Forming Lutherans

From the Classroom

May 18 2023

The Adult Catechumenate and Christian Formation: Plumbing the Treasures

Kent BurresonBlog, From the Classroom Baptism, Catechumenate, Faith Formation, Future

At the end of his book Faith Shaping Ministry, on the basis of Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Paul Hoffman writes, “Our treasure lies buried deep within the waters of baptism where Jesus himself unites us to a death like his and graciously raises us in a resurrection like his. This is not new. But it is a treasure—the most priceless treasure that one could ever imagine” (100). That has been the goal and raison d’etre of this course on faith formation and the catechumenate that I and my class have journeyed through the past eight weeks. That is really the heart of the catechumenate: plumbing the depths of the treasures of the church through the prism of baptism. As Hoffman says later, “The treasures for which we long are not far from us. They are not new or trendy. They lie deep within the gifts we’ve always had in the church. They are in our Scripture and our tradition” (101). Over the past eight weeks we have gone exploring the ritual, history, and faith formation and transformation of the catechumenate. Baptismal treasures recognized, held, and honored.

Yet, in this final two weeks of the course we have reached as deeply into the catechumenal treasures as we could, all for the sake of the future of adult faith formation. The goal has been that all of us might envision a road to the catechumenate within the congregations in which we live and move and have our being. The goal has been that we might plumb the depths of baptismal life through various aspects of the faith formation journey. And students have led the way in envisioning these gifts of the church. How does the catechumenate foster a holistic model of congregational life? What forms should preaching take to form Christian discipleship, preaching that flows from and feeds toward the catechumenate? How does the catechumenate shape a congregation to embrace hospitality as an identity marker? How does education in the congregation reflect not a consumer, attractional approach, but a formation of disciples approach? How does faith formation gift us with a baptismal vocation that subsumes all our other vocations within it? These are the treasures that our explorations and discussions have unearthed. As Hoffman concludes his final chapter, “The conviction is this: when we reach deep within the treasures of the ancient liturgies and texts of the Church, we find the transformation that Christ promises us in our baptism” (102). That’s where we have been as a class, that’s where we all should be—there, deep within the treasures. Plumbing their depths.

May 4 2023

Real Characteristics of the Catechumenate

Kent BurresonBlog, From the Classroom, Uncategorized catechesis, Catechumenate, Faith Formation, Pastoral Care

Over the last four class periods, our catechumenate class has had the opportunity to converse with two of the pastors—Pastor Dan Eggold of Grace, Lafayette, IN and Pastor Tim Droegemueller of Living Faith, Cumming GA—who were involved in our catechumenate grants and with Dr. Schuler. The conversations surfaced numerous characteristics that shaped a vision of what Gospel-oriented, effective, and strong catechumenates look like. I am going to highlight these characteristics so that you can have the same vision that we had as a class as we talked to these pastors and Dr. Schuler.

Strong catechumenates exhibit structure and order while being flexible and nimble. Faith formation with people that come from all types of circumstances and personal contexts demands a structure that the catechumen can rely upon, while being able to adjust to the demands on their vocations that surface, often unexpectedly. Demonstrating intentional structure in the catechetical classes and in the ritual process while being nimble in the approach to individuals and families is an act of invested hospitality. Such intentionality shows that the congregation wants and intends to be hospitable to the stranger. It creates a culture of love.

Creating a culture of love begins with pastoral care. It is a consistent theme in all the congregations that have invested in their catechumenates. The pastors and church workers perceive pastoral care to be a virtue that is at the center of the relationships that they form with the catechumens. And pastoral care goes hand-in-glove with pastoral leadership. Strong catechumenates demonstrate strong pastoral leadership, leadership that manifests to the baptized that the catechumenate is a priority for the entire congregation’s life. This strong pastoral leadership elicits lay involvement and leadership in the catechumenate. The baptized want to be involved and find their niche. As Pastor Eggold said, he doesn’t have to worry about the organizational plan for their weekly catechumenal meetings, especially the meals. He has a member who takes the lead with all of that.

And effective catechumenates are truly feasts. They provide an opportunity for the catechumens, sponsors, catechists, pastors, and the baptized to eat together as a family in Christ. Breaking bread together allows them to get to know one another and immerses them in each other’s lives. But the feasting isn’t only on physical food and drink. It is feasting on the Word. And that feast’s food and drink is the rhythm of the church year and the heartbeat of the lectionary. It is that Sunday in and Sunday out encounter with the Word that forges questions, reflections, and adjustments from and in the lives of the catechumens (and the baptized too). That, after all, is the goal: lives transformed by the gospel.