Although supporting a passion for missions within the church is admirable, ways to connect great books about the topic with people in the pews can seem impossible. But it can be done.

Creatively introduce missions titles. Within both the Christian and secular world, there is a constant demand for the stories of real people. It is not uncommon for a biography to make The New York Times best-seller list.

Take time with your staff members to introduce them to the stories of great missionaries, and encourage them to likewise share these books with your customers. For example, if someone comes to the store looking to find Christian examples to use for a report on the history of the African people, you could connect her with the stories of Samuel Morris, David Livingstone and others in that context.

Don't isolate missions books to a special section. Within any church bookstore, missions books are probably already blended with other products on your shelves.

Authors like Lettie Cowman, who wrote Streams in the Desert (Zondervan), may not be traditionally associated with missions, although she wrote her book on the mission field. You could cross-merchandise biographies or autobiographies of missionary doctors, such as Chi Huang′s When Invisible Children Sing (Tyndale House Publishers), with your health section.

Recognize the impact of missions-related events. Whenever your church has a missions conference or a missionary come as a special speaker, that is a perfect opportunity for the bookstore to increase awareness of missions titles.

Sales on titles by these missionaries and authors will multiply once the congregation has firsthand experience with missionaries and their stories. Whenever a visiting speaker comes, be aware of all products-books, DVDs, CDs-that are related to their story.

-Sarah Yardley is general manager at Calvary Distribution in Santa Ana, Calif., a wholesale warehouse for Calvary Chapel churches and bookstores.

-Read the complete article at http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=16609.

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