with us than Wall Street."

And that was how the first ICRS under new leadership went, prompting longtime independent retail leader Steve Potratz to describe it as "the most mission-driven" CBA show he had ever attended.

Re-sized and refocused, ICRS seems to have found its role and relevance anew. While there is room for more changes to help it better serve a changing industry, there seemed to a new level of acceptance of its ongoing value.

Retailers expressed appreciation for the greater emphasis on ministry and training, while suppliers who have adjusted their investment in being there acknowledged the valuable function the event serves, even though it is mostly no longer an order-writing show.

Looking ahead, then, the big picture seems good.

Looking back on the details of St. Louis, meanwhile, the Christian Retailing team offers its traditional thumbs up, thumbs down verdict. Thumbs:

for overall excellent program and positive spirit.

in particular for the positive way in which CBA addressed the digital-publishing challenge.

to independent bookseller and panelist Darin Sennett (Powells.com), whose love for retail and books shone through at the digital-future seminar.

for Randy Alcorn's passionate encouragement to retailers at the Worship Him service.

for the great speakers at the Pacesetter event.

for the Blackwood Brothers and Gold City, whose Pacesetter Southern gospel sets got people cheering.

that the Pacesetter ran almost an hour past schedule—a late night for starting the week.

on behalf of suppliers who had to set up for ICRS in an air-conditioning-less show hall.

that it got pretty warm at times during the rest of the week, even with the AC on.

for the heartfelt honoring of former CBA leader Bill Anderson—and his exhortation to retailers to defend the integrity of their calling.

for exactly the same food each day at the CBA meal events. Groundhog Day in St. Louis.

to FaithWords for bringing in a group of A-list authors for one of the show's few big-name events.

that some of those who turned out for the FaithWords reception waited ages for the food and then it ran out. Oops.

with relief that there were plenty of bathrooms within easy reach of the convention floor, for a change.

on behalf of some gift exhibitors who were uncomfortable about being placed right next to same-category suppliers.

for the focus given to inspirational movies, a bright-spot category.

on hotels that were short-staffed for checking in conventioneers.

for limited seating options in lobby and workshop areas of the convention center.

How stores care for shoppers—and handle their concerns

Though cheaper prices elsewhere have commonly been held to be a major issue for Christian retail stores, it seems that cost is not that big a deal after all.

Only one in 14 retailers "agreed strongly" that when consumers stopped shopping at their store. it was usually because of pricing, we found in our latest Vital Signs industry survey, which looked at how retailers view and care for shoppers.

Our findings separated for-profit stores from those that operate as part of a church ministry.

PRICE AND PRAYER

Retailers told us that they most commonly feel "frustrated" (48%) or "challenged" (50%) when shoppers mention they can buy products for a lower price elsewhere. However, nearly two-thirds of church retailers said they were "happy" for the shopper who could take advantage of a lower price.

One in three non-church stores provided shoppers with a means of listing prayer requests in the store (30%), while only 9% of church-based stores did so. Getting the staff together to pray for customers occurred "frequently" in 43% of non-church and 25% of church stores.

STATEMENTS AND STAFF

Nearly all stores made a point of greeting customers by name (96%), and shoppers were more likely to receive a thank-you note after shopping in a for-profit store (35%) than at a church store (7%).

Having a mission statement that staff understands can help them stay focused on ideals that are important to the store, and a majority of stores reported having one (60%), while less than one-fourth displayed it in a place where customers could see it (22%).

Staffing numbers are about equal in church and for-profit stores. At their busiest times, there are three to five people working the floor in 43% of non-church and 48% of church stores.

Commercially operated stores tended to provide more checkouts for shoppers, with 22% having four or more—compared to just 17% of church stores. The most common number of cash-wrap stations was just one, found in 34% of all stores.

RETURNS AND REWARDS

Customers will find staff in street clothes at 86% of all stores—with 68% setting guidelines for what to wear. Staff in church stores are more likely to wear a name tag or laminate (68% to 43%). About 10% of stores provided aprons or vests to help customers identify clerks.

It appears to be easier to return product in church stores. Only 37% of church stores told us that they require a receipt to process a return, compared to 51% of for-profits. There was a "no questions asked" return policy at 49% of church stores—while 31% of for-profits had a similar policy.

Additionally, half of non-church stores told us that they set a specific limit on how long after a sale they will accept returns, something practiced in 37% of church stores.

