“Dearly beloved, it is essential that those who wish to be Confirmed or Received in this Church publicly confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; become his disciples; know and affirm the Nicene Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments; and have received instruction in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and the Catechism of the Church. God’s grace is imparted in Baptism, through which we are made God’s children by adoption and given the Holy Spirit. By the power of the Spirit, manifested in gifts and fruit, we are enabled to be God’s people for the sake of the world.”
Anglican Catechisms
To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism, Approved Edition (2020)
This is the 2020 edition approved for use by the ACNA.
You can find links on the ACNA website to a Vision Statement and Guiding Principles for the catechism (as well as information about how to purchase copies at a 40% rate). At Anglican Compass, there is a book-marked, easy-to-navigate online version.
In the introduction, J. I. Packer, writes: “In one respect, this catechism breaks new ground for Anglicans. The historic Catechism in the English Book of Common Prayer is brief, and specifically designed to prepare young people for confirmation and church membership. However, this present work is intended as a more comprehensive catechetical tool for all adult (or near-adult) inquirers, and for all Christians seeking deeper grounding in the full reality of Christian faith and life.”
Catechism in Family Prayer
In this document, the Anglican Catechism, To Be a Christian, is placed in a format for use in daily devotional prayer with families. It was compiled by the Next Generation Leadership Initiative’s Student Leadership Network Team, and you can download a free copy by joining their mailing list. A print version will be available soon.
Prayer Book Catechism (1549, 1552, 1559/1604, 1662, 1928)
The standard catechism that was found in historical Anglican Prayerbooks. It is short and compact, covering the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. It always appears amended to the Rite of Confirmation, and was designed primarily for children and those preparing for Confirmation.
In 1604, an additional section on the sacraments was added, which was retained in later versions. (See links above). In 2001, Fr. Ben Jeffries re-edited the 1604 Anglican Catechism, and links it with corresponding sections in the 2020 Catechism, To Be a Christian. (You can read a review by Fr. Brandon Letourneau for The North American Anglican here.)
All Souls Church in Wheaton produced a modernized version of the 1662 Prayerbook Catechism, which can be found online here.
The Catechism, or Anglican Faith in Outline (1979 BCP Catechism)
The Catechism, or Anglican Faith in Outline is from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.
“It belongs to the office of a Deacon to share in the humility and service of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the strengthening of the Church, which is his body. You are to read the Gospel and proclaim Christ at all times through your service, to instruct both young and old in the Catechism, and, at the direction of the Bishop or Priest, to baptize and preach.”
Contemporary Anglican Writing on Catechesis
Articles
Alex Fogleman, “What is Catechesis?” Anglican Compass (2018)
Alex Fogleman, “What is Confirmation?” Anglican Compass (2018).
Kyle Hughes, “Anglican Confirmation for Suspicious Evangelicalism,” Part 1 and Part 2 (June 2023).
Lee Nelson, “Getting Catechesis Back on Track,” Anglican Compass (2015); re-posted on the Catechesis Institute blog.
J.I. Packer, “J. I. Packer on One of the Most Urgent Needs in the Church Today,” Crossway (Mar. 15, 2017)
Books
Tory K. Baucum, Evangelical Hospitality: Catechetical Evangelism in the Early Church and Its Recovery for Today (Scarecrow Press, 2008).
J.I. Packer and Gary Parret, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way (Baker, 2010).
Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community (Baker, 2003).
Anglican Catechesis in History
This is one of the most thorough and comprehensive guides to historical Anglican catechesis one can find. Green details (in over 500 pages) the many catechisms and approaches to catechizing in England from the 16th-century Reformation to the dawn of the first Great Awakening in the 1700s. In a roughtly 200-year period, he calculates that around 800 catechisms or catechetical texts were written in this period—ranging from short, one-word answer texts for young children, to rhymed and poetic catechisms, to multi-volume university lectures. While
Hunter, Carman St. J. Christian Education in the Episcopal Church 1940s to 1970s (New York, NY: The Episcopal Church Center, 1987)
Gillespie, Joanna B. “What We Taught: Christian Education in The American Episcopal Church, 1920-1980,” Anglican and Episcopal History, Vol. LVI, No (March 1987).
