What Cokesbury does

Cokesbury is a privately held Christian bookstore and church supplies retailer operating as a retail brand within The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) conglomerate. Founded in 1789 and headquartered at 810 12th Ave South in Nashville, Tennessee, the company is one of the oldest continuously operating Christian booksellers in the United States. It serves Methodist churches, pastors, church education leaders, church operations staff, and individual Christians across North America with a catalog spanning Christian books, Bibles in multiple translations, Sunday school and multi-generational curriculum, Bible studies, and a broad assortment of church supplies (altarware, candles, vestments, paraments, communion supplies, offering envelopes, banners, clergy robes, and furnishings). The company employs 101-250 people and operates without any disclosed outside equity, debt, or public listing.

The product and technology architecture is a single nopCommerce-powered e-commerce storefront at cokesbury.com, augmented by phone-based inside sales and event-driven community engagement (VBS workshops, Annual Conferences, Kid-Min Conference). Beyond physical goods, Cokesbury distributes ebooks, operates the Amplify Media streaming video service for churches, and offers Ministry Matters as a subscription content service for church leaders. AutoShip subscriptions—covering curriculum, bulletins, calendars/planners, candles, communion supplies, and offering supplies—convert episodic purchases into scheduled recurring orders. The flagship annual publication cadence centers on the Abingdon Guidebook for Worship and Preaching (Call & Response Year A and Year B) and the Precepts for Living church calendar, distributed across regular print, large print, and pastors' editions. The company's most strategically significant supply relationship is with Abingdon Press, the publishing arm of The United Methodist Church, which provides access to over 3,300 official UM titles.

The revenue model combines transactional one-time sales (unit-priced typically $5-$50 per item), recurring subscriptions (Ministry Matters, Amplify Media, AutoShip), and church-specific financial accommodations including tax-exempt accounts, interest-free charge accounts, and payment plans. Go-to-market blends product-led self-serve e-commerce, inside sales via phone, community-led engagement through Methodist and ecumenical networks, and content marketing through Issuu-hosted digital ecatalogs and social channels. Marketing and distribution channels include the proprietary storefront, phone ordering, Cokesbury Connect Partners for third-party fulfillment, a dedicated custom offering envelopes sub-site (cokesburyenvelopes.com), and active presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Mastodon.

Name

Cokesbury

Legal name

Cokesbury

Website

https://cokesbury.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1789

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cokesbury is a Nashville-based Christian bookstore and church supplies retailer founded in 1789, operating as the retail brand of The United Methodist Publishing House and serving Methodist churches, pastors, and individual Christians with books, Bibles, curriculum, and worship supplies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Bookstore and Church Supplies

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious & Specialty Publishing Distribution (CRAOALAD)

Keywords

• Christian bookstore retail
• Bible translations catalog
• Church supplies wholesale
• Sunday school curriculum
• Methodist publishing resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct online sales of Christian books, Bibles, church supplies, curriculum, and studies through cokesbury.com. Products are sold individually at various price points.
2. Subscription Services: Ministry Matters subscription service providing leaders with articles, blogs, book reviews, and weekly worship and preaching resources. Amplify Media streaming service for churches.
3. Automatic Shipments / Recurring Orders: Curriculum automatic shipments, bulletin subscriptions, supply subscriptions, and calendar/planner subscriptions providing recurring revenue through scheduled deliveries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cokesbury is a Christian bookstore and church supply retailer that sells Bibles, Christian books, Bible studies, Sunday school curriculum, and church supplies (communion, candles, paraments, bulletins, vestments) through cokesbury.com. It also offers subscription services (Ministry Matters content for church leaders and Amplify Media streaming) and recurring automatic shipment programs for bulletins, curriculum, candles, offering envelopes, and calendars.

Product overview

Cokesbury operates as a Christian bookstore and Bible store offering a comprehensive portfolio of religious resources and church supplies. The platform is structured as a multi-category e-commerce operation combining physical products (books, Bibles, church supplies) with digital offerings (ebooks, streaming video). The core product portfolio centers on Christian Books and Bibles, complemented by Curriculum and Studies programs for faith formation and Sunday school. Church Supplies represent a significant category covering worship essentials. The company also offers subscription services including Ministry Matters (content subscription) and Amplify Media (streaming video). Key annual publications include the Call & Response worship planning guidebook series and Precepts for Living church calendar, both published annually with companion digital formats. The product architecture functions as a unified e-commerce platform with multiple product categories rather than a modular platform-plus-modules design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Amplify Media: A streaming service allowing churches to pursue their mission with greater impact.
• Ministry Matters

