1. A Catechism
for
Family Faith Formation
As you therefore received Christ Jesus our
Lord, so walk in Him having been firmly
rooted and now being built up in Him and
established in your faith, just as your were
instructed and overflowing with gratitude.
- Colossians 2:6-7
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-
begotten Son of God, begotten of the
Father before all worlds, God of God,
Light of Light, very God of very God,
begotten, not made, being of one
substance with the Father; by whom all
things were made; who for us men, and
for our salvation, came down from
heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy
Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made
man, and was crucified also for us under
Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was
buried; and the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures; and ascended
into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand
of the Father; and He shall come again
with glory to judge the quick and the
dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord
and Giver of life, who proceedeth from
the Father and the Son; who with the
Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified; who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church. I acknowledge one
Baptism for the remission of sins; and I
look for the resurrection of the dead, and
the life of the world to come. Amen.

2. Creation:
In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. The earth was formless and empty,
and darkness covered the deep waters. And the
Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of
the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,”
and there was light. And God saw that the light
was good. Then he separated the light from the
darkness. God called the light “day” and the
darkness “night.” (Genesis 1)
Q: Who existed before things were created?
Q: How does God create?
Q: What does it mean to be created in the
image of God? (1:26-27)
Covenant:
Then God gave the people all these instructions:
I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from
the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
You must not have any other god but me.
You must not make for yourself an idol of any
kind or an image of anything in the heavens or
on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow
down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord
your God, am a jealous God who will not
tolerate your affection for any other gods.
You must not misuse the name of the Lord your
God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if
you misuse his name.
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy. You have six days each week for
your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a
Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your
God. On that day no one in your household may
do any work. This includes you, your sons and

3. daughters, your male and female servants, your
livestock, and any foreigners living among you.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the
earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on
the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Honor your father and mother. Then you will
live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God
is giving you.
You must not murder.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must not testify falsely against your
neighbor.
You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You
must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or
female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else
that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20)
Q: How many commands does God give His
people?
Q: Why are these good commands?
Q: Which command is the hardest for you to
keep or understand?
Q: What happens when a command is broken?
Q: Who helps us live by these commands?
The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will
make a new covenant with the people of Israel
and Judah. This covenant will not be like the
one I made with their ancestors when I took
them by the hand and brought them out of the
land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though
I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says
the Lord.

4. But this is the new covenant I will make with the
people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I
will put my instructions deep within them, and I
will write them on their hearts. I will be their
God, and they will be my people. And they will
not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they
need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should
know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to
the greatest, will know me already,” says the
Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I
will never again remember their sins. (Jeremiah
31:31-34)
Q: Why does God make a promise of a new
covenant?
Q: Why am I considered wicked/sinful?
Q: When will this new covenant be made?
The people who walk in darkness will see a
great light. For those who live in a land of deep
darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the
nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They
will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the
harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.
For you will break the yoke of their slavery and
lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You
will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did
when you destroyed the army of Midian. They
will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us. The government will rest on
his shoulders. And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace will never end. He
will rule with fairness and justice for all eternity.
(Isaiah 9:2-7)
Q: What is meant by “darkness and light”?
Q: How will the light be seen and known?

5. Q: How long will the rule of the mighty God
last?
Christ:
In the beginning the Word already existed. The
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
existed in the beginning with God. God created
everything through him, and nothing was
created except through him. The Word gave life
to everything that was created, and his life
brought light to everyone. The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish
it. (John 1:1-5)
Q: What gives light and life to the world?
Q: Who is the Word?
Q: What is greater – darkness or light?
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is
supreme over all creation, for through him God
created everything in the heavenly realms and
on earth. He made the things we can see and
the things we can’t see—such as thrones,
kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen
world. Everything was created through him and
for him. He existed before anything else, and he
holds all creation together. Christ is also the
head of the church, which is his body. He is the
beginning, supreme over all who rise from the
dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all
his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and
through him God reconciled everything to
himself. He made peace with everything in
heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood
on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)
Q: Why is Christ the image of God?

6. Q: What is Christ the Lord of?
Q: How has Christ made peace in heaven and on
earth?
Long ago God spoke many times and in many
ways to our ancestors through the prophets.
And now in these final days, he has spoken to us
through his Son. God promised everything to the
Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he
created the universe. The Son radiates God’s
own glory and expresses the very character of
God, and he sustains everything by the mighty
power of his command. When he had cleansed
us from our sins, he sat down in the place of
honor at the right hand of the majestic God in
heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater
than the angels, just as the name God gave him
is greater than their names. (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Q: Do we believe that God creates, sustains and
cleanses us through Christ?
Q: Has God kept His promises to His creation?
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before
him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the
Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are
his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his
gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with
praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love
continues forever, and his faithfulness continues
to each generation. (Psalm 100)
Q: How should we respond to the grace of God?
Q: When should God’s people worship?
Christian Worship:
Q: What is prayer?

