Our Story
CBU began in the early 1970’s through the collaboration of two unlikely men at the height of the charismatic movement. With a background in IT, Ivery Haynes founded Christian Books Unlimited to reach people with the gospel by placing Christian books in secular shopping establishments. Meanwhile, a businessman named Jim Jackson was radically changed through a powerful encounter with Jesus at a conference in Montreat, North Carolina. Ivery met Jim and, sensing that he may be open to a mid-life course correction, persuaded him to leave his discount drugstore business and “work for God.”
Under Jim’s leadership, CBU invited several authors of Christian books to its first conference in November, 1974. Held in the historic Anderson Auditorium at Montreat, North Carolina, Bob Mumford, Kathryn Kuhlman, and Jamie Buckingham attracted a standing-room only crowd of over three thousand people. The success of this initial event launched CBU into a conference ministry that has spanned four decades. We continue to focus on equipping God’s people through transformational events, travel, and world missions.