Find a Library Book Near You

I recently stumbled across WorldCat.org. This is an excellent resource. Put in a title, subject, or author, and it shows what libraries the books appear in - in proximity to your location. They also have a way to add the search feature to the sidebar of your website or blog, which I have done. I think this will be an indispensable resource for research!

Finding Good Books: TheoSource

From the website description: "TheoSource is a place to find information on Theological Sources (i.e. bibliographical sources and recommendations). TheoSource book lists are an attempt to compile as many reputable recommendations into one place as is possible. Here you will find recommended books on theology, Christian biography, Bible commentaries (OT & NT), Bible study, church history, and more." I highly recommend this site. You can download .pdf's of recommended book lists obtained from reputable seminaries and categorized in various ways. The biographical sketches, often posted on the subject's birthday or death date, are a favorite feature. Tim Ashcraft and Jason Button (the book review editor for SharperIron - check out the book review website here) also keep readers informed about new releases and important theological issues and provide helpful links to resources from other sites (such as book reviews, tips on reading, etc.). In addition to their site being syndicated, one can also subscribe by email (a helpful feature I have taken advantage of). Click here to check out the site: TheoSource.

Bibles for Children - Some Advice from Al Mohler

Dr. Albert Mohler recently gave some helpful suggestion for children’s Bibles and for reading to children:

• For preschool age (you can also read samples at the links to the books): The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm and The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1056)
• For school age: The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos (http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1057)

HT: The Reformed Parishioner, Theosource

Book Review—Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry

by Doug Smith

Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, ed. Thomas K. Ascol (Cape Coral, Florida: Founders Press, 2004), 384 pp.

(Review copy courtesy Founders Press)

If anything should make you appreciate a faithful pastor, it’s spending time with one. Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry may not place you directly at the side of a pastor, but it will give you the distilled thoughts of 19 seasoned men of God on various aspects of the pastoral ministry.

“Timothy,” like Ira Pointer in Richard Belcher’s series of books that began with Journey in Grace, is a fictional pastor. Unlike Ira Pointer, whose story is filled with other fictional characters, Timothy receives 20 different letters from real-life pastors who encourage and warn him about the privileges and pitfalls of the ministry. Timothy and his wife, Mary, are parents of a two-year-old and are expecting their second child. Timothy is 26 years old, a seminary graduate who has just finished his first six months of pastoral ministry. The book is designed to profit those presently in pastoral ministry and those considering it.

Dear Timothy presents aspects of the ministry that all pastors should heed. The book is edited by one of the contributors, Tom Ascol, and features chapters by a variety of pastors, mostly from Reformed and Baptist backgrounds. Other contributors include Conrad Mbewe, Tedd Tripp, Ted Christman, Andy Davis, Martin Holdt, C. J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Bill Ascol, Fred Malone, Raymond Perron, Ligon Duncan, Joel Beeke, Roger Ellsworth, Terry Johnson, Steve Martin, Phil Newton, Ray Ortland, Jr., and Geoff Thomas. These men represent over 480 years of experience in the pastorate.

The book includes chapters on priorities, self-examination, loving your family and flock, Scripture memory, prayer, humility, courage, the necessity of personal work, the importance of doctrine and study, reading the Puritans, preaching, worshiping, mentoring, missions, revival, and finding a place to settle. The last chapter is particularly relevant in an age when short pastorates seem to be all too common. Dear Timothy helps one to think through attitudes and practices. It emphasizes the importance of the heart.

Tom Ascol sets a good tone for the book in chapter 1, reminding pastors that they must make decisions based on the priority of the various things they are called to be. Beginning with the most foundational relationship, he lists that a pastor is supposed to be a Christian, a husband, a father, a pastor, and then a helper of others. Commitment to this order of priorities helps one to know what opportunities are best and when to say no. These priorities keep us accountable to God and others and are built upon one another like a pyramid, with one’s relationship with God being essential to fulfilling all the other priorities.

