Methods for Teaching a Family Catechism

I think there are two important things to consider when you want to start teaching a family catechism. How often will you teach a new catechism question and answer and to what extent do you expect the family members to memorize it? Now, notice I put family members because I don't think the catechism is for children, but for the family. As to how often you will teach a new catechism question and answer and to what extent do family members need to memorize it, let me offer you a few suggestions, and I'll tell you how my family is learning our catechism. 

Young Children: More Doctrine but Less Memorization

Method: If you have young children (infant to second grade), and you want to make sure everyone is learning very quickly about who God is and what he has accomplished for his people, you might want to teach the catechism questions and answers more often. One example might be to teach a new catechism question and answer every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On those days, you could read the question and answer and then go over the applicable Bible verses. Then, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, you could simply review the catechism questions and answers to make sure everyone is learning what they mean, even if they don't have them memorized.

Benefits: The greatest benefit to this is that a good deal of doctrine is being learned. Additionally, the family members will begin to understand how all of the doctrines relate to one another more quickly. 

Negatives: The negatives are that clear, concise answers to these questions will likely not be memorized and thus long term retention may be lost. Additionally, by going over them so quickly, there will be less time to consider the application of these catechism questions and answers. 

Best Suited: I would recommend this to families who are young in the faith. If you have just come to faith in Christ or have unfortunately been apart of a church that doesn't teach doctrine well and therefore know little about God's Word, but still want to lead your family spiritually, a catechism is a great place to go. Granted, you won't want to be creating your own as you go along, but there are great catechisms to choose from (see my post: Family Catechism). By focusing more on content and less on memorization, your family will be exposed to God's truths very quickly and let you grow spiritually at a much more rapid rate. 

Young Children: Less Doctrine but More Memorization

Method: If you have young children (infant to second grade) and you want to understand the doctrines of God well, this plan will probably be better suited for you. In this plan, you will likely only teach one catechism question and answer a week. Then, throughout the week, you are working on memorizing the questions and answers. Instead of jumping to new doctrines throughout the week, you can spend time focusing on the many applications of the doctrines you are learning. 

Benefits: The benefits of this plan is that everyone will be memorizing the questions and answers. Memorization is beneficial in a couple circumstances. First, things set to memory are often remembered for longer periods. Second, things set to memory are often more accessible to our memories for use. When we memorize something exactly, it is easier for our brains to access those memories and to use them when we are trying to solve a problem. 

Drawbacks: The drawbacks of this method are that it will go very slow and fewer doctrines will be discussed and learned. Depending on the space between each catechism question and answer and how much time is spent reviewing them after being memorized, it may be difficult to see how the doctrines of God are connected. 

Best Suited: This method is best suited for families who have an additional study of God's Word happening, for families who already have a fuller understanding of God's Word, and for families who are in a solid church where good teaching is happening for all family members. This approach is good for families who can be more concerned with long-term investments because the short-term is already in good order. 

Older Children: More Doctrine but Less Memorization 

Method: As children get older, they can become more independent in their learning (third grade and forward). One approach that could be taken with older children and adult family members who are starting to have a good grasp of God's Word and the doctrines of God is to assign catechism questions and answers with applicable Bible verses for independent reading and study on Monday and Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, you would review what they learned as a family. Then follow the same pattern for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. 

Benefits: One benefit of letting the family members do their own work first before discussion and teaching is that the learning of God's Word and doctrines is more theirs. They will have greater ownership of what they are learning, and it can allow for greater opportunities for personal worship as they learn more about who God is and what He has accomplished. 

Drawbacks: One thing that must be considered is whether or not all family members possess the maturity, both in moral and intellectual virtue, to be responsible self-learners. Some older children (third grade to high school seniors) may just not be responsible enough to invest the mental energy and time into learning God's Word. This may especially be the case if that child does not know God--a true faith in Jesus Christ. Other children may lack the ability to learn independently and suffer from not having the doctrines truly taught, as this approach will be more of a discussion as a whole family. 

