Dining

When Riverside's Grove Community Church opened a restaurant and bookstore in 2003, it envisioned them as a way to attract new worshippers, connect to the surrounding neighborhood and strengthen the sense of community among members.

But in 2007, the economy began to tank. Business fell. In September, facing mounting financial losses, The Grove reluctantly closed the two outlets.

The closings illustrate how church bookstores and cafes, which in recent years have become an increasingly common part of church ministries -- especially at large evangelical congregations -- can face some of the same financial pressures as for-profit businesses during a down economy.

"People's discretionary spending is affected even when they're at church," said Rodney Couch, whose company manages several church and non-church cafes in the Inland area and did pre-opening consulting for The Grove's café.

Sales are down at the bookstore of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino, and they have fallen slightly at Riverside's Harvest Christian Fellowship.

But neither is in danger of closing. And business is either stable or slightly up at some other Inland church bookstores.

The key is often how dependent a shop is on customers who are not church members, said George Thomsen, chairman of the board of the Colorado Springs-based CBA, formerly known as the Christian Booksellers Association, and manager of Harvest's store.

Most church bookstores are attached to or very near the worship center, he said. That gives them a built-in customer base, especially on Sundays, when worshippers leaving services may be looking for reading that supplements sermons and Bible readings.

The Grove's store was about a half-mile from the worship center, to be more visible on busy Trautwein Road to passersby, but that made it less convenient for people leaving services, Thomsen said. At 5,000 square feet, the shop was larger than most church bookstores.

"The Grove was dependent on the community embracing the store and they put a lot of effort into doing that," Thomsen said. "They were doing well until the economy hit."

Like The Grove, freestanding Christian bookstores have faced drops in business, because of the economy and Internet sales, Thomsen said.

re-evaluating plans

The Grove's store and restaurant opened in December 2003, nearly three years before its new worship center opened down the street. It was a way of introducing the church to the community and becoming a positive presence there, said the Rev. Bob Ellis, executive pastor at The Grove.

About half of the store and restaurant's business was from non-church members, he said. Business was good at both the bookstore and restaurant until the recession caused sales to drop by about 50 percent.

Ellis said there are no plans to reopen the large restaurant and bookstore -- the church inaugurated a small café and bookshop next to the sanctuary before the closures -- in part because the church has concluded that the time, money and effort necessary to reopen and then operate the businesses is better spent elsewhere, he said.

The recession is also delaying churches' plans to open new venues. Rancho Community Church in Temecula had planned to break ground in late 2008 for a café targeted at younger members. But with fundraising more difficult, the church opted to instead use its money on homeless and homelessness-prevention services, said the Rev. Scott Treadway, lead pastor at the church. The café will be built when the economy improves.

Many church bookstores and cafes either break even or need subsidies, Thomsen said.

Harvest makes money on its bookstore and funnels it into evangelism. The café receives a small subsidy. The venue helps build community among Harvest members and spurs them to chat about faith-related matters, said the Rev. John Collins, an administrative pastor at Harvest.

"It creates an environment for people to sit down and have genuine conversation and relationships, in a setting that is comfortable," he said.

"Having food encourages people to hang around a little bit, not just come in and go home."

Reach David Olson at 951-368-9462 or dolson@PE.com