Customers at the Mission Café & Bookstore at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La., are encouraged to take part in a different kind of "BOGO" offer.

Instead of buy one, get one free, they are urged to purchase two copies so that they can buy one, give one away to someone else.

It is all part of the church's twin emphasis on building up its members and stirring them to be generous, said Lance LeBlanc, one of the pastors who overseas many of the day-to-day operations.

"We don't just want to sell books, we are not trying to compete with any other retailers," he said. "It's about building people's lives and providing them with resources that can help them do that."

The Mission Café & Bookstore are a central focus of the two-story arena at Healing Place Church, founded by Dino and DeLynn Rizzo in 1993. Today there is weekly attendance of more than 4,000 at the main campus with 2,000 more attending seven additional campuses.

Led by two staff, the bookstore is manned by volunteers and open around service times and for special events held at the church. Proceeds go to support the church's outreaches at home and overseas.

Senior Pastor Rizzo makes his BOGO appeal when he mentions the bookstore as a place for church members and visitors to find resources. "We encourage always that you never buy one book," he said. "You always buy two books, because we believe that there is one that you read and there is one that you give away."

Read the full report in the October issue of Christian Retailing.

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