The Ministry of Catechesis
What is catechesis?
Catechesis is the ancient Christian practice of teaching the
doctrines of faith to people.[1] Biblical in origin, the Greek root
word κατηχέω (katecheo) means to “teach, instruct”.[2] By the second century, a range of terms
from the same Greek root word came to describe various aspects of teaching and
formation:
· Catechesis – a “catchall”
word for this ministry that refers to the process of teaching, instructing,
growing and grounding God’s people in the Christian faith
· Catechize – a verb
referring to the process of teaching
· Catechism – refers to the
actual document of the questions and answers in which people are catechized
· Catechist – the teacher;
the one who catechizes others
· Catechumen – the learner; the
one being catechized
· Catechumate – the sometimes
formal, sometimes not-so-formal school of the faith that emerged in many
churches to prepare new believers for their baptism and for full participation
in the church’s life
· Catechetical – an adjective with
many possible applications; one use is in regard to the “catechetical schools”
for Christian higher learning established in some cities, such as Alexandria,
in the second and third centuries
· Catechetics – the study of the art
and science of catechesis (as homiletics refers to the study
of preaching, and as liturgics refers to the study of worship)[3]
There are three primary distinctions in the ministry of catechesis.
First, is procatechesis which signifies the ministry of
instructing “seekers” or whom the ancient church might refer to as “inquirers”.[4] Second, is catechesis proper referring
to the formal catechetical work of preparing children or adult converts for
baptism or confirmation for their full inclusion in the life of the church.[5] Third, is ongoing catechesis which
refers to “the ministry of teaching and formation that really is never-ending
as believers are continually nurtured in the way of the Lord.”[6]
A General history of Catechesis
During the early centuries of the church, new believers prepared for
their journey toward baptism by being instructed in the faith.[7] This journey would typically begin as
follows: An inquirer phase for those interested in becoming
Christian. Next, was the catechumen phase where
one would hear the God’s word regularly read and explained. Lastly,
was the compententes phase (meaning “the qualified”) where
people received further catechetical instruction after being qualified for
baptism. Catechizing during these early centuries often involved deliberate
discipleship for the spiritual readiness and ongoing development of those who
desired to commit their lives to following Christ.[8] Notable catechists during the early
centuries include Tertullian, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem,
Theodore of Mopsuestia, Gregory of Nazianzus, Ambrose of Milan, and Augustine
of Hippo.[9]
During medieval Christianity, rigorous catechizing fell by the wayside.[10] After a prolonged time of relative
neglect, reformers such as Luther, Calvin, and others, sought to renew the
practice of catechesis as part of their call to return to the Reformation
principle of sola scriptura, where Scripture alone must be
preeminent in matters of faith and practice.[11] Thus came the golden age of the
catechism where catechesis would return to a place of prominence in protestant
churches. Thanks to the invention of Gutenberg Press, publication and
distribution of printed catechisms were made available in the vernacular
language of the people.
During the seventeenth century, the Puritan movement[12] sought to maintain the practice of
instructing parishioners in the doctrines of faith. For instance, puritan
Richard Baxter, is said to have catechized whole families. 19th Century
Anglican Bishop, J.C. Ryle, wrote that when Baxter came to his Kidderminster
parish, the town was “dark, immoral … and irreligious.” When Baxter left the
town, “he had completely turned the parish upside down”. The great significance
of Baxter’s pastoral work was his focus “on things essential” and his
“passionate care for souls”.[13] The fruit of Baxter’s ministry of
catechesis would have lasting effects in the hearts of his former parishioners.
After an absence of five years, Baxter once wrote how the people in his former
Kidderminster parish were able to stand firm in the faith in the face of
persecution as a result of being firmly grounded in the essentials of the
faith.[14]
Over the course of time, rigorous catechesis sadly began to fade away in most
evangelical circles.[15] It was the late J.I. Packer’s prayer
and hope that Christians worldwide would begin to embrace the vital ancient
practice of catechesis, particularly among evangelicals. May this be so for the
glory of God and for the extension of His kingdom!
Catechisms: Past to Present
Protestant catechisms which emerged from the Reformation era were
Luther’s Large and Small Catechisms (1529), Calvin’s Geneva Catechism (1560)
and the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), which sought to find common doctrinal
ground between Lutheran and reformed sensibilities. The more robust reformed
Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647) emerged out the
post-Reformation era and are still widely used in many Presbyterian churches
today.[16] Towards the late 1600’s, the Reformed
Baptists also adopted their own catechism known as “Keach’s Catechism”.[17] The 1662 and later versions of the
Anglican Book of Common Prayer also contains a catechism. The
content of each these historical catechisms are all comprised of questions and
answers which revolve around the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the
Lord’s Prayer, and the sacraments.
In 2017, Crossway published The New City Catechism. Adapted
from Reformation and post-Reformation-era catechisms, The New City
Catechism contains fifty-two questions and answers, intended for
adults and children.[18] The questions and answers for children
are condensed and can be accompanied with songs which can be viewed on YouTube.[19]
In 2018, Crossway also published To Be a Christian: An Anglican
Catechism.[20] In keeping with the ancient pattern of
catechisms, To Be a Christian contains three hundred and sixty
questions and answers nicely divided into three sections: Believing (the
Creeds), Praying (the Lord’s Prayer and the sacraments),
and Living (the Ten Commandments).
