Christ commissioned his Church to “make disciples by teaching and baptizing.” The church is involved in the spiritual growth of every member, both young and old. We offer new member classes, confirmation instruction, Sunday School, and Bible Classes for all ages beginning at age three. The classic term for the spiritual education of the Christian is catechesis. Catechesis is God’s way of teaching to convert sinners to the new life of faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. The purpose of teaching the faith through catechesis can be summarized with these points:

• Faith in Christ is the goal of all catechesis.
• Catechesis is God’s way of teaching the Word of God by which faith is established. God’s way of teaching always involves the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
• Catechesis establishes preaching and teaching the Word of God as the center of congregational life.
• Catechesis passes on the language of our holy faith as God’s gift that is received as a gift, rather than as something that is “force fed” into the catechumen.
• The Christian life of faith is lived from the Word of God that is received and believed.
•  The Christian life of faith has concrete expressions:
  •  in the ongoing reception of God’s gifts in the Divine Service through the hearing of Scripture, the hearing of preaching, and the eating and drinking of the Lord’s body and blood;
  • in the daily prayer of the Christian;
  • in the confession of one’s faith in the world;
  • in the confession of one’s sins to God or a brother;
  • in forgiving the sins of those who have sinned against him;
  • and in living “concretely” by faith in Christ in the vocation to which God has called him.
• God has His own language for learning how to receive God’s gifts in the Divine Service, how to pray, how to confess, and how to live where God has called us.
• The Small Catechism preserves for us the “pattern of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13) so that it functions as both a prayer book and a handbook for the Christian faith and life.
• The chief reason why the catechism is memorized or “learned by heart” is so that it can shape the faith and understanding of the catechumen and be used by him throughout his life as he learns to interpret Scripture, listen to preaching, receive the absolution, pray, confess, and live in his vocation.

Catechesis is, therefore, much more comprehensive and involves the actual doing of things that Christians will continue to do for the rest of their lives: attend Divine Service, listen to preaching, receive the Lord’s Supper, confess their sins, receive absolution, pray, confess their faith, forgive one another, live as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, workers of every kind, etc.

The Catechesis Program

Confirmation Manual of Grace Lutheran Church

Divine Service Report

We use the Lutheran Catechesis Series published by the Concordia Catechetical Academy. This three-year curriculum begins with 32 Old Testament narratives, drawing on their connection to Christ, the Sacraments, and the liturgical life of the Church.  The second year considers the age of the church through the book of acts and the life and ministry of Jesus with an emphasis on the cross and resurrection. The final year is an intensive study of the Catechism, again through the lens of the Biblical narratives.

The path of confirmation at Grace Lutheran Church is a three year catechesis program which should begin no later than fifth grade but which may begin at any earlier age based on the child’s maturity and the parents’ judgment. It is expected that the parents have already taught the chief parts of the Small Catechism to their children. Memorization during the busy academic year for middle school students is challenging both in regards to time and learning style. A great way to teach the catechism is to follow the weekly prayer guide available on the media table in the Narthex or online.

The rationale for our catechesis and confirmation program is simple. It is Bible-based, not only in content, but also in format. It recognizes the Biblical truth that passing down to our children the teachings of Scripture is most properly the parents’ task. The Church’s task is to support the parents. The following Bible passages are most appropriate here:

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21

“We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.” Psalms 78:4-6

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

From these passages it is clear that the religious education and training of each child rests with that child’s parents, particularly the father. The Church stands ready to assist parents in this great task, but would never presume to rob parents of either the responsibility or the joy of teaching their own children.