Ascol appropriately quotes Robert Murray M’Cheyne: “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God” (p. 26). Tedd Tripp further underscores what this means for a pastor to properly love his family: “Man-pleasing is impossible, Timothy. It is destructive to yourself and to your family. You and Mary must commit yourself to graciously refusing every effort made by people you serve to set the agenda for your family” (p. 64).

One of the most helpful chapters for me was Andy Davis’ on memorizing Scripture. He gives five reasons to memorize not simply individual verses here and there but entire books of Scripture:

1. It honors the testimony that Scripture gives about itself . . . God does not waste His breath, so there are no superfluous words in Scripture.
2. [It] enables you to more readily grasp the central thought.
3. You will be less likely to take verses out of context as a result of memorizing the whole book.
4. Your joy will keep increasing, as will your awe at the miraculous infinity of truth in the Scripture, as you continue to discover new truths day after day, month after month.
5. Finally, memorization of extended portions of Scripture readily lends itself to the best style of preaching for you— expository. (pp. 92-95)

The spiritual discipline of prayer is not neglected in Dear Timothy. Martin Holdt writes that “prayer is our highest work. It is hard work. It is a fight against the adversary. It is a battle against the flesh. It is essential work. The minister who does not pray for his flock is no minister at all. He is proud because he does his work as if he can succeed without God’s power. He shows no pity because he does not realize that his people’s greatest need is the Lord’s divine favors upon them. Be assured of this, if he does not pray, he will pay a high price” (p. 105, emphasis mine).

C.J. Mahaney writes about humility. This chapter reminds the pastor that humility will affect how a pastor handles himself as a sinner, describing the humble pastor as a man characterized by “confession and the pursuit of correction” (p. 125). He further writes: “Timothy, we are not like cordless drills that can go all day on a single charge . . . All day, every day, I need to keep directing my thoughts to God, keep standing close to the cross, keep offering thanks for innumerable evidences of grace and keep casting my cares on the One who cares for me with such perfect love and faithfulness” (p. 131).

Mark Dever reminds the pastor of the need to be intentional for obtaining witnessing opportunities, since he is surrounded by Christians much of the time. He urges the importance of a burden for the lost when he writes that “the God we serve is the God who left the ninety and nine to go seeking for the lost one. Pore over Luke 15 in prayer and ask God to give you a heart for the lost, like that woman had for her coin, like that shepherd had for his sheep, like that father had for his son. Pray that lost people become precious to you. If they do, it will affect the way you prepare and preach. It will affect the way you plan your own schedule and the way you lead your church” (p. 165).

Raymond Perron instructs Timothy on the importance of sound doctrine, including the implications for his own life and the lives of others. He warns on page 186, “How much we need to remain in sound doctrine, avoiding the snare of always looking for new things!” He writes of guarding the flock from false teachers: “Let me remind you, Timothy, that the most efficient way of keeping the flock safe against the cunning and craftiness of wolves and against the various winds of deadly doctrines is to build a fortress of sound doctrine” (p. 189).

Furthermore, Perron gives these sobering words: “It has been said that the value of a thing is measured by the price paid for it. The cost of the souls that our Lord committed to your care was nothing less than the blood of the Eternal Son of God Himself” (p. 189).

Dear Timothy is an excellent and helpful book that whets the appetite for more. The book has an excellent, well-rounded bibliography that includes classics as well as modern works on theology and the practice of ministry. Most chapters include recommendations for further reading (or listening), citing sermons, websites, magazines, journals, and books to help the pastor. However, one hopes that one or more future volumes may be produced along the same lines, perhaps devoting letters to issues such as polity, church discipline, combating false teaching, guidelines for cooperation with other ministries and churches, legal issues, and the pastor’s personal finances.

