Preaching the Catechism

We are pleased to announce the start of a new series, Preaching on the Catechism. In September, when I attended the Go First! Ministry Conference sponsored by the Minnesota South District, I was curious about the workshop titled “Catechetical Preaching.” After attending the session led by Pastor Armand Boehme, I shared a bit of the content from his presentation with Kent. We both agreed that his work dovetails well with our goals for adult faith formation within congregations. We are delighted that Pastor Boehme has agreed to share with our readers the resources he has developed over his decades of parish ministry. Here’s more about him:

Rev. Dr. Armand J. Boehme serves as Associate Pastor, of Trinity Lutheran, Northfield, MN. He previously served other parishes in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is a campus contact Pastor, and was a vicarage supervisor, mentor for colloquy and Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology students and a District LWML Counselor. He taught at seminaries and Bible schools in Kazakhstan, India, the United States, and Slovakia. He served on the Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (1992-1998, 2002-2010) and as the President of the St. Timothy Society, an organization which supported missionaries in Kenya.

He is a published author, having contributed essays to Martin Luther: Companion to the Contemporary Christian (CPH, 1982), and The Lutheran Difference: An Explanation & Comparison of Christian Beliefs (CPH, 2010). He and his wife Judy co-authored the 1983 LWML Bible Study, God’s Rescue Mission: The Story of Jonah (CPH, 1983). He also authored The Lutheran Difference: Angels and Demons (CPH, 2006). He currently serves on the board of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, is involved with Sudanese ministry, and recently celebrated the 50^thanniversary of his ordination.

Next week he’ll introduce the topic, followed by four more blog posts in this series. The first three of these four blog posts are one unit—his division of Luther’s Six Chief Parts spread out over a three-year lectionary cycle. He proposes one chief part beginning with the Baptism of our Lord (ending at the beginning of Lent), and the second set of sermons on the next chief part (generally covering more weeks) beginning in the fall. The final blog will outline a different model: A six-week series, with one sermon on each of the Six Chief Parts. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a complete set of lectionary ideas, hymn selections, and other wisdom.