Selecting products for a church bookstore that do not oppose the doctrine of the church "requires an acute awareness of the materials and the publishers," said Pat Baur, manager of The BOOKstore at McLean Bible Church in McLean, Va. "There are hundreds of new titles released every month, and thousands of titles are currently available to us."

The BOOKstore collaborates with the church's ministries to build and maintain its stock of core titles. "Since we are here to support the broader vision of the church, and the specific needs of each ministry, we partner with our ministries to develop our core titles," Baur said.

"This is an ongoing process as more material becomes available, and the focus of study changes. We strive to both make the requested material available, and to make our staff and congregation aware of new material."

Founded in 1972 to provide sermon tapes, the bookstore now occupies 2,000 square feet off the main lobby of the church. "The store naturally extends the mission of the church," Baur said. "We are here primarily to 'Be ready always to give an answer' (1 Peter 3:15), and to help our people grow in their walk, so that they can then reach out to their community to make a difference for Jesus Christ," she added.

Read more in the full Best Practice profile of The BOOKstore at http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=11259