Trusted Books
Shared for Discipleship
Agathos Books helps your church share good physical books through trusted relationships, turning books people already own into a shared discipleship resource. Start as small as one group of people and one shelf of books.
See how good books start moving
Agathos Books turns the bookshelves of your church community into one shared library.
A Shared Resource for Your Church
Agathos Books is a Christian platform for sharing physical books within your congregation. Members add books from their own shelves at home, so trusted books already in the church become easier to discover, borrow, recommend, and discuss. Your catalog can grow many times over without growing your budget — and good books can keep serving the body.
Your Congregation Already Owns Great Books
Most library tools assume the church owns every book on the shelf. Agathos Books lets members share their personal books straight from home—a pastor's study, a deacon's theology collection, a member's parenting library. Nothing to donate or box up. Their books stay put until someone asks to borrow one.
- Members scan and share books from their own shelves
- A member’s book lends only when its owner says yes
- You choose which books appear in the catalog
- Church-owned books on the open shelf can be borrowed right away
Start With One Shelf
You don’t need hundreds of books or a church-wide launch. Start with one trusted group and a few good books, learn what people use, then open it to more of the church.
Your staff or elders
Test how it works with leaders who already pass books to each other.
One small group or class
A group with real relationships and shared interests borrows and lends first.
A sermon-series shelf
Gather the books that go deeper on what you’re preaching, and let people borrow them.
A ministry collection
Men’s, women’s, youth, or new-member books, led by the ministry leader who cares most.
Ready for the whole church? Launch church-wide from day one—the small start is there for churches that want to test the idea first.
How Agathos Books Works
Set up your church library once. After that, members borrow, read, and return on their own—the reminders and tracking run in the background.
Create your church library
For the organizer — a few minutes, just once.
- 1
Create your church library
A quick setup wizard walks you through it. Most libraries are ready in minutes.
- 2
Add your books
Point your phone camera at a barcode—title, author, and cover fill in automatically. Members add books from their own shelves, too.
- 3
Invite your congregation
Share a link, or put the QR code on a slide or bulletin. Pick how people join: they ask and you approve, or they join instantly.
Borrow, read, return
For members — what borrowing a book looks like.
- 1
Ask
Tap Borrow on any book to ask for it.
- 2
Approved
Instant for library books on the open shelf. For a member’s book, the owner says yes—their book, their call.
- 3
Pick it up
From the library’s shelf, from the owner in person, or at a pickup spot.
- 4
Read & return
Gentle reminders before the due date, easy renewals, and the book goes back to its owner.
The logistics are handled for you—so your congregation can spend its time on discipleship, not paperwork.
Help Good Books Serve the Body
Practical ways to put trusted books in the right hands
Books for a Sermon Series
Gather the books that go deeper on what you’re preaching into a collection, and feature the ones you want people to notice.
A Shelf for Every Ministry
New church libraries start with collections for Small Group Resources, New Member Resources, Men’s and Women’s Ministry, Youth, and Outreach. Rename them or add your own.
Read Together
Start a reading plan or challenge for a class, a small group, or the whole church, and celebrate finished books together.
Lending Without Chasing
Gentle due-date reminders, one-tap renewals, and waitlists run on their own, so no one has to track down a book.
Share the Work
Start with one admin. Growth adds up to 3 admin seats, and Plus and Pro are unlimited, so staff and volunteers can serve together.
Books You Can Trust
Every book meets our platform standard, and your church decides what fits its own shelf.
Reading Is Social
Share what you're reading. Find your next book through trusted voices in your congregation.
Find Your Next Great Read
Discover books through trusted voices in your church. Featured picks and reading milestones help the next conversation start.
See Who Recommends This Book
Every book shows who in your church recommends it and who's reading it now—great for small groups and discipleship conversations.
Start Conversations
"What are you reading?" opens doors to mentorship, fellowship, and shared growth around good books.
Sharing Is Your Choice
A single switch shows a member’s profile and reading activity to the congregation, or keeps it private—anytime.
