Combining elements of a bookstore, an art gallery and a business center, The Gallery at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., is cutting a new path in church-based retail operations.

Although the 500-square-foot facility has a modest inventory, it occupies a central place in the life of the church, enriching members with practical, spiritual and cultural services. And to do it all with a particular splash of style and touch of class.

While shoppers can purchase Bibles or some of the latest best-sellers, they are also invited to inspect one-of-a-kind pieces of art imported from Africa and South America--and encouraged to know that by purchasing them, they are directly helping support the overseas artists and their families.

"Looking at art in a gallery leaves an image. It can speak volumes," said the church's senior minister, Dr. Clifford A. Jones Sr. "Some persons can experience the message visually where they are not receptive to it verbally."

This is "a ministry," not just a bookstore, he said. "It is broader than that. Some churches look at a bookstore as a profit-making arm. We want The Gallery to be a ministry, and to be reflective of our global ministry."

Under its slogan of "retail with a mission," the Gallery's Web site explains that the store's commitment to excellence is "not only because quality matters," but additionally because "we also showcase other worthy causes that 'matter.' "

Read more in the "Best Practice" profile of The Gallery in the November/December issue of The Church Bookstore.

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