Word (bookstore)
Encyclopedia
The Word bookstore is a chain of nineteen Christian
bookstores in Australia
, plus telephone, internet and mail order
. Word is the second-largest Australian Christian book seller after Koorong
.
Word Australia is the wholesale distribution arm of Word, meaning that a number of Word's smaller competitors are re-sellers of Word merchandise.
Christian ministry showing films and preaching the gospel. In the 1950s it expanded to distributing music, and established the Word retail chain in the 1970s. In July 2004, Word bought the seven Keswick bookshops in Victoria (giving it 14 shops in total). In 2004 and 2005 new stores were opened in Adelaide (SA) and Alderley (Queensland). In 2007, Word took over the Bible Society Bookshop in Lilydale, Vic, and opened a store at Sunshine in Melbourne’s western suburbs. As Word had historically been largely Victorian-based, an attempt was made to increase its Sydney presence in 2006 by opening a shop in Angel Place in the Sydney CBD. However, that shop has since closed and another Sydney shop has opened in West Pennant Hills, strategically close to the large Pentecostal church, Hillsong. There are currently 19 Word bookshops.
Word is viewed amongst Evangelical circles as somewhat Pentecostal in leaning. Word has stated that its bookstores across Australia carry the same product lines, but adapt that product range locally. For example, the Sydney stores carry a wider range of evangelical
, reformed titles from Matthias Media
and Aquila press, as these were seen by Word as being popular in Sydney. It has been asserted that most of the titles found at Word (and Koorong
) nowadays are by American authors.
From 1 July 2006, the retail and distribution businesses were sold to a new company named Word Bookstores Pty Ltd owned by Craig and Stuart Moulton (grandchildren of the founder), structured as a hybrid trust. The original GFM continues as a non-profit organisation promoting the Christian faith.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
bookstores in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, plus telephone, internet and mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
. Word is the second-largest Australian Christian book seller after Koorong
Koorong
Koorong is a Christian bookstore chain operating across Australia. It is one of the two largest retailers of Christian books and media in Australia, along with Word book store chain.-History:...
.
Word Australia is the wholesale distribution arm of Word, meaning that a number of Word's smaller competitors are re-sellers of Word merchandise.
History
The Gospel Film Ministry Ltd was founded in the 1940s by Raymond Moulton as a family-run not-for-profit evangelisticEvangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Christian ministry showing films and preaching the gospel. In the 1950s it expanded to distributing music, and established the Word retail chain in the 1970s. In July 2004, Word bought the seven Keswick bookshops in Victoria (giving it 14 shops in total). In 2004 and 2005 new stores were opened in Adelaide (SA) and Alderley (Queensland). In 2007, Word took over the Bible Society Bookshop in Lilydale, Vic, and opened a store at Sunshine in Melbourne’s western suburbs. As Word had historically been largely Victorian-based, an attempt was made to increase its Sydney presence in 2006 by opening a shop in Angel Place in the Sydney CBD. However, that shop has since closed and another Sydney shop has opened in West Pennant Hills, strategically close to the large Pentecostal church, Hillsong. There are currently 19 Word bookshops.
Word is viewed amongst Evangelical circles as somewhat Pentecostal in leaning. Word has stated that its bookstores across Australia carry the same product lines, but adapt that product range locally. For example, the Sydney stores carry a wider range of evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
, reformed titles from Matthias Media
Matthias Media
Matthias Media is an award winning Australian evangelical Christian publisher. The business grew out of the ministry of Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne at St Matthias, Centennial Park, Sydney under the name St Matthias Press and Tapes. Many resources now published by Matthias Media were developed as...
and Aquila press, as these were seen by Word as being popular in Sydney. It has been asserted that most of the titles found at Word (and Koorong
Koorong
Koorong is a Christian bookstore chain operating across Australia. It is one of the two largest retailers of Christian books and media in Australia, along with Word book store chain.-History:...
) nowadays are by American authors.
From 1 July 2006, the retail and distribution businesses were sold to a new company named Word Bookstores Pty Ltd owned by Craig and Stuart Moulton (grandchildren of the founder), structured as a hybrid trust. The original GFM continues as a non-profit organisation promoting the Christian faith.