How to Build a Christian Church Library

A church library can be an important source of inspiration and education for the congregation.

A church library can be an important resource for congregation members searching for wholesome entertainment and information topical to their faith. Cash-strapped churches will not be able to budget for a library, so founding members will have to rely on donations, both monetary and in the form of books. Like many contemporary libraries, the church library can expand its collection to multimedia materials, including educational videos and sermons on CD. Once the library is built, the founder and the recruited librarians should work hard to promote the library so that their efforts are not wasted.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Mission statement
• Books
• Movies
• CDs

1. Develop a mission statement to guide the development of the library. There will have to be some improvisation during the project, but having a clear picture of the library's future will help during the building phase. Some of your goals may be to further Christian education in your church, provide resources to church teachers and interact with the community.

2. Collect and purchase books. Donations from the congregation should be in decent condition because they will receive a lot of handling. Buy used books or large quantities of books from wholesale online retailers. Don't focus just on books that are overtly Christian. Books with a moral and uplifting message are just as important and relevant to a church.

3. Include movies and CDs in your library. Movies with a Christian theme are good, but, again, give the congregation positive movies as an alternative to the profane, violent, sex-filled films at the box office. Worship and praise music CDs will be an inspiration to the church. Don't lose your focus, though, which should always be books.

4. Write book reviews for the church bulletin. Members might not be aware of all that's offered in the church library; giving them a taste of what's available will lure more people into the library. Similarly, write advertisements for the church bulletin that promote the library as an attractive and interesting place. Just be sure that the library is welcoming when members get there.

5. Subscribe to magazines that cater to specific interests. Stay-at-home moms, for example, can use some tips for raising their children from a parenting magazine, or the men's study group can use anecdotes from a men's magazine at their next meeting.

6. Give away pamphlets in the library. Members might not always have time or an interest in sitting down with a book, but a short discourse on discussing death with children, for instance, can summarize all the relevant information.

References

• Christianity Today: Church Library Makeover

Resources

• National Church Library Association: Church Libraries