Why I Came to love the Ministry of Catechesis
My love for catechesis began after having the privilege of serving in a
one-to-one discipleship ministry in 2012. This ministry involved coming
alongside new believers and helping them to grow in understanding and living
out the basics of the Christian faith. I had the privilege of being paired me
up with a man who had recently committed his life to following Jesus. I will
never forget our first meeting and sensing his desire to know Christ more and
grow deeper in his faith.
Throughout our time of one-to-one discipleship, I was able to
witness growth in this man’s understanding of God’s truth. As we related
to one another, prayed together, memorized Scripture, and worked through the
weekly study material, his understanding of the essentials of the faith began
to blossom. So too did his understanding of the importance of living out the
faith that was “once for all delivered to the saints”. It was then when I fully
began to appreciate the value of having a discipleship ministry that “involves
meeting people where they are at and helping them where they must go”[21]. In many ways, as I later discovered,
this one-to-one discipleship ministry mirrored the ancient Christian practice
of grounding God’s people in the faith known as catechesis as
discussed above.
My love for catechesis took further root during my final year at
Gordon-Conwell Theological seminary when I had the opportunity to take a course
on catechesis. The course not only covered the biblical basis and historical
practice, but I also had the exciting task of strategizing a contemporary
practice of catechesis in a congregational/parish
setting.
Why does the church benefit from the ministry of catechesis?
The practice of catechesis deepens our understanding of the gospel. Catechisms are
not intended to be a replacement of Scripture, but rather meant to “set forth a
more compressive exposition of the gospel”.[22] As Tim Keller points out, catechisms
not only explain “what the gospel is, but also lay out the building blocks on
which the gospel is based, such as the biblical doctrines of God, of human nature,
and so forth.[23] Further, as we grow deeper in our
understanding of the gospel, through group discussion, memorisation and
prayer, we are better equipped to face and answer culture changes, doctrinal
errors, temptations, and challenges to the unchanging gospel.[24]
The practice of catechesis involves discipleship. In Matthew
28:18-20, Jesus commanded His disciples to “Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
end of the age.” Catechesis is at the heart of the Great Commission in
that it serves to make disciples of Jesus through the teaching of the core
essentials of the faith.[25]
The practice of catechesis involves building relationship. In connection
with deepening our understanding the gospel and discipleship, catechesis also
involves the process of building relationship. As we grow in discipleship,
“stirring one another to love and good works” (Heb.10:24) in a communal small
group setting, we work towards building relationship and community.
If you're interested in learning more about the ministry of catechesis, I
highly recommend the book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building up
Believers the Old-Fashioned Way by Gary A. Parrett & J.I. Packer.
The bulk of this post is a summary of the first two chapters of this book.
[1] St. Peter’s Fireside
Church, Catechism, Retrieved from: https://www.stpetersfireside.org/catechism/.
These core doctrines have professed since the time of the New Testament
until today.
[2] Gary A. Parrett &
J.I. Packer, Grounded in the Gospel: Building up Believers the Old-Fashioned
Way (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2010), p.58.The
word catechesis comes from the Greek New Testament root
word, katecheo meaning to “teach, instruct” and is
one of a number of words in the NT referring to the giving of teaching or
instruction. The concept of catechesis is also found
throughout the Old Testament where God’s people are commanded to instruct about
His “redemptive deeds and holy commands”. See Chapter 2 of Grounded in
the Gospel for a more comprehensive look at the usage of katecheo in
the OT and NT.
[3] Ibid., Grounded
in the Gospel. pp 27-28.
[4] Ibid., p.29.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid., p.53. Parrett
and Packer note 4th and 5th century sources
such as Didache of the Apostles, Irenaeus’s Demonstration
Teaching, and 3rd century The Apostolic Tradition
of Hippolytus. The authors also note how in Acts new converts were baptized
immediately after their profession of faith. In the following centuries,
however, Christianity had for the most part left Jerusalem and the synagogues
behind. Thus, those coming to faith in Christ came with little knowledge of the
God of Israel or of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. So as the Gospel
spread to the gentiles, the church came to regard conversion to Christ as so
revolutionary that it requires significant time and instruction prior to
granting baptism upon new believers.
[8] Ibid., pp. 53-58.
[9] Ibid., p.53.
[10] Ibid., This
occurred for a variety of reasons as outlined by Parrett and Packer, p.
59.
[11] Ibid., p.60.
[12] The
Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, who sought to
purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the
Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more
Protestant. Source: “Puritans”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans.
[13] Grounded in the
Gospel, p.67.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid. The reasons for
this are outlined in pp. 68-73. It should be noted that many Presbyterian,
Reformed, Lutheran and Catholic churches have continued to the practice of
catechesis.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Named after 17th Century
reformed Baptist minister, Benjamin Keach. This
catechism is patterned after the Westminster Catechism consisting of 118
questions and answers from scripture teaching readers the basics of the Reformed
Baptist faith.
[18] For instance, Calvin’s
Geneva Catechism, Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the Heidelberg
Catechism.
[19] These videos can be
viewed
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Te8vkOj2zU&list=PLPwoFK1MBpm4ClBAJbmfp3Lj0Z45yntcH&index=1
[20] Edited by J. I.
Packer, Joel
Scandrett, Anglican
Church in North America.
[21] Ibid., p.58.
[22] The New City
Catechism Devotional, Keller, p.9.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Grounded in the
Gospel, Packer and Parrett, p.29.
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