Catechumenate Challenges

Two years ago I lead a workshop in Ottawa, Kansas (shout-out to Pastor Tim Roth and the people of Faith, Ottawa) and being in that small town setting resurfaced questions that have been asked throughout the entire 8 plus years that Rhoda and I have been working on the catechumenate. It was a question raised by Pastor Andrew Kennell from rural Missouri at that workshop that has led to this series: How can I envision a catechumenate in a rural context where the resources to construct a catechumenate are few and far between? This is an even more pressing question in light of the demographics of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (and much of American Christendom for that matter). Statistics that the Council of Presidents distributed to the seminary faculties at our annual meetings with them indicate that of the 5,767 congregational members of synod, 4,208 have an average worship attendance of 99 people or less. That is almost 73% of LCMS congregations. Many of those congregations are in rural, small town, or urban contexts. While these are admittedly very different contexts, they share the common denominator that their congregational membership size belies significant challenges in constructing and engaging a vibrant catechumenate. Yet, Rhoda and I are convinced that the catechumenate and its resources can reshape congregational life and the congregation’s mission in any context or setting. How do we address this challenge? How do we develop vibrant catechumenates in compact-size congregational settings?

That is the question we are going to spend the next 10 weeks exploring. Honestly, there is little literature available that addresses this question. The congregations that Rhoda and I explored in our research were all congregations that were much larger than 100 in Sunday attendance and all in urban or suburban contexts. This series is going to entail brainstorming, thinking out loud, and visioning on our parts. There is no map to follow regarding constructing catechumenates in compact congregational contexts. We would encourage your feedback. Ask us questions. Challenge and affirm our thinking. Ideally this would be as collaborative a process as possible through this blog. All of us will benefit from the collective thinking, and hopefully wisdom, of everyone, especially those who serve in those kinds of congregational contexts.

We want to address the opportunities and the challenges with constructing a catechumenate and engaging catechumenal practices in these settings. We will explore the challenges and offer ideas for collaboration and engagement across congregations. Here are the opportunities and issues to which we intend to give attention:

• Challenges in Small Congregations (2 parts): The Contexts; The Resources; The Finances; The Energy; The Time
• Collaboration Ideas: Circuits and Groups of Congregations
• Collaboration Ideas: Staffing
• Collaboration Ideas: Classes
• Collaboration Ideas: Rituals
• Collaboration Ideas: Pastoral Oversight and Responsibility
• Collaboration Ideas: Expenses
• Final Considerations: Location of Membership for Catechumens

If you have suggestions for other opportunities or challenges we should consider, please let us know. If you have insights, comments or questions on any of these topics, please tell us. Those could contribute to the direction we take in addressing these issues. If we don’t address the catechumenate to the majority of settings in which our congregations, pastors, and church workers find themselves, then we might as well be chasing after the wind. You can contact us Rhoda@FormingLutherans.org or Kent@FormingLutherans.org.