Family Christian’s bankruptcy case was the most-read Christian Retailing online article of 2015. Many big stories developed last year, complete with store openings and closings, scandals and leadership changes.

Following are the top 10 Christian Retailing stories of the year:

1. Family Christian Stores: the rest of the story. Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, explained and analyzed the then-breaking Family Christian bankruptcy story.

2. Retailers champion Bible journaling trend. Christian retailers reported on customer buzz about the Bible journaling trend that swept the industry this year.

3. New Christian bookstore opens in Toronto. Faith Culture, a Toronto-based Christian retailer, opened in the former location of Faith Family Books and Gifts.

4. Tree of Life Christian Outlet to close stores. Tree of Life Christian Outlet announced it would be closing the doors on all eight of its retail locations as well as its corporate offices in Eugene, Oregon.

5. Francine Rivers to receive Lifetime Achievement Award. American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) announced the finalists for the 2015 Carol Awards in Christian fiction. Additionally, Francine Rivers received the 2015 ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award.

6. Mardel names new CEO as Mart Green steps down. The Mardel Christian & Education chain announced the appointment of Jay DePalmo as CEO. DePalmo replaced Mardel founder and former CEO Mart Green.

7. Publishers flock to Family Christian Stores bankruptcy hearing. The bankruptcy hearing for Family Christian Stores drew a great deal of interest, especially from Christian publishers who were the unsecured creditors owed more than $40 million.

8. 2016 ICRS to be held in U.S. heartland. CBA President Curtis Riskey announced the date and location of the 2016 International Christian Retail Show.

9. Moody invites readers to trade in ‘Fifty Shades’ copies. From Feb. 1-14, Moody invited readers to mail in their Fifty Shades of Grey books in exchange for a free copy of Dr. Juli Slattery and Dannah Gresh’s Pulling Back the Shades: Erotica, Intimacy, and the Longings of a Woman’s Heart (Moody Publishers).

10. Tyndale author Alex Malarkey recants trip-to-heaven story. The co-author of The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven (Tyndale House Publishers) recanted the story of his visit to heaven, blaming Christian retailers for selling the book.

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