Frequent buyer rewards are the most common amenity offered by stores. More than 60% said they have a frequency plan in place, and a similar number offered comfortable seating areas for shoppers.

Customers in 39% of church stores are provided free WiFi. Far fewer nonprofits do the same (10%). Layaway services are seen more in for-profit stores (52% to 37%).

EXAMPLES AND IDEAS

What do retailers say to shoppers who mention lower prices elsewhere?

Some stores explain how because of their size they do not get the same discounts that other, larger retailers do, while others talk about the superior customer service they are able to offer. One retailer told us: "I encourage them to shop wherever they can get the best deal."

Respondents also listed some of the things they had done in recent months to make their stores more customer-friendly.

The initiatives included opening more hours, utilizing social media and learning customers' names.

Read more responses and comments in a special online supplement by clicking here.

Jim Seybert is an author and consultant living in Arroyo Grande, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

...of the findings and comments?
Write to Vital Signs at: Christian Retailing,
600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746,
or contact Andy Butcher, Christian Retailing editor

Nervous in a spare-part kind of way at the delivery of my first child, I figured I could helpfully contribute to the process by correcting junior's mom when she misquoted the psalm she had memorized to help her through the birth.

Turns out that attention to detail isn't always appreciated in the midst of transition.

Nonetheless, while keen to encourage some joyful expectancy for this year's International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in St. Louis, I also want to risk seeming a bit of a mope.

First, the good. The content of the program is the strongest I can recall. It also is going to be a great opportunity to see and hear more of the new CBA leadership and the vision and strategy that I believe holds lots of potential. So, if you have been undecided about St. Louis, let me encourage you to be there.

See, we can talk all we like about how our industry is different from others and that, in addition to doing business, there is spiritual significance in meeting together. But unless some people are prepared to foot the bill for hosting an event (and that traditionally has been the suppliers) and others are willing to show up, it's just so much hot air.

And that is the reality CBA is facing. Yes there were high fives all round last year after such a positive response to the show in Denver. But let's be honest—while it was a good event, expectations going into the thing were, for the most part, so low that so-so became superior by comparison.

The real test, I suspect, is going to be this year, with what for many feel is a right-sized event. Will ICRS deliver the results suppliers need for them to justify returning—especially when they have so many new and growing marketing channels opening up, competing for limited dollars?

It's no secret that times have changed. You can get a snapshot of just how much by looking back, without turning to the high-watermark years of the industry and the show's resulting record attendances to make the point.

Just glance at 2005, the year in which CBA rolled out its revamped show, retiring the CBA International title in favor of ICRS.

Back then, there were around 320 exhibitors at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver—compared to the 235 or so (at the time of writing) signed up for St. Louis.

There are other signs. It used to be that attendees were spoiled for choices for evening entertainment, many splitting their time between events so they could double up on the free food and giveaways. Our office was awash with invitations to this dinner and that reception. This year you are going to be hard pressed to find much of anything to do (on a supplier's dime) after the show floor closes.

Another indicator of how things have changed can be seen in the show schedule. There was a time when the event was a who's-who of Christian books, with all the big names signing their new releases and available for media. This year it's more of a who-are-they list of new authors looking for some publicity.

I'm not predicting a failure—just wondering whether we will see enough of a success to permit an unchanged course. I wouldn't be surprised to find greater energy, after St. Louis, being given to discussions about some more collaborative event in the future, drawing together other associations and interests. The informal talks that have taken place to date are likely to take a more serious turn.

Any new effort would require those involved to give up some of their turf, but the reality is that the ground is already eroding anyway, so what do they have to lose?

And, while we're speculating, if we do end up with some sort of new event, could we please retire the current logo that is used to promote ICRS?

I've always felt that making the cross the center of a shopping bag is a little crass and certainly provides fuel for those critics who accuse our industry of commercializing the gospel. Maybe something a bit more inspirational?

You don’t find the title “Journalist” in the list of His names that includes Counselor and Prince of Peace, but Jesus would have made a great one.

He knew that the real heart of an issue couldn’t always be caught in stats and graphs, no matter how pretty they were made to look. That’s why He didn’t talk about world evangelism but told a story about the lost sheep.

Elsewhere in this issue we report on trends and studies that offer some encouragement to the Christian retail world, hinting at some bright prospects for the future. I’m jazzed by them, but what really has me pumped up on returning from The Gathering 2010, our own industry event, is not the numbers but the stories.

