Christian bookshops in crisis!

It was a quiet afternoon in the Christian bookshop where I help as a volunteer. We didn’t have the book the lady was asking for, but could order and post it on to her. Did we have the other book she wanted? No, but again it could be obtained.

It was then that she exclaimed sadly that the Christian bookshop that she had frequented in her town a few miles away had just had to close.

This had been a sad day for her and other Christians in her town. As we did not have the books she wanted, she announced that she would order them over the internet! I was upset; while there is nothing wrong with internet shopping, this is one of the reasons why Christian bookshops are in crisis, a serious matter, as it is one of the ways that Christian literature can be made available to the general public, Christian and non-Christian alike.

While many shops are holding on by the skin of their teeth, others have to consider seriously whether they can afford to continue. If it were not for voluntary help in the shop, and sometimes outside financial assistance, many would have closed long ago.

So, apart from the increased use of the internet, why are Christian bookshops struggling to survive? What are the issues?

Image and location

The image Christian bookshops display is not always attractive and sometimes misleading. A friend of mine living in a seaside town remarked that he thought there was a Christian bookshop (CBS) in the town, but he couldn’t be sure as all it had in the window were some fluffy toys, glass and pottery! If the shop sign had not stated that it was a CBS, he would not have guessed. Added to that, the inside of the shop is not always pleasant either. Faced with salaries for full-time employees or dependant solely upon voluntary helpers, there is no surplus funding for decoration or renovation to make it more appealing.

Christian bookshops are often forced to be in less frequented parts of town, where rents are not exorbitant, but there is no crowd of people constantly passing by. The CBS tends to be used by those who know of its existence and would go there however isolated it was.

Lack of advertising

The retail trade is always seeking to promote business and attract buyers. But the CBS often bemoans its problems instead of looking for ways to get itself known through advertising and promotional events, so that everyone in the town knows there is a CBS and where it is. Sadly, even Christians are often unaware of the services offered by the Christian bookshop.

Church support

Many churches have a bookstall run on a sale or return arrangement with their local CBS, or a bookshop or publisher further afield. But often the bookstall is pushed away in a corner and sidelined. There may or may not be someone manning the stall, and they may or may not be passionate about Christian books!

However, all Christians should be reading helpful and encouraging Christian books on a variety of subjects, to feed their spiritual hunger and inform their minds. To promote this, every church could have a ‘book spot’, perhaps once a month, when a current publication is advertised and promoted enthusiastically by someone who has read it and recommends it.

Another way churches could support their local CBS, and encourage the reading of Christian literature, is by praying for and financially giving to it. Such support could, by helping with rents and salaries, etc., perhaps enable the CBS to move into a local shopping precinct or outlet. Local churches should see this as an outreach to the local community. Being financially involved would also encourage church members to see the value of the shop, and even help as staff or voluntary helpers.

More useful material needed

In today’s secular and atheistic world there is a growing need for more Christian books on apologetics which deal with contemporary issues. There is a dearth of appealing literature which could be passed on to a neighbour who has shown an interest in spiritual issues, but knows nothing about the Christian faith. The Christian faith has sufficient exciting and relevant truth for a whole host of issues to be addressed — e.g. If there is a God, is he interested in me? Is there life after death? Is there right and wrong in today’s world?

There was a time when tracts filled this gap, but today they seem to have pretty well disappeared from the scene, and maybe they are no longer appropriate for witness and evangelism. But there is still a need for literature which would engage with our secular and materialistic generation.

How can we keep Christian literature on the high street and make it available to a wider public?

A suggested solution

One radical option would be to move Christian bookshops into secular bookshops or supermarkets.

This would have two advantages.

a) It would reduce overheads. This must be a financial priority for the CBS if it is to survive in the competitive marketplace. Every shop is faced with rent, light and heating bills, plus salaries, but cannot continue where there is only a small passing trade.

b) It would move the shop out of the back streets to where there is a constant stream of passers by. Such a move would not hinder Christians or churches using the CBS and could stimulate the market for Christian literature.

Whatever we do, the fact remains that the Christian bookshop is in crisis, and we ought to be thinking very seriously about the strategy necessary to resolve this before more CBSs have to close due to lack of trade. Maybe my thoughts here might stimulate a meaningful discussion, and result in God’s word and good Christian literature finding its way into today’s 21st-century population.