The updated Catechism for the Moravian Church in America was introduced in 2021. Researched and developed by the Interprovincial Faith & Order Commission, the updated Catechism is intended to be a summary of the Christian faith, to be used for the instruction of confirmands and new members of the Moravian Church. This catechism is not a curriculum, but can be used within a confirmation class, Sunday school, classes for new members, and as a reference tool.
To make that use easier – and to expand on the lessons taught through the Catechism – and team of educators, pastors and writers came together to develop the new Companion to the Moravian Catechism.
This Companion to the Moravian Catechism is designed to be used alongside the Moravian Catechism. It dovetails with the framework and sequence of that document and is not to be used as a stand-alone piece. While the primary focus of many of the suggested activities, discussions, and supplemental resources are aimed at middle/senior high confirmation classes, the team also included options for engaging adults who may be encountering the catechism in a small group or inquirers/new members setting. Teachers and facilitators are encouraged to select the options that best meet the needs, maturity, interests, and learning styles of the classes they teach.
The Lesson Activities and Engagements in the Companion are divided into “Doing,” “Seeing” and “Hearing” in an attempt to diversify the approach and offer the teacher/facilitator a menu of suitable options from which to choose.
The Companion also includes “Digging Deeper” sections providing additional resources worth further exploration. These include supplemental online videos, discussions, books, other curricula, and activities that might enhance your group time. And the “Adult Discussions” sections offer conversation starters for adult studies and/or new member classes.
Throughout the Companion, each section is identified with the related page numbers in the Moravian Catechism. The resource recommends that instructors first share the desired content from the Moravian Catechism then, if desired, select from the various optional activities in each section of the Companion to the Catechism.
You can download the Companion here; printed editions will soon be available for purchase from the IBOC.