Products and services

• Christian Books Curated retail category of Christian books covering faith formation, discipleship, preaching, sermon preparation, worship, leadership, theology, social issues, and relationships from authors such as Max Lucado, Adam Hamilton, and Amy-Jill Levine. Sold to individuals and church leaders.
• Bibles Retail Bibles in numerous translations including New Revised Standard Version, Common English Bible, New International Version, English Standard Version, King James Version, New King James Version, and New Living Translation, plus Bible reference books and commentaries.
• Curriculum Online and print Bible studies and Sunday school curriculum for small groups, individuals, churchwide, multigenerational, children, youth, women, and men. Includes seasonal studies, Disciple Bible Studies, and Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs.
• Bible Studies Bible-based studies covering Christian experience including belief and spiritual growth, prayer, devotion, social issues, Christian community, family and relationships, leadership, Lent and Easter studies, Advent and Christmas studies, and United Methodist and Wesleyan studies.
• Church Supplies Essential church supplies including crosses, bulletins, stationery, certificates, planners, calendars, candles, offering supplies, paraments, banners, stoles, robes, choir robes, communion supplies, baptism supplies, funeral supplies, wedding supplies, confirmation supplies, and church furnishings.
• eBooks Digital ebook versions of Christian books, Bible study guides, devotional materials, and worship planning guides available for purchase and download.
• Amplify Media Streaming Service Streaming video subscription service allowing churches to discover, customize, and share diverse multimedia worship and ministry resources.
• Ministry Matters Subscription Subscription service providing church leaders with articles, blogs, book reviews, and weekly worship and preaching resources.
• Word Alive! Bulletins and Stationery Church bulletins, stationery, and certificates for worship services, available via the Word Alive! bulletins catalog with an automatic shipment subscription option.
• Custom Offering Envelopes Custom offering envelopes for churches, ordered through the dedicated cokesburyenvelopes.com storefront.
• Call & Response Year B (Abingdon Guidebook for Worship and Preaching) Annual lectionary-based sermon and worship planning guidebook for the Christian Year B, published by Abingdon Press, providing liturgical resources for pastors and worship leaders.
• Call & Response Year A (Abingdon Guidebook for Worship and Preaching) Annual lectionary-based sermon and worship planning guidebook for the Christian Year A 2025-2026 by R. DeAndre Johnson, available in paperback and eBook formats.
• Precepts for Living Pastors Edition 2026-2027 Pastors edition of the annual Precepts for Living church calendar and devotional resource published by Urban Ministries Inc., available for pre-order with an 8/15/2026 release date.
• Precepts for Living Large Print 2026-2027 Large print edition of the annual Precepts for Living church calendar and devotional resource published by Urban Ministries Inc., available for pre-order with an 8/15/2026 release date.
• Precepts for Living Regular Print 2026-2027 Regular print edition of the annual Precepts for Living church calendar and devotional resource published by Urban Ministries Inc., available for pre-order with an 8/15/2026 release date.

Quantifiable outcome

• 235+ years of continuous operation

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• United Methodist Publishing HousecoreOthersCokesbury is part of the United Methodist Publishing House family of brands. The company is the retail arm providing Christian resources, books, Bibles, and church supplies for Methodist churches and the broader ecumenical community.
• Amplify MediasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmplify Media is a multimedia streaming platform mentioned alongside Cokesbury. It enables churches to discover, customize, and share diverse resources for pursuing their mission with greater impact. Cokesbury promotes Amplify Media as part of its ecosystem of ministry resources.
• Ministry MatterssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMinistry Matters is a subscription service for church leaders featuring articles, blogs, book reviews, and weekly worship and preaching resources. Cokesbury promotes this service to its customer base as part of its ministry support ecosystem.
• Abingdon PresscoreTechnology or IntegrationAbingdon Press is the publishing arm of The United Methodist Church and a primary publisher for Cokesbury. The relationship provides Cokesbury with exclusive access to official United Methodist publications, polity materials, worship resources, and curriculum. Cokesbury lists over 3,300 Abingdon Press products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Christianbook.com: The largest online Christian retailer in the U.S., selling books, Bibles, curriculum, and church supplies directly to churches and individuals. Most direct head-to-head competitor to Cokesbury across the core product portfolio.
• Lifeway Christian Resources: Retail arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, offering books, Bibles, curriculum, and church supplies to Baptist churches. Closest denominational parallel to Cokesbury's UMPH-affiliated model, with a similarly vertically integrated publishing-to-retail structure.
• Mardel Christian & Education Stores: Specialty Christian retail chain (owned by David C Cook) selling books, Bibles, curriculum, gifts, and church supplies. Competes with Cokesbury for both individual Christian consumers and church institutional purchases.
• David C Cook: Non-denominational Christian publisher and parent of Mardel that produces curriculum, VBS programs, and church resources. Competes with Cokesbury/Abingdon Press in curriculum and supplies for non-UMC churches.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon: Dominant general e-commerce retailer that competes aggressively on price, selection, and delivery for books, Bibles, and many church supplies. Represents the primary competitive threat to Cokesbury's consumer-facing book and Bible sales.
• Barnes & Noble: Largest U.S. physical bookstore chain, carrying a broad Christian book and Bible assortment. While not denominationally focused, it competes for the same individual consumer book-buying occasions and is exploring similar curriculum partnerships.

Emerging players

• YouVersion (Life Church): Free digital Bible app with hundreds of millions of installs that has reshaped how individuals engage with Bible content. Represents a digital-native substitute for Cokesbury's physical Bible sales, particularly among younger demographics.
• Faithlife (Logos Bible Software): Provides digital Bible study software, sermon prep tools, and church management software. Competes for the same church-leader and pastor customer base that Cokesbury serves through Ministry Matters, curriculum, and study resources.
• Group Publishing: Provider of VBS, children's, and youth ministry curriculum and supplies. Directly competes with Cokesbury's VBS workshop offerings and children's curriculum category, especially in non-UMC churches.

Others

• Abingdon Press: The publishing arm of The United Methodist Publishing House and Cokesbury's primary supplier of over 3,300 products. Listed as OTHERS rather than a peer because it is an internal/parent-affiliated publisher, not an independent external competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cokesbury
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnMiMusVeewWIftXQAl5Xdg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cokesbury
• Instagraminstagram.com/cokesbury
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cokesbury

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cokesbury