7. A: Prayer is responding to God, by thought and
deeds, with or without words.
Q: How did Christ teach us to pray?
A: Jesus taught his disciples to pray:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept
holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your
will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us
today the food we need, and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue
us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13)
Q: What kinds of prayers should we pray?
A: Prayers of adoration, praise, thanksgiving,
confession/penitence, intercession and petition
should be made by believers.
Q: What are prayers of intercession and
petition?
A: Intercession brings before God the needs of
others; in petition, we present our own needs,
that God’s will be done.
Q: When should we worship?
A: Always and forever! In everything we do we
may worship God, but we should join others
regularly in corporate worship to be uniting in
declaring the holy, sovereign, loving ways of
God.
Q: How do we worship?
A: With songs, scripture, sacraments, and
prayers. With a joyful heart, loving spirit and
expecting faith! In the name of the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit!
Confession, Character, Conduct:
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so
much, that even though we were dead because

8. of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ
from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that
you have been saved!) For he raised us from the
dead along with Christ and seated us with him
in the heavenly realms because we are united
with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all
future ages as examples of the incredible wealth
of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown
in all he has done for us who are united with
Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when
you believed. And you can’t take credit for this;
it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward
for the good things we have done, so none of us
can boast about it. For we are God’s
masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ
Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned
for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:4-10)
Q: How are we saved?
Q: Why are we God’s masterpiece?
For you are a chosen people. You are royal
priests, a holy nation, God’s very own
possession. As a result, you can show others the
goodness of God, for he called you out of the
darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)
Q: What does it mean to be God’s possession?
Q: What is our calling?
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment
in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.’ This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like
it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
Q: What is most important to God?
Q: How do we do this?

9. Questions that can also be used:
Creation:
Since everyone is created in the image of God,
how do we value all other people?
How should we value all living things since God
thought of them, created them and made a
place for them to dwell?
If we are created in the image of God, why do
we need to be saved?
Why would anyone want to live in sin?
Covenant:
What do we learn from the commandments?
What does God promise about those who
choose to live in covenant with Him ?
Read Deuteronomy 6-8
Christ:
What does it mean when we say Jesus is the
only Son of God?
What is the nature of God revealed in Jesus?
What is the significance of Jesus’ obedience,
suffering and death?
What is the significance of his resurrection?
What is the Trinity?
What is the Christian hope?
To live with the confidence in newness
and fullness of life, and to wait the
coming of Christ in glory, and the
completion of God’s purpose.
What do we mean by the coming of Christ in
glory?
Christian Worship:
What are the Holy Scriptures?
Who gave us the Scriptures?
Why were they given?
How are they used in daily life?
How are they used in public worship?
What are the sacraments of the Church?
Conduct, Confession, Character:
What is the Church?
Why do the creeds say the church is “one”?
What is the communion of Saints?
What do we mean by life everlasting?
What do the scriptures mean by “holiness”?
Leviticus 11:45, Isaiah 35:8, Matthew
5:8, Luke 1:74-75, 2 Corinthians 7:1,
Galatians 5:16-26, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-
8, Hebrews 12:14, 2 Peter 3:10-12
Is Christlikeness the same as holiness?
When does someone become holy?
What is our assurance as Christians’?
That nothing, not even death, shall
separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And my God shall supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Now to our God and Father be glory, forever
and ever. Amen. – Philippians 4:19-20

10. For Parents and/or Leaders:
Why Catechism?
A catechism is simply a way of instructing
someone in faith. It is a question and answer
format guided by the scriptures and by the creeds.
The goal is to give instruction to the child or new
believer in the basic elements of Christian faith
and teaching. It is also a good way for the teacher
to be renewed in the truths that we confess as
believers.
Shouldn’t this be for the church to do?
Yes! And no… While the church is the primary way
that faith is formally instructed, the home is
where it should begin. Parents should never cease
to be involved in the faith formation of their
children. Even when a child has been through
formal church or school instruction, parents can
and should reinforce the teaching at home.
How should we do the catechism?
Take some intentional time, one on one with your
child. Read the creed together and pray that God
would open your hearts to hear from Him. Read
the scripture together and talk through the
questions. Don’t give a lecture or make it all about
your experience. Let the child do most of the
talking and look for ways to affirm the faith
emerging in them. Take each section one section
at a time. At the end of each section, identify the
next subject and invite the child to write down
questions they think of about what was covered
during this session. Space has been given on each
page for kids to journal insight from their learning.
Start the next session by looking at any questions
that the child brings from their reflection. Take as
much time as necessary with your child in talking
about grace, faith and holiness. You are making a
disciple for Christ!