Since I wrote you last, we’ve made a big decision as a ministry. We’ve decided that we will give our books and other materials away gratis. Below is an explanation we have posted online. I hope you will not only read it, but will also order those items you wish to read and to use strategically for the expanse and maturing of Christ’s kingdom. In this way, we share in your lives and ministry to others, and you in ours. Together we can look to the Lord to make this happen.
We Are Giving Our CCW Books Away Free. Why?
We have, with joy, given tens of thousands of our books and ministry tools away over the years. In the beginning of our ministry we gave everything away, but we were mostly sending out pamphlets and booklets. As we began to publish more books, and were upgrading to better quality printing and binding, we decided that we needed to work with a price structure that would allow booksellers to sell our books also, in order to help us disseminate our works even further. So, for years we’ve been offering low prices on this basis, and the Lord has blessed that endeavor. In the midst of this, we’ve been giving books away also, but not in our online presentation. Recently we have come to believe it is time to offer our books without charge again. You will cover only the USPS shipping for your order. Our Amazon platform will need to remain as is, however, and our pricing for booksellers will also remain the same. Books will be free of charge also for international orders, but all orders outside of the USA will need to be made through info@ccwtoday.org rather than the shopping cart.
We prefer giving our books. For one thing, we don’t like the feel of appearing to some to be a bookseller rather than a ministry. We are especially aware that we have freely received the gospel and therefore wish to freely give it. Also, we have learned not to fear that God will somehow fail to supply us with what we need to continue publishing. Since all our personal and ministry expenses at CCW are supplied by the Lord without our solicitation, we wish to provide our publications similarly. The funding for printing and distributing books and other written materials does not have to come directly from book sales, but from God however he may move the hearts of people when he is ready.
All we ask from the reader is that you help us not to waste the resources God has given us for publishing. Please order only if you purpose to read or to strategically use. In addition, we would love to hear how you plan to use our books when you write for them. If clarification is needed on any order, we may email you concerning your order to help us know we are not wasteful but strategic as we partner with you.
Yes, it costs plenty to publish books considering the writing, editing, layout, printing, storing, handling, shipping, communications, and promotion. It’s a challenging aspect of our ministry in many ways. But God is bigger than our needs and we will gladly share what we have been given by him with you, an eager reader or careful user of God’s resources. We ask that you ask for only what is actually needed at the time. You can freely ask again for more as needed.
Please pray for strategic use of these books as valuable guides for believers, Christian leaders, and churches, and as a means of revealing Christ to unbelievers.
Find our books here.
Our hearts are in this step of faith. We believe that God will be honored and we will have tremendous joy in trusting him more. He has not failed us in 35 years of ministry and we have no reason whatsoever to think he will begin now. We are particularly excited about the idea of sharing in the ministry of others as true partners by providing what we can to help strengthen and facilitate mentoring, Bible teaching, evangelism, church renewal, and leadership growth. Think about that! It’s about as good as it gets in a ministry. We consider it such an amazing privilege to do so.
While you are praying for us, add to your prayers the full supply of wisdom and expertise we must have from God to complete and make available the next two smaller books we are working on. I’m near completion of the writing and editing stage of The Lord’s Supper Is a Meal, and Steve Burchett is at about the same place with Wycliffe: A Bible Man in England When There Was No English Bible. Sincerely, your prayers are needed.
On a personal note, our son Bryan and his wife Joey, in L. A., had their fourth child in January, named Ama. She’s another beautiful addition to their growing family. My oldest, Benjamin, and his wife Bekah, who live here in KC are due RIGHT NOW for their first, a girl (prayers needed!); and my daughter Laura and her husband Marco, now ministering in South Africa, are set to have their baby boy in the first days of May. Pam and I are planning to be there and to add ministry in some churches alongside the big celebration. This will be her second child. How good is this!!
Kole and Rachel have made some important increments of progress in her physical struggles, and we are very hopeful of more in the days ahead. The battle is not at all over, and is still tedious, so please keep on praying. Spring is coming, and we are praying for a spring like change in Rachel. Steve Burchett and Patty are doing well, having just returned from a Bible Intensive in north Arkansas, and are at work today laying some new flooring in their house after knocking out a wall. Luke, their son, along with a friend provide the back killing labor; Steve runs back and forth to Home Depot!
Steve’s new book, Released: Inspiration from the First Local Church Venture into Worldwide Missions, the second in our Bristol Series, is speeding out the door to several as we speak. Some are ordering multiple copies for study in groups since our Bristol books are also especially designed for pushing the participants back into the Scriptures. Steve’s book covers in-depth Acts 13-14, the first missionary journey launched from Antioch. The same is true of Bryan Elliff’s Surplus: Fearless Generosity in 2 Corinthians 8-9, which is our first in this series. Study questions are included. Several of our books can be used for study together, with questions provided in the book or online at our ccwtoday.org site.
I hope you can feel our eagerness for carrying out God’s will in the days ahead. Thanks so much for your encouragement and prayers. We need that.