The Better Book Room, a Christian retailer based in Wichita, Kan., closed down last fall after more than 50 years in business. The economy was part of the problem. So was the store's location - a fading downtown neighborhood.

And, said owner Tim Johnson, so was the popularity of Christian books.

"We've got competition we didn't have years ago," he said, citing Barnes & Noble, Borders, Wal-Mart and Target. "Over the past few years, we were selling a lot less of the really popular titles."

Million sellers such as Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" and the "Left Behind" novels by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye have transformed a specialized part of the book business into a billion dollar, highly competitive market.

But wider recognition for Christian books has actually hurt Christian booksellers. Books like "The Purpose Drive Life," which once would have been sold exclusively in Christian stores, are now available at superstore chains, department stores and price clubs such as Sam's, often at much lower cost.

"When you have some books getting so much attention, and available in so many places, the consumer's thinking shifts to, `I don't have to go the specialty store to get this book,'" Bill Anderson, president and CEO of the Christian Booksellers Association, said.

"The problem for Christian booksellers is that best sellers are what we call 'traffic builders.' So it isn't just a matter of losing sales on a few high-profile titles. It's the additional items that don't sell because people aren't coming to the store."

According to Anderson, membership in the CBA peaked at around 3,000 in the early 1990s, but has been falling in recent years, with the economy and consolidation - big stores buying out little stores - also factors. Current membership is 2,370, a drop of 95 from a year ago.

Anderson cited a couple of ways in which the CBA is trying to rebound. In April, it began running ads on the Christian Broadcasting Network. The CBA also has persuaded such publishers as Waterbrook Press and Thomas Nelson to include information in the books on how to find a local Christian store.

And the CBA is looking to increase business with local churches, an area of surprisingly little activity. Anderson noted that years ago Christian stores sold Sunday school materials and other products to churches, but that churches eventually bought directly from wholesale suppliers.