With electronic devices, the proliferation of online ordering, and a general lack of reading taking place, it’s easy to know the why of what happens when a community loses a Christian bookstore.
But in the process, the community also loses its Christian music store and its Christian DVD store and its Christian greeting card store and its Christian giftware store and its Christian apparel store and its outlet for tickets for Christian events and its church supplies store and its Bible store and its place to meet up with other Christ followers in a non church setting.
Instead: The church community loses a marketplace presence.
Instead: The community at large loses the effects of the church being in that marketplace.
Maybe, even though they don’t own the businesses in question, local churches should be standing side-by-side with the remaining stores and fighting for their survival.
Thinking Out Loud 
We have lost our one and only Christian Bookstore. Years ago it was a centre for meeting other believers. The manager and staff were outgoing, caring people who made lots of contacts with non-believers and had prayer meetings in the back room. When the manager retired, the situation changed. We no longer received so much as a smile, let alone help in obtaining books, and I must say non-Christian shops were a much more friendly place to be. It was no surprise that they closed.
Now, we either order on line or by phone from catalogues received from stores in Brisbane, or wait until we travel there (400klm away)
Comment by meetingintheclouds — February 3, 2013 @ 6:14 pm