The means used to
bring individuals into the Evangelical
Lutheran Church at Good Shepherd, Marion, IL
is the catechumenate. The following is
the explanation that was provided to the congregation before it was
implemented.
The Catechumenate
– Forming Individuals and the Church
in Faith
As a congregation, Good Shepherd faces some significant
challenges as she seeks to catechize individuals and bring them into the
fellowship of the Sacrament of the Altar. The greatest of these
challenges is the fact that we now live in a world that can be described as
post-Christian. There was a time when the core values and assumptions of
the Church and our culture
overlapped to a large degree. As the Church
worked to bring new members into the fellowship, she could assume that
interested individuals shared a common morality and had a basic knowledge of
the biblical narratives. However, that is no longer the case.
Instead individuals are now often quite open to attitudes and behaviors that
Scripture says are contrary to God’s will. They frequently have little
knowledge of the basic narratives contained in Scripture. Their values
and assumptions are often not those of the Church.
And even when a person is coming from a Christian background,
there are still significant challenges. Located in southern Illinois, we live in an area where both the Lutheran Church
and her sacramental and catholic (universal) piety are rare. The majority
of people joining Good Shepherd through catechesis come from various Reformed
churches that deny the Sacraments and whose worship life and piety have
included very few of the catholic practices that have been the common heritage
of the Church – things like liturgy,
creeds, Church year, lectionary,
vestments, etc.
Both of these situations underscore the need to bring people
out of one culture and worldview and to bring them into an evangelical catholic
culture and worldview. This is not an easy assignment. But it is
also not the first time the Church
has faced it. In the course of the fourth century, the Church went from facing empire-wide persecution to
being the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Suddenly there was a large group of people who wanted to come into the Church. However, they came from a pagan
world. They needed to be shaped and formed in the Church’s
culture and worldview.
The Church’s
response was the catechumenate – a formal process by which individuals were
gradually led deeper into the Christian faith and life. This was aimed not
simply at education, but rather at forming people to live as Christ’s Church. A series of rites helped to mark the
stages as a person continued on in this process and grew in their
commitment.
The goal and foundation of this process was Holy Baptism
that occurred at the Vigil of Easter. The season of Lent was a time of
preparation and an individual experienced entrance into the Church within the setting of Holy Week. After
remembering the death of Christ on Good Friday, the celebration of Easter began
on Saturday night at the Vigil of Easter. St.
Paul wrote, “Do you not know that all of us who have
been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried
therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness
of life” (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism at the Vigil of Easter highlighted the
fact that Holy Baptism gives us a share in Christ’s saving death and
resurrection. The week after Easter was then a time of ongoing reflection
upon the Means of Grace and the liturgy of the Church
in which they take place.
The catechumenate has been taken up again by sacramental and
liturgical churches in order to meet the renewed challenge of bringing people
out of the culture that surrounds us and into the culture of the Church. This fall, Good Shepherd will begin
using the catechumenate to bring individuals who are not Lutheran into the
congregation. At Good Shepherd, the catechumenate will take the following
form:
Catechumenate at Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
I. Time of
Inquiry
A time to answer
questions that inquirers may have about what the Lutheran Church believes.
May – Friendship Sunday
September – Enrollment of Sponsors
II. Catechumenate
Catechesis focused on Lectionary and Catechism
September – Admission to the Catechumenate
III.
Preparation for Baptism and Affirmation of Baptism; Confirmation and Reception
in to Membership
Catechesis focused on worship and living the Christian
life
First Sunday in Lent – Enrollment of Candidates for Baptism
and Enrollment of Candidates for Affirmation of Baptism, Confirmation and
Reception into Membership
Third Sunday in Lent – Blessing of Candidates – Renunciation
of Evil
Fourth Sunday in Lent – Blessing of Candidates –
Presentation of the Creed
Fifth Sunday in Lent – Blessing of Candidates –
Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer
Vigil of Easter – Rite of Holy Baptism and, Confirmation and
Reception into Membership
IV. Mystagogy
Teaching about and reflection upon the Vigil of Easter.