Keane, Drew. “Confirmation in Classical Anglicanism.” North American Anglican (Sept. 9, 2020).
Pearson, Sharon Ely, editor. Lessons, Legacies, and Lifelines: The Past, Present, and Future of Theological Education and Christian Formation in the Episcopal Church, 1967-2008. (New York: NY. Report to Executive Council from “Proclaiming Education for All” –PEALL – Task Force as presented for the General Convention, 2006.)
Sibley, Lois, ed. Called to Teach and Learn: A Catechetical Guide for the Episcopal Church (New York, NY: The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, 1994).
Catechist Training Centers
The Catechist Formation Program (at Trinity School for Ministry)
Six graduate-level seminary courses, offered as one-week intensive courses in either January or June. These courses can be taken for credit as part of a Masters or DMin degree, or as part of the Certificate in Catechesis and Christian Formation.
The six courses include:
Overview of Catechesis
Apostles’ Creed
Lord’s Prayer
Ten Commandments
Pedagogy for Catechesis
Ministry Practicum
Anglican Catechist Training School (ACNA Diocese of San Joaquin)
The Anglican Catechist Training School is a training school hosted by the Diocese of San Joaquin. It is directed by Elizabeth Conkle, who is also the Canon for Catechetical Formation for the diocese under the pastoral care of Bp. Eric Menees.
The program consists of three modules—one each on the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. Modules meet online over 12 weeks and are offerred on a rotating basis each spring and winter.
The courses place an emphasis on deepening spiritual knowledge, growing in spiritual formation, and developing ministerial practice.
You can read a nice writeup about ACTS in the ACNA’s newsletter here, and watch a video about the program below:
Parish Resources for Adult Catechesis
Anglican Network in Canada
Curricula (with links to Dropbox files) that provides outlines for teaching through To Be a Christian.
Outline for 4-week or 15-week Baptism/Confirmation Courses
Suggested readings for catechists
Recommendations for Catechist Training
VIA: Catechesis (Diocese of WEstern ANglicans)
Fr. Harman Thomas (Diocese of Western Anglicans) has developed a curriculum to assist parishes to go alongside, To Be a Christian, which especially seeks to situate catechetical formation in the context of embodied worship and a sacramental worldview.
In addition to the promo video, you can watch several workshops for the Diocese of Western Anglicans here.
Christ the King Anglican Church (REC)
Dcn. Kyle Hughes, Director of Catechesis at Christ the King Anglican Church (Atlanta, GA), has assembled a helpful description on their church’s webpage that details their approach to catechesis.
Dcn. Kyle, in addition to being a Fellow with CI, is also the author of a great book, Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age (Cascade, 2022).
Children’s and Family Catechesis
Developed by St. John’s Vancouver (Anglican Network in Canada), God’s Big Story is a Children’s Catechesis Curriculum that focuses on the Gospel and Scripture, shaped by the doctrine of the Trinity, and which takes its ethos from the Book of Common Prayer and the Anglican Catechism, To Be a Christian. It organizes curricula for the following age groups:
“Little Ones (Ages 2-3)
Preschool (Ages 4-5)
Elementary (Grades K-6)
Junior Youth (Grades 5-6)
The Catechism in Family Prayer
A helpful guide for learning the catechism in family prayer, produced by the Next Generation Leadership Initiative. You can download a PDF when signing up for their newsletter. (Also kinked above in the section on catechisms.)
The Nicene Creed, Illustrated and Instructed for Kids
By Joey Fitzgerald, published by Anglican House Press (2015), it features beautiful icongraphic images of the creed for adults to share with children, especially ages 5 through 12. It addresses not only “what” Christians believe but “why” and “how.”
Church of the Redeemer (Chattanooga)
The pastoral team at Redeemer has assembled some great resources for teaching children the catechism, drawn from the ACNA catechism, To Be a Christian. They have selected key questions for the use of memorization, and have even put some of them to music to aid this process.
