Catechesis for Life: Catechism is a series of 42 mini studies on Luther’s Small Catechism. Most of the studies refresh the text of a small section of the Catechism and present a relevant excerpt from Luther’s Large Catechism. Additional studies address special topics like faith, the source of faith, the connection between doctrine and prayer, the fear of the Lord, God’s initiative in loving us first, the three ecumenical creeds, and infant Baptism. The studies frequently use questions, brief statements, and Scripture references.
The series was written by Rev. Dr. John W. Sias while a parish pastor. Dr. Sias since has been elected and re-elected synodical Secretary of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
Dr. Sias developed the series with the aim of encouraging congregations in weekly engagement with the doctrine of the Christian faith. A companion module contains a series of 23 mini studies of the liturgy. The studies are formatted for use as class handouts, flyers, or church bulletin inserts. They are handy for use in a variety of settings.
By arrangement with Dr. Sias, Catechesis for Life: Catechism is being published by Synoptic Text Information Services, Inc. through its LutheranCatechism.com service.
The entire 42-study series may be downloaded and used for free in a single ZIP-compressed archive file, extracted as 42 PDF files on your computer, and from there printed, emailed, etc. in your congregation’s ministry. To download, click here.
The 42 studies are:
1.xx + Ten Commandments
1.01 + First Commandment
1.02 + Second Commandment
1.03 + Third Commandment
1.04 + Fourth Commandment
1.05 + Fifth Commandment
1.06 + Sixth Commandment
1.07 + Seventh Commandment
1.08 + Eighth Commandment
1.09 + Ninth and Tenth Commandments
1.10 + Close of the Commandments
2.xx + Creed
2.01 + Creeds
2.02 + First Article
2.03 + Second Article
2.04 + Third Article
2.05 + Faith
2.06 + Source of Faith
2.07 + Doctrine and Prayer
3.xx + Lord’s Prayer
3.01 + Introduction
3.02 + First Petition
3.03 + Second Petition
3.04 + Third Petition
3.05 + Fourth Petition
3.06 + Fifth Petition
3.07 + Sixth Petition
3.08 + Seventh Petition
3.09 + Conclusion
4.xx + Baptism
4.01 + Baptism First Part
4.02 + Baptism Second Part
4.03 + Baptism Third Part
4.04 + Baptism Fourth Part
4.05 + Infant Baptism
5.xx + Confession
5.01 + Confession Part 1
5.02 + Confession Part 2
5.03 + Confession Part 3
5.04 + Confession Part 4
6.xx + Sacrament of the Altar
6.01 + Sacrament of the Altar Part 1
6.02 + Sacrament of the Altar Part 2
6.03 + Sacrament of the Altar Part 3
6.04 + Sacrament of the Altar Part 4
6.05 + Sacrament of the Altar Part 5
6.06 + Christian Questions Part 1
6.07 + Christian Questions Part 2