It’s the likes of Steve, Cathy, Joseph, Beverly, George and Bruce.

Steve is a longtime independent who has been around the block a few times, but is still enthusiastic about making Christian products available. At a time when other small business owners might be thinking about planning for retirement, he was at our event in Louisville, Ky., looking for new ways to differentiate his store and open to kicking around new ideas—like taking on the running of stores for local churches.

Cathy’s infectious, bouncing delight at being at an industry event for the first time could have been attributed to too much caffeine, but for the fact that she doesn’t touch the stuff—though she loves to serve it at the church café she oversees along with a bookstore, with her husband and son, making it a remarkable family ministry.

Joseph is a successful, savvy businessman who visibly choked up when he told how God led him and his wife out of a prosperous winery “into the Lord’s vineyard,” breathing new life into an historic branch of the Christian retail tree.

Then there was Beverly, who runs a church-based store founded to raise money that can be poured back into local missions efforts. She spoke about how she declined to operate a book table at a local event because she didn’t want to be seen to be in competition with the local independent who had been invited to be there, too.

George talked passionately about the need for retailers and suppliers to work together more closely—not ignoring the business realities that make different ones competitors in some regards, but acknowledging the greater truth, by which they are brothers and sisters, too.

It wasn’t just retailers, either. Bruce was there as a first-time author, less concerned about making a name for himself or big bucks than he was passionate about challenging accepted wisdom on truth and science—ready to give away copies of the book he had self-published (with high, full-color quality) to anyone who could help get it into other people’s hands.

I’m not telling you about these folks in the kind of mushy, after-conference glow that thinks everything is going to be just peachy from now on because we have spent a little time together away from the day-to-day grind. I have been around enough to know that mountaintop holy moments soon get tempered by encounters with grumblers, doubters and dissenters back in the valley.

We continue to face some big issues as an industry. And we certainly need to look at the hard facts. We need to apply our best, sharp minds to the challenges.

But we also need to be encouraged that, through the likes of these people and many more, our industry is in good hands—hands which are guided by soft hearts.

So while you are conducting business—in your store, at your office, at the International Christian Retail Show later this month, pay attention to the stats. But look and listen for the stories, too. And share yours, it might encourage someone else.

This is not intended as a back-handed compliment. Fact is, if anyone stepped forward claiming that they had all the solutions to the challenges that our industry is facing, I would also expect them to be able to turn base metal into gold and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Take social media, for instance. Everyone’s excited about the potential and talking about how it upends traditional marketing practices and there are all sorts of “experts” out there hawking their advice. Sure there are some great ideas, but does anyone really have it all figured out? I think not.

So, for me, Riskey’s main qualification for the new role is not that he knows all the answers, but that, more importantly, he knows about asking the right questions. It is something he has been recognized for from his earliest days in the Christian products world.

One colleague recalls being impressed by the insightful questions Riskey asked at the prospective retailers course he attended before opening his store in Oshkosh, Wis. I appreciated the same thing during the time Riskey spent as a member of Christian Retailing’s editorial advisory board.

Perhaps it’s because he came to Christian retailing towards the end of its fat-cow years, but he has always seemed open to re-evaluating the ways things are done and not afraid to review accepted wisdom.

And, my, do we ever need to be asking some hard questions—about the church’s place in a changing culture, about the long-term impact of the economic downturn, about what makes Christian retail distinctive, about the relationship between suppliers and retailers, about what the digital revolution is going to do to traditional business models and practices. How’s that for starters?

This is not to say that Riskey and CBA have no clue, of course. He arrived at the organization as strategic solutions executive and has been a part of recent initiatives that have shown CBA to be responding to needs.

But I am encouraged beyond the specifics of Riskey’s new role, too. I believe that it is part of the emergence of what is, for me, a more open-handed, more collaborative and, yes, even more humble, trade association.

It’s not uncommon for member organizations to grow to a point where they become central, rather than the members, and you seem to end up with the tail wagging the dog. Some CBA members felt that was what happened somewhat with the association during Christian retail’s boom season, as the association’s coffers and staff swelled.

We’re now in the thin-cow days, as CBA’s shrinking staff and recent decision to sell off its building underscore. CBA can no longer afford to be high and mighty, or to be seen that way.