Dear Timothy would be a great book for your pastor or a man interested in the ministry. It is also a good read if you want to understand what a pastor’s life is like. I believe this book particularly gives us at least three important reminders:

1. Ministry is serious. It is no light thing to serve Christ’s church as a pastor. The dangers and temptations are many, and the discipline and diligence needed is great. Pastors and congregations must see this calling as a sacred trust, and understand that the pastor is not only called to serve the church, but to live a life pleasing to God. This affects the details of our lives. The quality and quantity of time we spend in God’s Word and pursuing Him through the spiritual disciplines is a gauge of how serious we take these matters.

2. Aspiring pastors should build relationships and seek counsel from other faithful pastors, since reading books and taking courses are not sufficient preparation for being a pastor. There is much wisdom to be learned from seasoned ministers. In doing this, aspiring pastors must be teachable and eager to learn, in order to gain the maximum benefit.

3. Pastors should be involved in training others. In obedience to 2 Timothy 2:2, pastors should pass along their learning to other men, who in turn will teach others. The letters in the book remind us that the printed page is one way of doing this. Perhaps a book like this will spark fresh letters from other pastors. The letters may not be published, but they may have a ripple effect upon numerous other lives if one would manage his time and communicate practical, faithful wisdom about being a pastor. Of course, there are other ways of training others as well, such as internships, regularly meeting with pastoral aspirants, and sharing ministry experience with them (whether through supervised opportunities to teach/preach or through having them along for pastoral visits). But the point is, pastors need to take time and effort to do this, as the future of the church is affected greatly by the time spent (or not spent) in training others.

Do you appreciate the pastoral ministry? Spending time reading the letters written in Dear Timothy will help give you a new appreciation for the tremendous responsibility and privilege of being a pastor and should cause you to thank God for raising up faithful shepherds.

———–

This review is adapted from its original appearance at http://www.sharperiron.org/2006/11/03/book-review-dear-timothy-letters-on-pastoral-ministry/.

A Review of Reformation Resources: Some Books

by Doug Smith

490 years ago this month, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the castle church door in Wittenburg, Germany (October 31, 1517). The purpose of this series of posts is to point you to resources about the Protestant Reformation. When it comes to learning about the Reformation and enjoying its history and influence, there are many tools available for a variety of ages. This is a review of some of the more helpful items I have found or have had recommended to me by trusted sources. If you want to build your personal library, or that of your church, school, or college, this list of resources would be a good place to start. Today, we will look at books. Future posts will cover music, websites, and movies.

Books

For children

• Paul L. Maier, Martin Luther: a Man Who Changed the World (Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 32pp.

Greg Copeland's beautiful art accompanies a fascinating account of Luther's life and work. Thankfully, the Gospel is central to this book, evidenced by the focus on Luther's discovery in the Bible of justification by faith alone. The author wants us to understand that a right standing with God comes only through trusting Jesus Christ, who has done all the work necessary for our justification. The book explains that the righteousness of God is a gift to those who believe in the Savior who died and rose again for them. I have found children captivated by this story as I have read it to them. The book is directed toward upper elementary children, but teachers and parents may find ways to adapt their reading of it to younger ages. For teenagers

• Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné, The Triumph of Truth: a Life of Martin Luther (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 1996), 427pp.

Mark Sidwell produced this abridgement of Merle d'Aubigné's five volumes of The History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century. This single volume detailing the life of Luther is intended for ages 15 and up. Short chapters, vivid writing, and helpful analysis make this a good book to work through.

For ladies, gentlemen, and scholars

• Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: a Life of Martin Luther (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1950), 336pp.

Generally regarded as the standard biography of Luther for English readers, this classic work contains a helpful chronology of Luther's life and many interesting woodcut illustrations from the 16^th century. It is a delightful and sympathetic treatment of Luther.

• Christopher Catherwood, Five Leading Reformers: Lives at a Watershed of History (Christian Focus, 2000), 208pp.

This is a brief overview of the lives of Martin Luther, Thomas Cranmer, John Calvin, John Knox, and Huldrych Zwingli. My wife found this to be an easy read and a good beginning introduction.

