Talent Market

Definition

A talent market is a children's event held chiefly in Sunday schools. Over the course of a year or another set period, children receive and collect paper currency or coupons called "talents." On a designated day they spend them at a market on items such as snacks, school supplies, and toys. Depending on the church, the event may also be called a "talent feast" or a "talent festival."

Biblical Background

The talent was a unit of weight and of currency used in the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world. It is commonly described as a large sum, roughly six thousand denarii, a denarius being a laborer's daily wage. The event takes its name from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30. In this parable a master entrusts five talents, two talents, and one talent to his servants, and on his return he settles accounts with them over how they used what they had received. Luke 19:11–27 contains the similar Parable of the Minas.

Under the influence of this parable, the English word talent acquired the meaning "natural ability." In Korean churches as well, the word dallanteu (talent) is widely used to mean an ability or gift entrusted by God. The talent market can be seen as borrowing from the parable the image that faithfulness with what has been entrusted to one brings a reward. It is not clearly known when or where the event first began in Korean churches.

Practice in Korean Churches

Practices vary from church to church, but talents are generally awarded for activities such as the following:

• Attending Sunday worship and arriving on time
• Scripture memorization, including bringing a Bible and memorizing key verses
• Evangelism, such as bringing friends to church
• Participating in Sunday school lessons and in service

The market is often held at the end of the year, around Thanksgiving, or on the last day of Vacation Bible School. Teachers, the women's mission society, or parents prepare the goods and run the stalls. Some churches combine the market with a bazaar whose proceeds go to relief or missions, and some have children give part of their talents as a kind of offering.

The talent market is not an institution of any particular denomination. Local congregations of many denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, conduct it on their own initiative as part of their Sunday school programs. No denominational constitution or general assembly resolution is known to prescribe it.

Assessments of the event are mixed. Supporters hold that it encourages children's attendance and enthusiasm for Bible study and helps them experience the church as a joyful community. Critics are concerned that it may cultivate a habit of engaging in religious activities for the sake of rewards. They also point out that the Parable of the Talents is a passage that teaches responsibility as stewards, yet the event connects it with buying and selling goods. For these reasons, some churches have replaced individual rewards with class-wide goals or sharing activities.