John is reading
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
Sarah finished
The Holiness of God
Mike recommends
Mere Christianity
Sarah Mitchell
23 books read this year
Making All Things New
David Powlison
Books You Can Trust
Every book on Agathos Books passes two gates before anyone borrows it.
Gate 1 · Our standard
Good books that point to truth
- Sound
- Faithful to Scripture. Does not promote sin or contradict core biblical doctrine, and is not contrary to God's design and purpose.
- Pure
- Content that is edifying. Does not promote, glorify, or normalize sin. Protects communities from content that would lead readers away from the way of life presented in God's word.
- True
- Reflects reality honestly. A business book teaching integrity reflects God's design. Classic literature exploring the human condition can illuminate our need for redemption.
- Beneficial
- Equips readers with wisdom for godly living. Books that shape minds, change hearts, and build communities—whether through theology, fiction, history, or practical skills.
Gate 2 · Your library
You decide what fits your church
- Choose whether the books members add need a library leader’s approval before they appear in your catalog.
- Trust specific members, authors, or publishers so their books skip the queue (Growth plan and up).
- Good books across many genres: theology, fiction, history, biography, parenting, and practical skills. Not merely the genre, but its alignment with truth.
This is not a general book platform, by design. We hold to the truths in the Bible because we love people as God loves people—pointing them to truth and protecting them from error.
Questions Pastors Ask
Honest answers for pastors and church leaders
Is this an ebook app?
No. Agathos Books is for physical books. The app helps people find, borrow, and share real books within your church, and the books themselves pass hand to hand.
Is this another program for us to run?
It isn’t meant to be. The app is the support layer that helps trusted books move through the relationships your church already has. Reminders, renewals, and waitlists run on their own, so volunteers don’t need training or a checkout desk.
Can we start small?
Yes, and it’s the recommended first step if you want to lower the risk. Start with your staff, one small group, or a shelf for a sermon series and a few trusted books. Learn what people use, then open it to the whole church.
How does this support pastoral ministry?
It gives you a practical way to put trusted books in people’s hands: recommend books, gather collections for a sermon series or ministry, start reading plans, and make the good books already in your church easy to find, borrow, and discuss.
Who decides which books are included?
Two gates. Every book first meets our platform standard (sound, pure, true, and beneficial). Then your church decides what fits: you can approve the books members add, and trust specific members, authors, or publishers to skip the queue on Growth and up. Our curation standards.
Church-owned books or members’ books?
Both. Church-owned books on the open shelf can be borrowed right away. Members can also add books from their own shelves at home; when someone asks to borrow one, the owner decides—their book, their call.
What if a book isn’t returned?
Any lending carries some risk, but Agathos Books is built around trusted relationships, not anonymous borrowing. Reminders go out before and after the due date, and the app keeps a simple track record of how members return books. If someone has a book a week or more overdue or a pattern of late returns, owners see a short heads-up when that person asks to borrow, so they can decide. There's a dispute process, and owners can always decline a request.
How much does it cost?
Free to start, no credit card required, and the Free plan has no time limit: up to 200 books and 30 active members. Growth is $24/month (or $19/month billed yearly) for up to 250 active members. See all plans.
How do we add the books the church already has?
Scan each book's barcode with your phone, and the title, author, and cover fill in automatically. For a large existing collection, contact us about help moving it over.
Who can see what I'm reading?
Your profile and reading activity have a single on/off switch in Settings → Privacy. When it’s on, members of the libraries you’ve joined can see your profile and reading milestones—like starting or finishing a book—while your email and phone number stay private. When it’s off, your profile and activity are hidden from other members (you can hide past activity too). Library admins can still see reading and lending activity within their own library, and teens 13–17 start hidden by default. Learn more in Privacy and your data.
Is there a mobile app?
Yes. Download Agathos Books free on the App Store (iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (Android). You can also use your browser on any device—the same account works everywhere. Learn more about the mobile app.
Ready to Start?
Whether you start with one small group or the whole church, your congregation already owns great books—now make them available to everyone.
Join us in connecting your church to good books that point to Jesus.
Free to start. No credit card required.