• David Daniell, William Tyndale: a Biography (New Haven, CT: Yale, 1994), 458pp.

A thorough biography of the 16th century English theologian and Bible translator, this book is a bit tedious in its attempt to recreate the possible historical backdrop, but is an indispensable resource for studying this important servant of God.

• John Dillenberger, ed., Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings (Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1961), 526pp.

In this collection, you can read for yourself portions of Luther's books, commentaries, articles, and sermons, including his prefaces to different New Testament books, The Bondage of the Will, and The Ninety-Five Theses.

• Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1988), 337pp.

In this scholarly work, Timothy George examines the theology of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Menno Simons in the historical context of the Reformation. The book contains a chapter on the abiding validity of reformation theology and a helpful glossary.

• Harold J. Grimm, The Reformation Era: 1500-1650 (New York: Macmillan, 1954), 675pp.

Grimm provides a full-length treatment of Protestantism and Roman Catholicism in the Reformation era, including social and political effects of the conflicts.

• Steven Lawson, The Expository Genius of John Calvin (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2007), 142pp.

Lawson analyzes the philosophy and practice of the preaching ministry of John Calvin, issuing a call for more ministers who are diligent in their studies and proclamation, beginning with applying the truth to their own lives. (I have reviewed this book here.)

• Timothy Lull, ed., Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005), 755pp.

Dr. Robert Plummer, who teaches hermeneutics at Southern Seminary, pointed out this resource. It would be good to acquire because of its inclusion of Luther's hermeneutical method based on Psalm 119: oratio, meditation, and tentatio. In other words, the Holy Spirit uses prayer, meditation, and trials to help believers understand the Word of God and grow in conformity to the Son of God.

• Stephen J. Nichols, Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 2002), 240pp.

This may be the best short introduction to Martin Luther. Each chapter contains a helpful bibliography for deeper study of particular areas of Luther's life and thought.

• Stephen J. Nichols, The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2007), 160 pp.

Some have found this to be a helpful introduction to the Reformation.

• T. H. L. Parker, John Calvin: a Biography (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2007), 224 pp.

According to Dr. Albert Mohler, this is the best biography on Calvin. It was out of print when he mentioned it on his April radio program, but it looks like it's back.

• John Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000), 160pp. (Click here to read or download it for free.)

This book is part of a series compiling biographical messages given at the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors. Piper models well the discipline of reading biography for the purpose of growth in godliness.

• Dietrich Steinwede, Reformation: a Picture Story of Martin Luther (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1983), 56pp.

This book tells Luther's story using reproductions of woodcuts, paintings, and documents of the Reformation.

• Roland H. Bainton, The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1956), 278pp.

This book gives an overview of the thought and impact of various wings of the Reformation.

Find these books at www.wtsbooks.com, www.christianbook.com, www.cvbbs.com , and www.addall.com.

Selling Books in the Church: Joy in Exhaustion

This is the sixth post in a six part series on establishing and maintaining a church book table, stall, or store. Many of the ideas and experiences are based on the bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where I have been blessed to serve as Deacon of Bookstall for over two and a half years. This post details a small part of God’s goodness to me during my service as Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

Why Am I Selling Books at Church?

I first volunteered to serve at the bookstall when the Deaconess who oversaw the area prior to me requested help with inventory. Nearly every Sunday afternoon, I would count all of the books. This took a couple of hours at first, but closer to an hour as I became more familiar with the books and their locations.

Shortly before my predecessor’s term ended (Deacons and Deaconesses are not eligible to serve consecutive terms at CHBC), I was asked to consider serving as the Deacon of Bookstall. I didn’t fully understand the time commitment, and I was entering my final semester of law school, but I agreed because I was eager to take advantage of an opportunity to serve.

Even without deep reflection, my heart is full of joy when I think of serving at the bookstall. Looking back more closely on nearly three years of service in this role, I see great evidence of God’s goodness to me. At times, law school exams, the bar exam, or busyness at work made bookstall service seem an unwise use of time. But, God has been pleased to upend those thoughts in several ways.