Catechesis with the Klukas Family
This is short video produced by Trinity School for Ministry on family catechesis/devotions, featuring Revs. Chris and Carrie Klukas (from the Diocese of Pittsburgh). In it, they express the importance of four parts of this practice: reading scripture, teaching, singing, and praying.
Audio/Video Resources
General Introductions to Catechesis
“Catechesis with Fr. Lee Nelson” — an episode from the Always Forward podcast, from June 1, 2017.
A great introduction to the theory and practice of catechesis, especially in the context of missional church planting. At the time, the podcast was co-hosted by Shawn McCain and Dan Alger.
“Catechesis and Catechism” — a podcast episode from Word & Table, hosted by Fr. Alex Wilgus and Fr. Stephen Gautier (May 24, 2021)
This episode introduces the language of catechesis, its historical origins, and its relevance for today.
“A Conversation on Catechesis with Alex Fogleman” — an episode from the Trinity School for Ministry podcast, hosted by Rev. Dr. Joel Scandrett
This episode is a conversation between Joel Scandrett and Alex Fogleman on catechesis, catechetical renewal, and teaching the Lord’s Prayer in catechesis.
“J.I. Packer on Catechesis” — a video conversation with Joel Scandrett of Trinity School for Ministry
Catechism Commentary Podcasts
The following links are to podcasts that walk through the catechism—in greater or less detail. They can be especially useful if you are looking for resources that will help you study a particular topic.
“To Be a Christian: The Anglican Catechism in a Year” — with Holy Trinity Media
Holy Trinity Church in Madison, MS, produced this podcast in which one catechism question-and-answer from To Be a Christian (368 in total) is read aloud each day, along with the Scripture readings assigned to that question and a relevant collect. Each episode is about 5-10 minutes.
“This We Believe: Exploring the Essential Texts of the Christian Faith” — with Michael Niebauer
Rev. Dr. Michael Niebauer is an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Christ Our Hope and Pastoral Fellow with the Catechesis Institute. He is the author of Virtuous Persuasion: A Theology of Christian Mission (Lexham, 2022).
Podcast description: “This We Believe explains the essentials of the Christian faith and its impact on our lives. Each season will use key texts as springboards for exploring the core tenets of Christianity, beginning with the Apostles' Creed and continuing with texts such as the 10 Commandments and the Our Father. While each season will progress through these documents, each episode will be centered around a specific topic, such as the Cross, or the Holy Spirit, or a specific question, such as What happens when I die? or Why is there suffering the world? The goal is to provide an insightful and exciting theological education whether you have been following Christ for 8 days or 8 decades.”
“Coffee and Catechism: An Amateur Anglican Podcast” — with Richard Reeb III
Richard Reeb is a member of the Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton and blogs at Amateur Anglican. On this podcast, he devotes one episode to each question of the Anglican Catechism, To Be A Christian, reading each question and some of the relevant Scriptures, as well as his own reflection on the question. Each episode is on average 20-30 minutes. (He also does occasional episodes on topics related to catechesis and discipleship.)
“Anglican Catechesis: Learning to Follow Jesus on the Anglican Way” — with Fr. Kurt Hein and Fr. Isaac Rehberg.
Fr. Kurt Hein is rector of Light of Christ Anglican Church in Georgetown, TX. Fr. Isaac is rector of All Saints Church in San Antonio. In this podcast (with a corresponding YouTube channel) conversation between two priests that walks through the catechism, treating 2-5 questions in each session. Episodes range between 15 and 30 minutes.
“To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism” — with Fr. Kurt Hein
This is an earlier series on the catechism hosted by Fr. Kurt Hein. It contains 50+ YouTube videos (each around 15 mins each) that walks through the main elements of To Be a Christian, treating 5-10 questions at a time.
“To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism” — with Holy Cross Cathedral
A series of 15 short videos, on the main topics of the catechism (each episode is about 10-15 mins), taught by a team of priests and teachers at Holy Cross Cathedral in Loganville, GA.