28/04/2026
Update on the Faith Mission consultation
A renewed vision for Faith Mission Bookshops across Northern Ireland and Scotland
27 April 2026
In February, we shared that we were entering a formal consultation with our bookshop staff about the future of our 10 remaining shops across Scotland and Northern Ireland. We asked for your prayers, and many of you responded - thank you.
That consultation has now concluded. We are grateful for the valuable input from our bookshop staff throughout the process - as well as suppliers and others - which has helped to shape our next steps. Following a recent Board meeting, the Trustees have approved a renewed plan for our bookshops
Our Trustees have approved a model that places our shops on a sustainable footing and equips them for the next chapter of ministry. For nearly 140 years, The Faith Mission has been committed to sharing the unchanging message of the gospel across the UK and Ireland. Our bookshops have long been part of that ministry as places where people discover the gospel, explore their faith, and are pointed to Jesus.
A Ministry Worth Collaborating With
Faith Mission Bookshops are more than Christian retailers. On high streets where many would never walk into a church, our shops are places where people come enter in with life’s deeper questions. Our staff pray with them, open Scripture with them, and on many occasions have pointed them to Jesus. Many are then connected to a local church where their faith can grow.
This important ministry can continue and grow if churches and communities choose to collaborate with us. We are appointing a dedicated church worker to build those relationships, and we warmly invite churches to partner with us: to source resources through their local shop, to visit and meet our staff, and to consider how their congregations might support this work through prayer, retail sales, and volunteering.
If you are passionate about seeing gospel ministry continue on your high street through one of our remaining book shops, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at [email protected] to find out more.
What Is Changing
● Our Edinburgh shop and café will function under a different operator whose vision and values align with ours. This is an ongoing discussion.
● Our Dunfermline shop will be repurposed into a ministry hub, reaching out with the gospel into the town and run by a separate Christian charity.
● Our Portadown shop and café will transition to a sustainable model of a bookshop with a smaller self-service catering offering.
● A web shop will launch as a dedicated channel and part of the renewed operation.
● A review of central costs is underway to streamline overheads.
These decisions affect valued colleagues, and we are prioritizing our support for them, as well as every member of staff, through this period of change.
Our remaining shops across Northern Ireland will continue, strengthened by a new web shop, a coordinated marketing approach, and a rebrand that reflects our renewed sense of purpose.
Mervyn Tomb
General Director, The Faith Mission
