Recommend Books for a new church plant library.

[MaxPC]

I agree. Books that provide Christian teaching on marriage, family life, and the Beatitudes would certainly be a start for those who run to Jesus and have only been exposed to the corruption of secular culture. The John Coblentz books suggested by Ernie are very good.

Personally, I would add that keeping an inventory of less expensive Bibles to give away is helpful. So very many do not own one nor were raised in a home with one. Many more cannot afford the $40+ editions. Perhaps Neto can point you toward a source for gift Bibles?

I applaud your efforts to leaven our culture with the Gospel and to teach others about God. We shall pray for your success.

I don't know of such a source, but I will tell you what a man in our congregation decided, one who is active in both prison ministry and in local jail services as well - that giving a good quality Bible goes a long way to demonstrate the value the giver is placing on the recipient (creating self-worh, knowing that someone has confidence in them as being a worthy recipient), and it also creates a sense of the value of the Scripture as well. So the local Christian book store gives a quantity discount, and our congregation's ministries board picks up the remaining costs.

Spot on; excellent point. Interestingly, I have several books and Bibles with the vinyl covers that have been more durable than my books with split leather. The vinyl seems to be an improvement in price as well.

[Neto]

I agree. Books that provide Christian teaching on marriage, family life, and the Beatitudes would certainly be a start for those who run to Jesus and have only been exposed to the corruption of secular culture. The John Coblentz books suggested by Ernie are very good.

Personally, I would add that keeping an inventory of less expensive Bibles to give away is helpful. So very many do not own one nor were raised in a home with one. Many more cannot afford the $40+ editions. Perhaps Neto can point you toward a source for gift Bibles?

I applaud your efforts to leaven our culture with the Gospel and to teach others about God. We shall pray for your success.

I don't know of such a source, but I will tell you what a man in our congregation decided, one who is active in both prison ministry and in local jail services as well - that giving a good quality Bible goes a long way to demonstrate the value the giver is placing on the recipient (creating self-worth, knowing that someone has confidence in them as being a worthy recipient), and it also creates a sense of the value of the Scripture as well. So the local Christian book store gives a quantity discount, and our congregation's ministries board picks up the remaining costs.

Spot on; excellent point. Interestingly, I have several books and Bibles with the vinyl covers that have been more durable than my books with split leather. The vinyl seems to be an improvement in price as well.

The main differences between what he was initially encouraged to use (VERY economical) and the nicer ones was the paper and printing quality. The paper used in the cheap ones was just a step better than that used in a cheap paper-back novel. I had a Good News for Modern Man New Testament (paper back) of that quality that I carried to all of my classes in HS. (I was already a sort of Jesus Freak then....) I don't remember if the ones he's been giving out are leather covers. I should also say that he doesn't just hand them out willy-nilly - the men have to sort of show that they will use it. That also creates a value in it - that it takes effort to get one.

[You may notice that I corrected my typing error in my previous post - didn't catch it before posting....]

[MaxPC]

The main differences between what he was initially encouraged to use (VERY economical) and the nicer ones was the paper and printing quality. The paper used in the cheap ones was just a step better than that used in a cheap paper-back novel. I had a Good News for Modern Man New Testament (paper back) of that quality that I carried to all of my classes in HS. (I was already a sort of Jesus Freak then....) I don't remember if the ones he's been giving out are leather covers. I should also say that he doesn't just hand them out willy-nilly - the men have to sort of show that they will use it. That also creates a value in it - that it takes effort to get one.

[You may notice that I corrected my typing error in my previous post - didn't catch it before posting....]

I did not really see the typo, no worries. My eyesight is not that sharp anymore.

Your knowledge of book quality is helpful. You are spot on about paper quality. I have had Bibles with onion skin pages that wrinkle and tear with very little usage. The thin pages were also difficult to read because of the printing bleed from the opposite side of the page. The best Bible I have has textbook quality pages with sewn binding and the vinyl cover. The print is clear and easy to read. Its cost is in excess of $60 and that can be prohibitive if buying in quantity. Perhaps your knowledge of good quality and less expensive costs can help refine the search.