Citing declining retailer participation and reduced support to partner ministries, CBA is ending Christian Store Week—an effort to spotlight Christian bookstores and drive traffic.

"Christian Store Week was a great idea and worked well for a season," CBA President Curtis Riskey said. "It raised awareness of Christian stores, sent traffic to them and increased sales to many retailers. However, the ministry return for the significant time and resources to manage the project could not be offset."

Declining consumer donations for exclusive music albums offered in participating Christian stores was also a factor in the decision to end the three-year program, CBA officials said. Christian artists donated royalty-free songs for album compilations for the cooperative industry initiative.

Usually held the first week of October, Christian Store Week raised more than $100,000 for various ministry and disaster-support projects—beginning in 2010 with the "Help Haiti" campaign, launched in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

The 2012 campaign raised about $18,000 to support U.S. anti-poverty and hunger programs. More than 430 Christian stores nationwide—including 138 independent retailers plus Berean Christian Stores and Family Christian Stores chain—partnered with World Vision to raise awareness of the need for hunger relief among children in the U.S., CBA said.

CBA will continue work with suppliers and retailers to develop special industry-wide projects to raise consumer awareness of Christian stores and help drive traffic and sales to them, association officials said.

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