Naming Riskey as executive director and dispensing with the president/CEO position addresses this perception, and the shift in management style also gives more of an important role to the chairman—at least publicly. Former chairmen may have done a lot behind the scenes, but they were best known out front for using a big pair of scissors to cut the ribbon at the CBA shows.

Chair-elect George Thomsen is just the right person for this new season. He is widely recognized for his business acumen, his integrity, his ministry focus. That he is a church bookstore manager respected by independents, some of whom still find the whole church bookstore scene a little irritating, is a plus, too.

I am hopeful that this new-look CBA will also help foster some greater cooperation and collaboration with other groups in the industry. There has been talk about the need for this in the past, of course, but this new alignment might help it actually go somewhere.

CBA needs support like never before, so let me encourage you to join if you are not a member—because you need CBA like never before. If your membership has lapsed, it’s a good time to give the organization another chance. Get behind CBA and it will be able to come alongside you. Or, maybe better yet, come alongside CBA and it will be able to get behind you.

What is the vision of the Mission America Coalition (MAC)? " 'The whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole nation-and to the whole world,' which is a national expression of an international collaboration."

What is the history? "In 1974, Billy Graham invited Christian leaders around the world to Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss world evangelization. Out of that came the Lausanne Covenant, written by Dr. John Stott. The U.S. delegation (members) decided that when they returned home to the U.S., they should continue to meet as the U.S. Committee for the Lausanne Movement. This national group continued to collaborate-as did many other countries-to pray and seek God, and ask, 'What can we do better together than apart?' There have been multiple collaborative initiatives over the years, such as the Lighthouse Movement, but the primary mission has been facilitating collaborative evangelism, in word and deed. In the mid-1990s, the U.S. Committee for Lausanne changed its name to Mission America Coalition.

"Also, in the mid '90s, the leadership team began to recognize and promote collaborative evangelism in cities. In March, Mission America Coalition hosted the 11th annual City Impact Roundtable, where cityreaching leaders came together in a learning community, to discuss collaborative prayer, collaborative evangelism and community transformation. Some of the various 'streams' of Mission America Coalition include denominational and local church leaders, ministry leaders, ministry network leaders, cityreaching leaders, marketplace leaders and global evangelism leaders.

Mission America Coalition promotes collaborative evangelism as a combination of praying, caring and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with a focus on Christ's desire for unity as described in John 17:20-23. Additional details as well as a copy of the Lausanne Covenant are given in the 'About the Coalition' section of www.missionamerica.org."

Part of what makes being involved in Christian retailing both exacting and exciting at the same time, these days, is that there is no one easy fix out there. The changing times and market require awareness and action across a wide range of challenges and opportunities.

But one area that's worth highlighting right now for some special thought and attention is movies.

We've reported in recent times how DVD sales have exploded in Christian retail stores in the past year or so. Fireproof was largely responsible for that, but not exclusively—we have also seen growth in the study group and "Nooma"-style shorts.

But not since Mel Gibson surprised Hollywood with the success of The Passion of The Christ —and let's remember that was six years ago, before we had really begun to notice that Christian retail's traditional foundation was starting to crumble—has there been such secular media buzz about Christianity at the multiplex.

The recent huge success of The Blind Side, based on the true story of an unabashedly Christian white family's adoption of a homeless African-American teen who becomes a football star, appropriately enough caught everyone off guard.

Critics couldn't ignore the central faith shades to the story—nor could they overlook the strong biblical themes and elements in other general releases The Book of Eli, which found Denzel Washington violently curating the last known copy of the Bible in a journey across post-apocaylptic America, or Legion, which saw angels sent to wipe out mankind.

While all three films have prompted water cooler conversations about faith, chances are you will only ever find The Blind Side at Christian retail stores in the days ahead.

That's because although Christians may be happy that there are movies out there in the marketplace that are asking hard questions, they mostly want easier answers in their local Christian bookstore.

This is not a criticism, merely an observation of the tension that exists for everyone trying to follow in the footsteps of Fireproof. With its explicit faith content, that film pretty much had everyone in the secular media scratching their heads when it became one of the top indie box office films of 2008.

Others have since tried to replicate the way local Christians were encouraged to support theater runs of Fireproof in their communities—notable among them the recent teen drama release, To Save a Life. It won surprisingly positive reviews from some in secular media that praised the film for being less preachy than most other Christian productions.