Best Suited: This approach is best for families where all of the members, by God's grace, are Christians maturing in the faith. Even if you have older children, if they are not Christians or if they struggle with self-learning, it would not be best to expect them to do the hard work necessary to really learn these doctrines. 

Older Children: Less Doctrine but More Memorization

Method: As the children get older, they will be more and more competent at memorizing (assuming they don't face learning challenges). One approach may just have them start memorizing the catechism more quickly. They should memorize two or three questions and answers a week instead of one. That would be good. However, this method is again focused less on doctrine and more on memorization. Therefore, what may be more beneficial would be to introduce one catechism question and answer a week, but to also expect the family members to memorize some of the applicable Bible verses. By doing this, they will not only know the right answers, but they will also really start to internalize why those answers are right and stand ready to defend the doctrines themselves. 

Benefits: The best benefit of this is that they will know God's Word. Additionally, memorizing the applicable Bible verses will allow them to truly test whether they believe the answers they are memorizing to be true. Every Christian must at some point come to his own conclusions as to whether what he is being taught by man is in fact in agreement with God's Word. By giving them God's Word, they are better equipped to make that decision without being impacted by the misrepresentations of God's Word. 

Drawbacks: A reasonable drawback to consider is that memorization is hard work, and you never want the act of memorizing to become so burdensome that family members feel like giving up. Some catechism questions and answers have just two or three main Bible verses to memorize, but others may have five or six. Be sure to set appropriate goals for how much memorization should happen each week. And though this should not be considered a drawback necessarily, be prepared for family members, especially older children, to question you about certain doctrines. We can hope that these won't be about matters of salvific importance, but as they grow in their knowledge of God's word they may start to wrestle with things like God's election, baptism, church polity, the Sabbath, and so on. They may even come to different theological stances than you, and it could even lead to conflict.

Best Suited: This method is best suited for families who have spent a long season in the church, possibly the entire lives of their older children, and who really want to see their children go into the depths of God's Word because they are already familiar with the doctrines of God. Now, that isn't to say that this approach would be bad for families who are less educated in the doctrines of God, but that those families may benefit more from a quicker study. 

Without Children

Method: This method could be for the newlywed family who've not had children yet, the family who has opted to not have children for gospel reasons, the family who cannot have children for some reason, or the family whose children have all grown and left. I probably shouldn't say method, because there is actually no method. Any of the four methods above would be great for this family. I simply mean to suggest that families without children should still be studying the doctrines of God. Maybe a family whose children have all left the home won't memorize catechism questions and answers but confessional statements. That would be good! I just don't want to communicate that the study of God's Word and doctrines is only for families who have a child. I mean--and I should have already said this--single people should be studying God's Word and learning his doctrines. 

Naaktgeboren Family Appraoch

I have young children, so I've leaned our approach to the less doctrine but more memorization approach for families with young children. I teach a new catechism question and answer every Sunday morning. As we eat breakfast, I read the question and answer. I then read the question and my family joins me in answering the question two or three times. I then read through the appropriate Bible verses and discuss what they mean and how they relate to the question and answer. To end, I read the question again, two to three times, and my family and I answer the question.

We take this approach because the rest of the week, we spend time reading and learnings God's Word through a Bible study curriculum called The Gospel Project. The Gospel Project, which I will need to review at some point, has its own questions and answers that relate to the section of God's Word being studied. For example, when learning about creation in the first two chapters of Genesis, the question and answer were: Why did God create the world? God created the world and everything in it for his glory. When talking about the fall of Adam and Eve, the question and answer were: What is sin? Sin is breaking God's law, and sin separates people from God. Because my family is studying God's word and memorizing other questions with this curriculum, I only expect them to learn and work toward memorizing one new catechism question and answer a week.

However, and let this be a gracious word, my family doesn't always memorize the questions and answers at quickly as I expected or would like. Some of them are longer and more difficult. However, we move on and keep reviewing. I don't want to slow down too much because doctrine is important and children will often adjust themselves to your expectations. But, I don't get upset if three weeks after introducing a question and answer, they are still struggling. I praise God for the kindness he has shown my children in letting them learn and memorize what they have thus far.

Written by Michael Naaktgeboren.