Wednesday in Easter Week
The catchumenate begins with a Time of Inquiry. During
this period, congregation members are encouraged to invite people to attend the
Divine Service. A Friendship Sunday in May will be a time particularly aimed at
this. Visitors who are interested in the Lutheran Church are encouraged
to continue attending the Divine Service because it is through the liturgy of
Word and Sacrament that a person begins to learn about the Christian faith and
to be formed by the Church’s
sacramental and catholic culture. They are provided a copy of the Small
Catechism to read and invited to meet with pastor in an informal setting in
order to ask questions and receive an overview of what the Lutheran Church believes.
As the group who will be entering the catechumenate begins
to form, they are matched with sponsors from the congregation who are enrolled
in September. Sponsors pray for a catechumen, take part in catechesis
with them, and serve as support and encouragement during this process.
The events that take place during the Time of Inquiry
illustrate that the catechumenate is the congregation’s outreach tool.
Congregation members do not simply invite people to come and visit Good
Shepherd. They invite them to a process that is ready to bring those who are
interested into the Evangelical
Lutheran Church. Members
are also part of this process as they serve as sponsors who assist
individuals in becoming part of the congregation.
Inquirers who decide that they want to become part of the Lutheran Church
and members at Good Shepherd are admitted into the catechumenate . This
takes place at the beginning of the Divine Service on the first Sunday in October.
The fact that the Admission to the Catechumenate takes place in the Divine
Service highlights an important point. The catechumenate is a public
process in which the congregation encourages and supports those who are
entering into the fellowship.
After entering the catechumate, the individuals begin
catechesis, meeting once a week with their sponsors and the pastor.
Catechesis is about formation in the faith. It is not simply
education. For this reason catechesis occurs in the setting of worship
using the Service of Prayer and Preaching in Lutheran Service Book (pg.
260). The catechesis focuses on the Scripture readings from the previous
Sunday and on the Catechism (Ten Commandments; Apostles’ Creed; Lord’s Prayer;
Matthew 28:19 [Holy Baptism]; John 20:22-23 [Holy Absolution]; Words of
Institution [Sacrament of the Altar]) as explained in Luther’s Small
Catechism.
Catechesis continues in this way until Ash Wednesday and the
beginning of Lent. The Church
year teaches the faith and unfolds before us the saving work of Christ.
The timing of catechesis allows the catechumen to experience Advent, Christmas,
Epiphany, Lent and Easter. These seasons of the Church
year become part of their formation in the faith and are integrated by the
pastor into catechesis.
The beginning of Lent marks the final stage of catechesis as
the catechumens prepare for Baptism or the Affirmation of Baptism; and for
Confirmation and Reception in to Membership. They have completed
catechesis that focuses on the content of the Catechism and are invited to
express publicly their intention to be baptized or to affirm their baptism at
the Vigil of Easter,and to be confirmed and received into membership. At
the same time, this is a moment when the Church
exercises discernment. The pastor and the sponsors prayerfully consider
whether a catechumen is ready for this next step as they reflect upon their
presence at the Divine Service and catechesis, and the manner in which their
lives display progress in the Christian life.
The Enrollment of Candidates takes place in the Divine
Service on the First Sunday in Lent. Like the Admission into the
Catechumenate this portion of the service marks and helps to reinforce the
deepening commitment. The candidates enter into Lent, which is a time of
catechesis and growth in the faith that leads to baptism. The
congregation affirms that it will support the candidates during Lent as they
make this journey. In turn, the presence of the candidates reminds the
congregation that Lent is a return to baptism for all of us, a point that
becomes clear in the Affirmation of Baptism at the Vigil of Easter.
During Lent, catechesis focuses on worship and living the
Christian life. Candidates learn about how the liturgy is the
setting for the jewels of the Sacraments and about how the liturgy continues to
teach the faith we confess. Through reflection upon the Scriptures, they
also learn about what the Christian faith means for daily life in the
world. The Lenten journey is punctuated by the Blessing of the Candidates
on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays in Lent. As they learn about
the Christian life, the candidates renounce evil. They are also publicly
presented the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. This summarizes the
catechesis in faith and prayer that they have received and emphasizes the
importance of confessing the faith and praying as they enter into the
fellowship.