But here is the rub: Christian films are for the most part unlikely to make money at the box office. The best hope for revenue is in DVD sales—and that means that they have to be acceptable for a largely conservative constituency at the local Christian bookstore. Push the envelope too far and it will be marked "return to sender."

At a strategic level, meanwhile, the trend of local churches sponsoring theater engagements for Christian films offers Christian stores a great opportunity to connect with congregations in their area.

There is a new recognition among independents that strong ties with churches will be a key to their survival, and partnering in screening campaigns is one way to develop them by helping to meet a clear need.

Some retailers have already gotten involved with such efforts, but more should be looking to—thereby both supporting local ministry efforts and building their own brand awareness.

In-store, retailers need to exercise discernment on two levels.

First, some general market releases have been pitched to the Christian retail community with "spiritual application" marketing that stretches credulity. There is nothing wrong with carrying plain, wholesome family entertainment, but let's not try to spiritualize everything with some lame Bible study.

Sometimes a movie is just a movie about three chipmunks, and not a new way of looking at the Trinity, no matter how much you scrunch up your eyes and talk about "symbolism."

Then there's the fact that, let's be honest, while some of the new raft of Christian movies are really quite good, some of them are still pretty bad. Seems like every church with more than ten members and access to a digital camera is making its own film. Some need to stick to sermons.

I am not knocking big ideas and low budgets. There's probably no better recent example of what can be achieved with determination and dedication than Burns Family Studios' Pendragon: Sword of His Father. It's hard to believe that the admirable Dark Ages drama is, essentially, the work of two homeschooling families with a big back yard.

But let's just remember that while technology may level the playing field, there are some teams that need to do a bit more practice first. Let's not lose the potential in this area, by exercising some quality control.

Finding new leadership for the Christian retail industry isn't just about appointing a replacement for Bill Anderson at CBA.

Finding the right person for that position is important, for sure, but doing so will not make everything all right. What is needed isn't about an individual, it involves all of us.

We need to step back and take a broader look. We need to recognize that during Anderson's tenure at CBA there were some fundamental changes not only in the industry, but in the business world in which it operates, the church it is part of and the culture it seeks to address.

Failing to consider these shifts is like expecting a new quarterback to turn a team around single-handedly. It takes more than one player, however good they may be.

For starters, as we have noted before, CBA is no longer the exclusive hub of the Christian products world. The days when "CBA" and "Christian retail" were synonymous are over. The trade association still has an important role to play, but it needs to be redefined.

That is a reflection both of the rise of sales channels outside traditional Christian retail and the changes that have occurred within it—with the growth of the chains, the emergence of church-based stores and the reduction in the number of independents.

But those developments have in turn taken place against a broader backdrop. Think about how Internet shopping has impacted consumer behavior and customer loyalty, driving down price and pushing up breadth of choice. People can get most Christian resources pretty much anywhere.

What makes Christian retail distinctive and vital in this new world of choice?

The Web has not only impacted how people spend their money, but also where they find things out. No longer is information disseminated by a few big gatekeepers. It is leaking out all over. Businesses have begun to recognize that, trying to shake the stuffy old corporate images of the past by embracing social media. Executives tweet about their pets and their social lives to humanize their "brands."

How can Christian suppliers offer a distinct and persuasive voice in the midst of all the babble and hype?

At the same time, the church as a whole is different. Though doctrinal differences still exist, certainly, there is far greater blurring of the lines than there used to be. Unity in essentials is more important to many than division over secondary issues. Congregations may read from different translations and hold opposing views on the end times, but chances are they are singing most of the same songs.

What does this shift mean in the way important issues of church life should be presented and discussed?

In addition, there is a transition in the world of many major Christian ministries that were significant in shaping our industry. Some of those founded by high-profile figures are seeing their originators come to the end of their days and are looking to refashion themselves for a generation less impressed by big names and buzzed by words like "organic" and "authentic."

How do we make room for—and enough money to support—new voices?

Then there is the wider world. It's much more acceptable—fashionable, even—to be "spiritual" than it was 20 years ago, but it is less so to be evangelical. Being vague is vogue. Being particular is considered peculiar.

How can we be distinctive without being seen to be vindictive?

I don't pretend to be an expert, but it seems to me that the very nature of leadership has been changing, too. It's no longer just about instruction—do this, don't do that. It's more about information, inspiration and influence—enabling others to be and do all they are called to.

While all this raises important general questions about the shape and nature of the new leadership in our industry, it also leaves you and I with a personal question, too.