First, God has encouraged me to be faithful by allowing me to see the faithful examples of many of my fellow believers. It’s hard to be too impressed with my occasional service when it often gave me opportunity to see the more demanding and sacrificial efforts of others. Sure, I may have been receiving book orders for a couple of hours on a Thursday night, but as I left the Elders were just assembling to spend hours praying for and otherwise serving our local body.

Second, God has encouraged me by the openness with which others have shared the ways God has blessed them through the bookstall. It’s hard to begrudge showing up for church an hour early to put stock a few books when you learn that some of those books are being purchased for and carried to believers around the world or unbelieving friends and family members around the country. It’s hard to jealously guard my time when a brother shares the way God has exposed to him the sin that has been damaging his marriage.

Third, God has taught me through the content of the books we sell. I’m a bibliophile and it’s hard for me to be around good books without wanting to make them mine. So, I’ve purchased and read many of the books on our bookstall. And I’ve benefited mightily from them.

Sure exhaustion sets in when you’re pricing and shelving the three hundredth book of an order. But it’s an exhaustion that brings joy; it’s the joy of a job well done, of seeing one small part of life well spent.

J.A. Ingold is Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can see what he’s reading at Bookpress.

Selling Books in the Church: Welcome to the 80s

This is the fifth post in a six part series on establishing and maintaining a church book table, stall, or store. Many of the ideas and experiences are based on the bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where I have been blessed to serve as Deacon of Bookstall for over two and a half years. This post walks through the implementation of a basic electronic point of sale system.

Do We Need a Bar Code Scanner?

As I mentioned in the prior post, we made do without an electronic sales system for ten years. What pushed us to spend the money to implement one? In our case there were two factors.

First, based on the advice of our attorneys, we began to collect and remit sales tax for books sold at the bookstall. Prior examination of this issue had considered only whether we owed income tax on books sold (no, we don’t make money off the books) or whether we needed to pay sales tax on books purchased (no, we’re buying for resale).

Second, our sales reached a point at which it was difficult to handle particularly busy times using our paper-based system. Particularly during 9Marks Weekenders and on holiday weekends, we found that lines were long and accuracy decreased. In the past several weeks, we have seen an increase in accuracy and a dramatic increase in transaction speed where multiple items are purchased.

We installed a fairly basic POS system. We chose Wasp’s QuickStore Standard software though, in retrospect, I should have chosen a package tailored for book sales. We also purchased a very inexpensive tower computer, a bar code scanner, receipt printer, and label printer. We purchased label creation software from Wasp (to create and print labels for items that do not have barcodes), and we purchased a 19” LCD monitor. When the stand was removed from the monitor, it fit snugly into the top of the lockable media cart we purchased to hold the system.

It would be easier to install a system like this when a bookstall is started, but it may not immediately make sense to invest over $1500 in this sort of hardware and software. To transition from the paper-based system to the electronic system, I spent a full Friday and two of us spent a full Saturday calculating new prices, re-pricing books, manually entering data into the new system, and assembling, installing, and testing. Of course, this will take more or less time depending on the current stock levels (we had about 800 books spread across 300 titles) and the state of your data before the transition. Had we previously tracked publishers, we could have imported most of the data using a comma delimited file.

As expensive as this sort of system may seem to those who have no book ministry or who have only a small book table; my hope is that our experience demonstrates that an electronic system may make sense at some point down the road – and that it can be done without transforming your ministry into a full-fledged bookstore.

J.A. Ingold is Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can see what he’s reading at Bookpress.

Selling Books in the Church: Selling it Old Skool

This is the fourth post in a six part series on establishing and maintaining a church book table, stall, or store. Many of the ideas and experiences are based on the bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where I have been blessed to serve as Deacon of Bookstall for over two and a half years. This post looks at the practical implementation of a low cost sales and inventory system.