During Holy Week candidates attend the Triduum – the one
service that runs through the three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and
the Holy Saturday. At the Vigil candidates receive Holy Baptism or
approach the font in order to affirm their baptism. All candidates are
confirmed, received into membership and then receive the Lord’s Supper for the
first time as they share in the sacrament of unity.
The individuals now share in the fellowship at Good
Shepherd. However, this does not mean they are finished growing in faith.
The Christian life is an ongoing process and this is exemplified by the fact
that they meet on the Wednesday of Easter Week for mystagogy. Mystagogy
is the process of explaining the mysteries of Holy Baptism and the Sacrament of
the Altar. It is reflection upon the service and the experiences of the
Vigil of Easter as we think about what they mean for our ongoing life in the
faith.
Good Shepherd will begin using the catechumenate in order to
transform people by taking them out of the culture of the world and bringing
them into the sacramental and catholic culture of the Church.
However, the catechumenate will also help in the continuing process of renewal
and growth in faith of the congregation’s life. It will make outreach and
evangelism part of the rhythm of the congregation. It will make Lent a
time for renewed commitment to the baptismal life. The presence of the
catechumens and candidates will remind us that just as they are making a
journey of faith, we are called to return to that journey and what it means for
us.
This is fantastic. I'd been curious about implementing a more formal catechumenate, but have never see it so detailed in a Missouri Synod parish.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to get together sometime and pick your brain more about this.
Jeff, I would love to talk about it with you. Either we can find a way to get together some time, or just plan on doing it the next time we are at a SID event.
ReplyDeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteIf not before, I'd definitely love to chat about this at the Spring Pastors' Conference, April 9. What I'm most curious about (since I can just steal your timeline here) are the rites you use for enrollment and each stage of the catechumenate.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteEmail me and I will send them to you:
pastormarksurburg@frontier.com
Pr. Surburg,
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in hearing more about your 'formal catechumenate'. I am a pastor in Western KS.
Thanks!
Pastor Darian L. Hybl
I've been doing something very similar for a few years now. It has worked very well at incorporating the un-churched or un-Lutheran into the congregation.
ReplyDeleteI just want you to know that I was baptized June 10 1945 and Confirmed March 30 1958. I was also in a Lutheran sponsored Children's home. What I want to say is I will be 70 in October and I still can recite the Lords Prayer, Ten Commandments, Apostles Creed,quite a few verses...all of these are deep in my soul thanks to the diligence of my Lutheran pastor in teaching Catechism ......Not that I haven't explored Evangelicalism, or the Charismatic movement. I was even a Evangelical missionary administrator of missions in the poorest parts of Mexico living among the people for 8 years.6 years ago I returned to my Lutheran roots even though there isn't a Lutheran or Lutheran Church within 100 or more miles from where I live here in Mexico . I thank my Lutheran upbringing and Catechism. My God bless Pastor Mark
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting, Mark. I am doing my DMIN at Ft. Wayne and my dissertation is exactly that: introducing the Catechumenate. I would love to touch base with you on this topic. Blessings in our Lord and Savior, Chris *** Rev. Christian C. Tiews, Assoc. Pastor, Grace Lutheran Tulsa, OK
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting, Mark. I am doing my DMIN at Ft. Wayne and my dissertation is exactly that: introducing the Catechumenate in an LCMS church. I would love to touch base with you on this topic. Blessings in our Lord and Savior, Chris *** Rev. Christian C. Tiews, Assoc. Pastor, Grace Lutheran Tulsa, OK
ReplyDeleteWe are doing the Catechumenate at Grace Tulsa, OK, as well--as part of my DMIN project.
ReplyDeleteMark, is this what you use with "junior" confirmation as well? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJordon, Because of the variable timing of Easter, I have not been able to sync my catechesis material for the kids so that it all fits in before Holy Week. We do catechesis for the youth in the setting of worship, just as in the Catechumenate.
Delete