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Church Library Ministry Role in Making Disciples

September 16, 2025
Posted By: Brett Boesch | ,

Church libraries aren’t just shelves of books—they’re powerful tools for helping people grow as disciples. From providing solid Christian resources to starting reading groups and offering welcoming spaces, a library can support spiritual growth in ways other ministries can’t. In a world where Christian bookstores are disappearing and good resources are harder to find, church libraries give believers and seekers alike a place to learn, connect, and deepen their faith.

Arthur Flake’s reasons for including Sunday School libraries which soon became church libraries to the duties of the new Sunday School Administration Department at The Sunday School Board in 1927.

  1. Almost every institution of his day had its own library which were called Special Libraries.
  1. A means of introducing people who dislike books to books they will learn to love.
  1. Reading guidance assures readers that the books on the shelves are the best books to read and prevents them from reading harmful matters.
  1. The power of the printed page in church libraries is set primarily to the tasks of winning the lost and building Christlike character as well as enlisting and training people to serve Christ.
  1. In Flake’s time, 74 percent of the rural areas were without library services and the public libraries in the cities did not include books that Christians wanted to read.
  1. Teachers, officers, and learners in all ministries need books and magazines for preparation in their regular duties.
  1. A church library in a Baptist church brings distinctively Christian and Baptist heritage and doctrine directly to the members.1

Rationale for Today Including Church Library Ministry in a Church’s Disciple Making Strategy 

  1. Pew Research shows print books continue to be preferred over ebooks.2
  1. Public libraries are gradually removing faith-based items.
  1. Christian bookstores are closing or never existed in many communities.
  1. Where do followers of Christ go to find reading recommendations today?

Church Libraries’ Current Roles in a Church’s Disciple Making Strategy

  1. Offers a collection of fiction and nonfiction disciple making books and DVDs that align with the church’s vision, mission, and core values.
  1. Offers a team who helps people select what to read and listen to such as a reading list of books every Christ-follower needs to read.
  1. Offers reading groups where people share their spiritual experiences as they read fiction and nonfiction books.
  1. Offers “kits” for new believers that include leaflets, books, DVDs written for new believers including children, youth, and adults.
  1. Offers books that are today’s parables (Christian Fiction) that bring Christ’s teachings to life in the context people live today.
  1. Measures success by the numbers of growing disciples of Christ who use the collection instead of the number of books on the shelves.
  1. Offers a bridge between the church and the surrounding community by inviting people to use the church’s library during the week.
  1. For churches that have a room for the library, they offer a gathering place for people to build relationships and study the Bible together.
  1. Offers a disciple making connection with people who cannot participate in groups due to work schedules and family caregiving responsibilities.

Conclusion: Making disciples one book at a time.

A church library may seem simple, but it can have a big impact. By offering trustworthy resources, sparking conversations, and creating a space where people can explore faith at their own pace, the library becomes more than just a room with books—it becomes a partner in making disciples. As churches look for fresh ways to guide people toward Jesus, the library stands ready to serve as a powerful tool for growth.

  1. Althoff , Leona Lavender. The Church Library Manual (The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1937) 13-18. ↩︎
  2. Faverio, Michelle and Andrew Perrin. “Three-in-ten Americans now read e-books,” Pew Internet, January 6, 2022, accessed October 7, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/01/06/three-in-ten-americans-now-read-e-books/. ↩︎
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