As bookstore managers, we have to be intentional about building relationships with our pastors and other members of our church staff. After all, trust is rarely something that is given freely; rather, it's earned.
Earning the trust of your church leadership is not something to be taken lightly. If they view you as credible, capable, dependable and professional, they will view your store in the same light.
In order to build trust with your church staff, focus on these five areas:
Understand your church's vision and mission.
The mission statement for our church is: "Bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to one million unchurched people every 20 years."
Understanding this mission helps me to know that I need to carry materials that equip people to carry out this vision. I always need to be looking for ways the bookstore can support this vision.
Sit down with your pastor and director of operations early on, and ask them to explain how they see your bookstore in the context of ministry at your church. Ask them what goals they have for the store, both short-term and long-term.
The more your church leadership sees you making store decisions that are in line with your church's vision, the more they will trust you.
Be proactive.
Make it a priority to attend weekly staff meetings, and pay close attention to the calendar of events for all ministries. This will enable you to suggest materials to staff members that will help equip them and the individuals involved in their area of ministry.
For example, it's much easier to ask your youth director several weeks before an upcoming event if he or she has any special order needs than to madly scramble to get 50 cross necklaces for a retreat the next day.
I make it a point to let staff members know when I've got new materials that they might find useful. I spoke with our pastor about the products I planned to carry in response to the release of The Da Vinci Code movie. As it turned out, he was in the process of planning a sermon series on that very subject.
We were able to get on the same page early on. I had plenty of time to get him the resources he needed and to stock the bookstore accordingly.
Since I don't stock large quantities of any given item, I try and anticipate when a bigger order might be needed, such as for graduate recognitions, volunteer-appreciation events and confirmations. Again, speaking with the staff person in charge of these events early on benefits everyone involved.
If your church has its own counseling center or one it's affiliated with, be proactive and see what kind of partnerships you can form with them. We have a Christian family counselor affiliated with our ministry, and our store has started to carry a number of titles that he and I have selected together.
He has not only purchased many resources for himself at our store but also regularly sends his clients here to get the books he recommends. We also are in the process of setting up a small book consignment area in his waiting room so that his clients can get resources immediately.
All of these actions show church leadership that you genuinely care about meeting their needs and the needs of the congregation.
Be a leader.
During a brainstorming session on how to use The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie as an outreach opportunity, I became inspired to plan and help execute a carnival for families at our church called Narnival.
Even though it was technically outside of my job description, I decided to take a leadership role for several reasons.
First, it was a great way to highlight the "Narnia" book series and promote related merchandise in the store.
Second, it was an opportunity to have the store open when hundreds of people were in the building—other than Sunday and Wednesday services.
Finally, it allowed me to show my church leadership that I could handle the leadership of a large undertaking and could be trusted with significant resources.
Look for ways that you can step up as a leader and not only build trust with your church leaders but also promote your store as well.
Make it easy.
Place staff and leadership orders as soon as possible. Inform them when you place their order and when delivery is expected.
My staff e-mails me with their order information, and before they even have time to think about the product again, it's sitting in their mailboxes or on their desks.
If I can't get their desired materials through my regular distributors or publishers, I will order through Amazon. The store doesn't make a profit on such transactions, but I do it because I feel called to provide our staff with materials that equip them to do ministry.
Because they see me working hard for them, they are inspired to support the store. I rarely hear, "Well, I can get it cheaper on Amazon."
Respect their support and their time.
More than likely, the church leaders who play a role in your bookstore operation have very busy schedules. Let your actions show that you value their support and respect their time.
Be sure to keep appointments, arrive at meetings on time, show appreciation for any feedback you receive and respect their authority.
Your actions should be the same toward any church staff member who helps with your bookstore operations. For example, if your store has a small spot in your church's weekly bulletin or a Power Point slide to highlight merchandise on Sundays, try to get this information to the staff person in charge in a timely fashion.
In 1 Corinthians 4:2, it says: "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (NIV). God is calling us to be faithful servants. As we seek to follow the servant example of Jesus Christ, our pastors' trust in us will grow.
Heidi Macias worked in a library before becoming the manager of Books of Hope at Community of Hope in Rosemont, Minn.
