There are three things that need to be done to set up a healthy book service.
1. Build up a proper service group.
In order for all the saints to get into the proper and ongoing burden for the ministry publication, there must be a group of local saints who will take the lead to help the saints to enter into such burden and practice.
a. Both brothers and sisters can be in such service group. Some leading brothers must also be involved.
b. All those in the group need to be burdened by the same thing—the promotion of ministry publication in the church.
c. The group can start according to Brother Lee’s principle on the formation of the vital groups.
d. The group needs to continue by coming together every week, like any other regular service groups of the church such as children service group, young people service group, etc. They should come together to pray, to find ways to promote the literature among the saints, and to help to provide “direction, encouragement, and incentive” (see point #3 below for suggestions on different ways).
2. Set up a display/library corner.
a. The functions of such a corner is to provide one of the following: 1) a display counter for the saints; 2)a lending library for borrowing; 3)a sales counter for the saints to order or buy books.
b. The Living Stream Ministry has provided a choice of display/library packages. Choose from the list, or come up with your own custom-tailored set, then place the order with the Living Stream.
c. Decide on a spot for the display corner (hall, homes, movable stands, etc).
d. Find suitable furniture (shelves, racks, bookstands, etc.) for the set. You can order from the internet, or purchase from existing retail stores.
e. The primary function of the display is for providing a physical presence of the books. If you want to use it as a library to loan out books, some of the books will be missing from the shelf some of the time. You can also set up two sets, one for display and one for leading. If you are selling some of the books, you can fill out order forms for the saints and leave the books intact, or you can give them the books they want and replenish by reordering them from the Living Stream right away. If you want to keep a stock of more than one copy of a book, you can always order that from the Living Stream.
3. The group will start implementing some specific ways to promote reading and distribution of the publications. Some possible ways are:
a. Initiate some reading schedules among the saints (whole church reading schedule, special one-time reading gatherings, internet reading, weekend retreat reading camp, etc.)
b. Promote borrowing by actively going to the saints one by one, especially the young people, to encourage borrowing.
c. Promote setting up personal libraries at home (for display, personal use, or as a library), or sponsor display racks or bookstands in public places.
d. Initiate mini-conferences or trainings to heighten awareness of reading through outlines, video, audios, or live guest speakers.
e. You may come up with other ways to promote reading, lending, or selling the books.
