A recent 60 minutes report focused on a company that finds and funds "the next big thing." The company funded Google and Amazon.com and is all about reinventing items or systems that have become obsolete or too expensive to continue being used—or recognizing totally new things that show great promise for the next generation.

As I watched, I was reminded me of one of the objectives of The Gathering 2010, this April. We will be using much of our general time at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., to explore where Christian retailing is going to be in the next 10 years of this still-new millennium.

There is no question that the industry has undergone some radical changes in the past 10 to 15 years. When I came into this business almost 20 years ago, consumers did not order books and Christian gifts online. They were still dialing 800 numbers and ordering from catalogs or going to stores to get what they needed. You could not find Christian products in most secular stores, and the "religious section" of a general bookstore would have more New Age philosophy than biblically based materials.

Now, it seems that every gift store, bookstore, big box store and even grocery store is handling Christian gifts, books and Bibles. To borrow a phrase from a recent editorial in Christian Retailing, "the perfect storm" of the Internet, secular encroachment and a failing economy has, like a hurricane, changed the very landscape of the industry that we love and work in.

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by Sarah Yardley

More than 80 churches from around the country gathered in Santa Ana, Calif., Jan. 21-22, for encouragement, fellowship and practical training at the 10th annual Calvary Chapel Book Ministry Conference. Almost 200 church store representatives were in attendance.

The primary focus of the event was the encouragement and enrichment of those invested in book ministry. Anthony Gosling, sales and marketing manager for Christian Focus Publications, said that he had a "truly inspirational couple of days. ... The speakers were excellent and the messages merged together so very well. The worship was refreshing, the fellowship was wonderful, and the opportunities to speak to the store managers were helpful."

Attendees heard messages from Britt Merrick, author of the forthcoming Big God (Regal Books); Ergun Caner, author of Unveiling Islam (Kregel Publications) and Holier Than Thou (Abingdon Press); and worship leader Brenton Brown (Everlasting God, Adoration, EMI CMG Distribution). There were signing sessions with authors Bob and Emilie Barnes and Catherine Martin (Harvest House Publishers).

Sometimes you need to decide what to do with products that just won't "move."

Many of the larger publishers have made substantial changes in how they handle returns by giving your store the opportunity to mark down the selling price of a product and protect your margin—even though it is at a lower retail price.

By doing this, you not only create a great sale opportunity for your store and customers, you avoid the cost of boxing up and returning product. And, best of all, you create cash for your store instead of a credit on your account for which you have to complete extra paperwork.

Before you can decide whether marking down or returning product is the wisest decision, you have to know what's moving and what's not.

Sales bring in new customers and are a reward to those who faithfully shop with you. Having too many dilutes their impact, but, on the other hand, having too few a year makes for a stale store and product offering. Every store manager must decide on the best time and frequency of sales, keeping the balance between the two.

A couple of safeguards need to be observed when having a sale.

-Signage should be designed simply and state clearly the stipulations of the markdown.
-Make sure that all your staff knows the parameters of the advertised specials so that there is no confusion on terms of the sale.

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One in four of those aged 18 to 29 is unaffiliated with any particular faith, says the study exploring the behaviors, values and opinions of the teens and twentysomethings that make up the millennial generation.

Young adults today also attend religious services less often than older Americans, and compared with their elders, fewer say that religion is very important in their lives.

However, in some areas of religious belief and practice, the 18- to 29-year-olds are not so clearly different from previous generations. Their beliefs about life after death and the existence of heaven, hell and miracles closely resemble the beliefs of older people today. And the percentage of young adults who say they pray every day rivals the portion of young people who said the same in prior decades.

Millennials also say they believe in God with absolute certainty at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago.

Other key findings include:

-One-third of those under 30 attend worship services every week, compared with 41% of adults 30 and older.

-Sixty-four percent of young adults say they are absolutely certain of God's existence, compared with 73% of those 30 and older.

-Nearly three-quarters of affiliated young adults (74%) say there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their faith, compared with 67% of affiliated adults 30 and older.

Source: Pew Research Center

-To read the full report, click here.

Christian store personnel—owners, managers, frontline staff and volunteers—are being asked to judge the nominations on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to:

-speak to people's hearts and evoke emotion
-open people's minds to new ways of thinking
-encourage and affirm Christ-like living.

With 277 nominations for the 2010 prizes, awards are to be presented in 32 categories, from accessories and apparel to Bible study and all types of fiction. Voting ends March 24, with all retailers who complete a ballot form entered into a drawing to receive a free selection of products nominated in this year's competition.

Previously announced during the International Christian Retail Show, the winners will be named for the first time, this year, at Christian Retailing's own event, The Gathering 2010, to be held at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., April 21-23.

To vote, go to www.retailerschoiceawards.com.

Among the companies presenting specials and offers are Bridge-Logos Foundation, Judson Press, Lighthouse Christian Products, Standard Publishing, Strang Book Group and Thomas Nelson.

In addition, extra editorial content features Christian Retailing editors talking with industry experts and leaders on issues such as inventory control and managing backlist.

Retailers who place an offer of $500 retail with a Virtual Christian Restock Connection exhibitor also qualify for a free registration, a $150 value, for Christian Retailing's The Gathering 2010.

To find out more about the Virtual Christian Restock Connection, click here.

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