A message from Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network:

I have attended CBA events since joining the Christian products industry in 1993 and want to share with you four reasons for joining me at the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis next month.

Business: The centerpiece of the show—and of any trade show—is the vendor exhibit floor. It is here that you see new products, learn how to promote those items and make friends with the companies who so wonderfully serve our industry.

As I visit each booth, I am always impressed with how much effort each vendor has put into its presence. They bring authors, musicians and artisans so that you might get to know the heart behind the products. They are generous beyond belief with free product so that you might preview items or read books to see how they will fit into the ministry of your store.

Education is another reason for attending ICRS. Few of us know all that we need to about what we have been called to do. For church bookstores, there will be many classes that will be pertinent to you as a manager in Christian retail, but there will be one that you especially will not want to miss.

One of the major topics discussed in any group of church bookstore managers is how to engage the staff in the ministry and the process of the bookstore. A staff fully engaged will not only enhance the ministry of the store, but the individual ministries in the church. At ICRS, we will have a great panel discussion with church bookstore managers who have dealt with this problem.

"Using Social Media to Market Your Church Store" will look at how church stores can integrate social-media tools already being used in the church to help build a stronger community around the store.

"Aligning Church Leadership With Your Ministry" will examine how to ensure that church leaders understand and are on track with the direction of the store.

For more information, go to http://www.christianretailshow.com.

If you're not careful, what started as a retail outlet can become much more—the church lost and found, the information desk for visitors, the place for members to sell whatever they want and the registration table for ministry events.

In other words, your church bookstore can become a dumping ground for the ministries and members of the church. After being inundated with all manner of requests, we discovered that the best way to handle them was to set guidelines and boundaries.

For example, several church members decided that the bookstore would be a great location to drop off materials for another member to pick up at a later date or after Sunday services. This would create a nightmare scenario for us when desk and counter space got covered with items.

The answer—create a policy that you do not accept anything from anyone unless it is for bookstore staff. All store employees should enforce this policy at the door, so customers won't have to discuss it with management every time a request is made.

If your store is like ours, you often get requests to borrow materials or to give them as donations for door prizes or special events. Remember, it is OK to say no at the time a request is made if you do not have anything to give away.

To avoid saying no all the time, consider keeping some items that are slightly damaged or some overstock merchandise for the purpose of helping ministries in need.

Requests to sell products from church members and non-members alike can become a nuisance for any church bookstore—especially when they come on a weekly, or daily, basis.

In the past, we have been overwhelmed with requests from everyone from the Bible encyclopedia salesman to a pastor's wife who made Bible covers to a member of the choir who would soon see the release of his first CD.

So, whenever someone makes a request, tell them you would be happy to review their book, listen to their CD or review their product if they leave it with you, and that a follow-up call will be made within two weeks.

Be flexible, though. Even with a policy in place to address every conceivable request made in the store, there will still be instances where you will have to make judgment calls on the spur of the moment.

-Terri Williams has managed Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship's bookstore in Dallas for more than 20 years.

-Click here to read the complete article: http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=17015.

Weddings are the most forgotten ministry event in many churches. Most of us are invited to several weddings every year, and that means we have numerous gift options.

Let's start with the bride. Most churches have some staff member who handles the arrangements for all the weddings at the church. Take time to sit down with this staff member, and explain your desire to help the brides and their families.

There are wedding planning books, stationery and gift ideas that are unique to the Christian market. Bring samples of these materials, and get your church liaison's opinion as to their usefulness to her in this ministry. It may be that she receives the same request from every bride. Perhaps a wedding planner book is a welcome item. Or it could be that thank-you notes or other stationery products are sought-after items. Find the need, then research the products.

One of the favorite things we do for our brides is that we offer to help them select meaningful gifts for their wedding party. Many choose a leather-bound devotional or a Bible.

If your store stocks music, a small collection of instrumental wedding music is a good offer. Give your wedding coordinator a copy of the CDs you carry so that she can share them with her brides.

Another idea for promoting wedding gifts or products is to have a yearly emphasis table. Many times you just have to educate your congregation as to what products are available and that you carry those products.

Got a question for Betty Bookstore? Write to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Half the parents interviewed recently by the organization said that having children did not influence their connection to a church, while 4% of parents said that the new life stage actually decreased their involvement with a church-most commonly for single and never married parents.

About one-sixth of parents (17%) said that having a child helped them reconnect with church after a long period of not attending. Another one-fifth (20%) said they were already active, but became more involved after having children.

Parenthood rarely sparks brand-new experiences of faith for people, it seems. Only one out of every 20 parents (5%) said that having children helped them become active in a church for the first time.

Age-wise, younger parents (those under 35) were more likely than average to say parenthood had helped them reconnect to church. In contrast, parents older than 35 were least likely to indicate that their church life had been influenced by the arrival of children.

"Many religious workers assume that parenthood motivates people to return to their spiritual traditions and to church attendance," said Barna Group President David Kinnaman. "This perspective is especially common when it comes to justifying the frequent disengagement among young adults. Sometimes faith leaders go so far as to simply wait for parenthood to occur, when they figure the ‘real work' of ministry can begin."

But his group's study calls that strategy into question, he said. "While parenthood can reset people's priorities in life, having children is not an automatic faith-starter for most adults. It's more complicated than that. Family background and their personal faith history impact their behavior."

Source: The Barna Group.

-To read the full report, go to: http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/391-does-having-children-make-parents-more-active-churchgoers.

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