Back in April, Reynoldsburg United Methodist enacted the parable of the talents in a creative way. They gave a total of $67,000 in $50 bills to the congregation, for them to invest and return the profits. Like the parable of the talents, the investees were required to put the money to work and return the whole sum to the church - who then would give all the profits to 4 designated charities. Ultimately, the church received $117,000 back - a profit of $50,000!

ChurchMarketingSucks.com shares the whole story.

Here's the best part (from Columbus Dispatch):

So many congregants came up with so many products that the church held a bazaar every Wednesday night.

There, services including financial consulting, golf caddying and calligraphy were up for sale. So were products such as homemade chicken pot pies, hand-knit baby hats and painted birdhouses.

A churchwide yard sale brought in thousands of dollars more, as church members sold clothes, toys and housewares, said Dave Stoffel, who organized it.

For Stoffel, who has belonged to the church for 12 years, the fun and rewarding part of the pastor's challenge was watching people dream up ways to raise money and learning the congregation's talents.

The best part is that it brought the congregation together and everyone got to use their gift and learn each others' gifts! Hundreds of people who usually sit docile in the pew were challenged to go out and do something and they worked together as a body, probably purchasing each others' wares, using each others' services, creating community in the body. And the church goers felt like they were truly a part of the larger group, doing something tangible together.

This idea so beautifully embodies the "TOGETHER" concept of this year's Catalyst Conference.

Could this work at your church? What other projects/ideas get the body working together like this?