So How Do We Get Started?

When I became Deacon of Bookstall, we were a paper and spreadsheet operation. Though we have recently moved to an electronic point of sale system, most of my experience is with the low tech system described here.

The most expensive item we used was a cash box (available from office supply stores for approximately $20). We keep $100 in low bills in the cash box to make change. When we run low on low bills, I run to the bank during the week and bring back low bills for the next opening.

Sales are marked with a simple hash mark next to the title of the book on a sales sheet. This sheet lists all of the titles stocked on the bookstall, sorted alphabetically by author’s last name. When the bookstall volunteers balance sales at closing, they will manually multiply these hash marks by the price of the book (also on the sales sheet) and then manually total sales of all items.

The last page of this sales sheet (including total sales and signatures of the volunteers) is remitted to the church administrator with all payment above the $100 left in the cash box. The entire sales sheet is used to manually update a spreadsheet used to track inventory levels. Physically counts are regularly performed to correct discrepancies between the spreadsheet and the physical stock.

If the spreadsheet has recently been reconciled with the physical stock, orders can be placed based on the inventory reported in the spreadsheet. Over time, the spreadsheet will offer insight into reordering as it shows which books sell more rapidly. Experience also teaches which books are more popular at certain times of the year or for discipling relationships.

The primary advantage of this method is that it is very inexpensive. The primary challenge is that it is subject to greater human error in making change, marking titles sold, and entering sales data manually into the spreadsheet. Calculation of sales tax may, depending on the tax law in your state, also be difficult with the system described above. Still, our bookstall (which started as a book table) effectively used this method for over ten years. We switched to the electronic system described in the next post only a month ago.

J.A. Ingold is Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can see what he’s reading at Bookpress.

Selling Books in the Church: Business or Ministry?

This is the third post in a six part series on establishing and maintaining a church book table, stall, or store. Many of the ideas and experiences are based on the bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where I have been blessed to serve as Deacon of Bookstall for over two and a half years. This post will consider whether a church bookstall should be operated as a business or ministry.

Are You Selling as a Business or a Ministry?

Most churches will see their book sales as a ministry. The difficulty is in making it clear that your book table is a ministry. Following are a few aspects of our bookstall that make it look more like a ministry than a business.

First, we sell at cost. We take our cost for the book, including shipping and the sales tax we must collect and remit to the government, rounded to the nearest dollar. We smooth these prices to get as close as possible to our goal of neither making nor losing money on the sale of these books. The natural result of this is that we lose money. More accurately, the church subsidizes the bookstall by including it as a line item in the annual budget. The loss is a result of shrinkage (presumably, some people do not understand that the books are not free and others sometimes take a book intending to pay, but forget). Selling at cost is also made possible by relying entirely on volunteers to run the bookstall.

Second, we do not close off the books. No business leaves its wares unwatched and accessible while it is closed. But, though we encourage people to purchase books only when the bookstall is open, books can be taken and paid for when the church building is open, but the bookstall closed.

Third, we give books away. We make CCEF booklets available for free. We do note our cost and some people pay for them. Our pastors believe these to be particularly helpful counseling booklets that touch on sensitive topics and we are happy for people to take them without paying if they promise to read them. We give away more than 1500 of these booklets each year. Also, one book on our bookstall is thought to be a valuable, but overly expensive, evangelistic tool. The church subsidizes the book by charging far less for it than it costs us. And, though not strictly part of the bookstall ministry, our church annually allocates funds to “pastoral accounts.” Pastors frequently pull books off the bookstall, give them away, and charge them to these accounts.

None of these points is made to imply that a church should never run a bookstore as a business or even that a book business could not adopt some of these procedures. The point is just that the purpose of your book ministry or business should be defined from the start and evident in your practice.

J.A. Ingold is Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can see what he’s reading at Bookpress.