With leadership to be in the hands of many rather than just one or two, what is our individual role and responsibility in this new era?

For our part at Christian Retailing, we remain committed to providing news on issues, products and trends that will help others make informed decisions and a platform for insightful comment, discussion and debate. How about you? What can you bring to the rest of us?

If the Christian retail industry as we know it is to flourish, it's going to have to become something we don't know.

Say what? It's time to recognize that the times have changed irrevocably. We can't continue to try to just ride it out and wait for things to go back to the way they were. Noah was on different ground after the flood waters receded.

The general market interest in Christian consumers isn't going to go away (though it may dip some), the economic downturn seems set to have long-lasting effects on consumer habits, we can't uninvent the Internet and online sales, and we haven't yet begun to understand the impact the digital publishing revolution will have.

We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Nor the 1980s or 1990s.

So while we need to work hard at improving things as much as we can in our current context, through business excellence, I believe we also need to take some time to consider how things might be in the future.

And at the heart of that, I suggest, is a back-to-basics, cut-through-the-fluff evaluation of the place and purpose of Christian retail stores.

Now, the idea of such a ruthless inventory might make some people nervous, what with the competitive alternatives of Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Are we just propping up an outdated system, or do Christian stores still have a vital place and function?

Absolutely they do. But figuring out how needs to involve more than just those of us directly invested in the daily producing and selling of Christian resources. It needs to include the wider church—and that means narrowing the gap that seems to exist between it and our industry, in some quarters.

We've seen the growth of church bookstores in the last few years, of course, but for the most part, that has been centered on serving members of their own congregation, typically on-campus. What might happen if churches took a wider view?

With each of our trade associations having faced their own significant challenges in the last year—CBA, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the Gospel Music Association—they seem to be open to greater collaboration as they move ahead.

But it would be good to see some sort of wider forum, too, where a new kind of partnership and purpose for Christian retailing could be explored.

What about the strategic position and potential of Christian stores being on the agenda of some of those cutting-edge church leadership conferences about missions and outreach?

What might a new level of partnership between Christian retail and the church look like? Maybe stores could serve as church "outposts" in some way, hosting church events in an environment that could be less threatening and more familiar to non-churchgoers than an actual church campus.

Some of this is already happening, but it's far from commonplace. Indeed, I was shocked by how few independent Christian stores reach out to local pastors and congregations, according to one of our recent surveys.

Perhaps a group of local churches could get together to somehow jointly invest in an outreach store in their local community.

OK, the idea of charismatics and Baptists agreeing on whether or not to stock books about speaking in tongues may be a stretch, but let's dream a little. And don't forget that churches of different stripes have been able to put aside differences to work together on other efforts, like citywide crusades.

Such discussions would require some within our industry to think more inclusively, letting go of old prejudices and being open to new ways of looking at the world, their work and even the Word of God.

It would surely mean they have to stop looking at churches as "the enemy" for running their own store or ordering direct from suppliers.

But it would also mean some church leaders acknowledging that "relevant" and "radical" aren't solely defined by being relentlessly trendy and that selling Christian resources doesn't have to mean selling your soul. After all, they get paid for preaching, right? I'm so tired of the old "Jesus in the temple" jibe.

There may be some lessons to be learned from the way local Christian radio and local churches have found mutual benefits from working together on things like sharathons, concerts and community calendars.

Christian retailing's new ground may be more common ground. Ultimately, I don't really know what a more cooperative future of Christian retail and churches could look like, but that's the point. Kind of scary. Kind of exciting. Kind of like God's way of doing things.

What do you think? Do you know what your pastor might say about such an approach? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in our online community forum at our Web site, www.christianretailing.com, or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Transition is usually uncomfortable, but it's also a fact of life. There comes a point when a leader can go no further. We see that clearly in the Bible. When we reach that place we can be grateful for what they have done, but also be clear about what still needs to be achieved.

That does not diminish accomplishments, it just keeps them in their proper perspective. Such is the case with the recent departure of longtime CBA President and CEO Bill Anderson.

I'm reminded of the would-be lumberjack who, having failed to cut down the required number of trees in his trial, dejectedly trudged over to the hiring foreman to hand back the chainsaw he had been borrowed.

When the crew head fired up the equipment to check that it was still in working order, the exhausted applicant jumped back in alarm. "What's that noise?" he cried.