The second Gathering of Church Bookstores, expected to draw more than 400 attendees to Houston's First Baptist Church (HFBC) in April, is a “visible indication” of a significant change in the Christian retail industry, said event host Geni Hulsey.

Manager of The Garden Bookstore at HFBC and a longtime church bookstore trainer, Hulsey said that bookstores and resource centers are being included in the building plans of many new church projects along with family-life centers and cafés as part of an effort to provide a range of community services for congregations.

Some supplier representatives began realizing five years ago that church bookstores were the fastest-growing part of the Christian retail ministry, “but nobody was listening,” Hulsey said at an eve-of-Advance meeting outlining plans for the April 19-21 event. But now people are beginning to understand that church bookstores are “part of the industry.”

Sponsored by The Church Bookstore, a Christian Retailing supplement, the second annual gathering will feature training workshops, panel discussions and exhibits from more than 40 suppliers.

In addition, there will be site visits to local church bookstores, including the near-10,000-square-foot store at Lakewood Church, pastored by Joel Osteen, author of the best-selling Your Best Life Now (Warner Faith).

CBA was to host a Church Store Exchange at Advance today to help attendees “find out what church stores, owned both by churches and by independent Christian retailers, have in common.”

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