Selling Books in the Church: Selecting Books

This is the second post in a six part series on establishing and maintaining a church book table, stall, or store. Many of the ideas and experiences are based on the bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where I have been blessed to serve as Deacon of Bookstall for over two and a half years. This post will explore the considerations that surround book selection.

Which Books Should You Select?

Foundationally, churches should sell only books that are theologically accurate. Of course, other than the Bibles you sell, your stock is not inspired. But, it is important that the books sold not be likely to lead readers into error. At our bookstall, all books are selected by the pastors. This allows the purchaser to have a high level of confidence in the theological accuracy and pastoral benefit of the books.

Second, books should be selected for their broad helpfulness. Maybe someone in your church is incredibly interested in the details of the Montanism . . . but your limited shelf space is better used for a title on cultivating humility or emboldening evangelism.

Third, books should be selected to teach on a range of theological issues and across a range of human experience. Our bookstall is divided into the following sections: Bible Study Aids, Bibles and Hymnals, Biographies, Devotional Aids, Christ and Culture, Christian Living, Church and Worship, Commentaries, History, Marriage and Family, Theology, and books our pastor has written or contributed to. Some of these sections contain only a few titles – others contain more than fifty titles. The important thing, regardless the size of your book ministry, is to understand that not all people struggle to understand or apply the same truths. So, before you add a fifth title on the sovereignty of God, look to see whether you have any help for those struggling with their marriage, parenting, or suffering. Look at the books as you look at your people – pastorally.

Fourth, select some books that are old. Some of my best friends are dead – and I’ve met them at our bookstall. I’ll not have the opportunity in this life to meet Jeremiah Burroughs (d. 1646), but just last evening he was teaching me about contentment. And earlier this year, Thomas Watson (d. 1686) opened Romans 8:28 to me. Not everyone will choose an older book, but provide an opportunity for your people to sit at the knee of faithful departed saints.

Finally, include some books that are challenging. You’ll not want to turn your church book ministry into an academic bookstore, but there is a place for a few works that will challenge those who desire more. You will probably carry and sell these titles in smaller quantity, but it can be helpful to have a few on hand.

J.A. Ingold is Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can see what he’s reading at Bookpress.

Selling Books in the Church: Why Sell Books at Church?

This is the first post in a six part series on establishing and maintaining a church book table, stall, or store. Many of the ideas and experiences are based on the bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC where I have been blessed to serve as Deacon of Bookstall for over two and a half years. This introductory post will make a case for a book ministry in a church.

In the next section, Selecting Books, we’ll cover just that. Third, in Business or Ministry?, we’ll think about different models for books sales at church and the implications of those models. In the fourth and fifth installments, Selling it Old Skool and Welcome to the 80s, I’ll explain two different ways we’ve handled the practical details at CHBC. I’ll wrap up in Joy in Exhaustion ­– a personal testimony to God’s goodness to me as I’ve served as Deacon of Bookstall.

This series is not meant to be prescriptive. You’ll find not everything will work as well in your setting as it does in ours. Still, I hope it will help some churches and church leaders think through the benefits that might be had by having good books at hand.

Why Sell Books at Church?

I’m not sure what the motivations were when the CHBC Bookstall was started (long before my wife and I arrived). But, over the past four years, I’ve seen at least three benefits of a book ministry in a local church.

First, having books on hand allows a pastor to exercise discernment for the benefit of the congregation. For a variety of reasons, not all believers are able to well discern which books and authors are reliable guides. Pastors should be better situated to make such judgments, and to make such judgments across a wider range of topics.

Second, having books available for purchase in the church increases their accessibility. Many people, including church members and visitors, think more of spiritual matters when they are in the church than when they are about their daily business. Placing in the church something they can take with them to spur continued meditation on spiritual matters can be a great aid. In addition, not everyone lives near a bookstore that carries a good stock of theologically reliable books. Not everyone is adept in using the internet for such purchases. Finally, the availability of books in the church is particularly beneficial to pastors as they counsel others at the church. Our pastors frequently recommend or even give books from our bookstall for the benefit of others.

Third, a bookstall is a great location for fellowship. In our church, the bookstall is located at the back of our auditorium. At the end of the service, we offer coffee and cookies and encourage people to stay around and talk. The bookstall provides a less intimidating location for visitors and less thoroughly relationshipped members to meet others and, hopefully, begin the process of becoming known by others. It’s easier to ask the person standing next to you if they know of a good book on stewardship than it is to tell that same person that you are struggling with greed. But the question may naturally lead to the admission as the relationship develops.

J.A. Ingold is Deacon of Bookstall at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can see what he’s reading at Bookpress.

Resources for Study On the Canon of Scripture

compiled by Doug Smith

I have been working on a project for my hermeneutics class on the canon of Scripture. Here are some links to resources that have helpful material about this subject. This is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully someone will find this to be a good place to start. Most of the links are for ordering the items, but a few resources are downloadable for free.

Books and Articles

· “Bible Formation and Canon” in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Edited by Chad Brand, Charles Draper, and Archie England. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2003. pp. 200-202.

· Bruce, F. F. The Canon of Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988. (Standard Reference on this topic)

· Carson, D. A. and Douglas Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. pp. 726-743.

· Dockery, David S. and David P. Nelson, "Special Revelation," in Daniel L. Akin, ed. A Theology for the Church. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2007. pp. 164-171.

· Edwards, Brian. Why Twenty-Seven? – How Can We Be Sure That We Have the Right Books in the New Testament? New York: Evangelical Press USA, 2007. (EXCELLENT)

· Geisler, Norman L. and William E. Nix. A General Introduction to the Bible. Revised and Expanded. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1986. pp. 203-320.

· Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: an Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. pp. 57-72.

· Hill, Andrew E., and John H. Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament. 2^nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. pp. 388-396.

· House, H. Wayne. Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1981. pp. 16-24 (16-17 gives NT dates written, 22 gives canon in 1^st 4 centuries, 23 gives Patristic quotations).

· McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1999. pp. 17-32.

· Metzger, Bruce M. The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988. (Standard reference on this topic)

· Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology: a Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1988. pp. 105-109.

· Trueman, Carl. “The Marcions Have Landed! A Warning for Evangelicals.” Evangelicals Now, March 2003. Online: <http://www.e-n.org.uk/2105-The-Marcions-have-landed.htm>

· Walton, John H. Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. p. 12 (gives chronology of books).

· Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: the Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999. pp. 100-164. (GREAT REFERENCE)

· White, James R. Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible’s Accuracy, Authority, and Authenticity. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2004. (very helpful, especially on Gnostic gospels)

Websites

• www.Bible.org www.Bible.org <http://www.bible.org/topic.php?topic_id=87>
• Bible Research <http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon.html>
• Monergism – links to articles on the canon of Scripture <http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Bibliology/Formation-of-the-Canon/>.
• Bruce, F. F., The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Online book at <http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ffbruce/ntdocrli/ntdocont.htm>.

Resources for conforming our lives to the canon of Scripture

• Carson, D. A. For the Love of God: a Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word. Volume 1 ; Volume 2. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006. Visit http://christwaymedia.com/to sign up for daily readings by email.
• Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar; available as a free .pdf download at <http://www.mountcalvarybaptist.org/extra/documents/McCheyne Bible Reading.pdf> - a great resource to distribute to your church
• Ryken, Philip Graham, Derek W. H. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan III. Give Praise to God: a Vision for Reforming Worship. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2003.
• Spinney, Robert G. “Looking for God in All the Wrong Places: an Appeal for Word-Based Corporate Worship.” Hartsville, TN: Tulip Books, 2006. Free downloadable .pdf file at <http://www.hartsvillereformedbaptist.com/gbc_rob_worship.pdf>

Please remember that the inclusion of a resource in this list is not a blanket endorsement of all its contents or all other writings of these authors. Let us always be Bereans (Acts 17:11).