Teaching Kids Theology Part 7

TLDR: A catechism is one of the greatest tools available in a family discipleship tool belt. This time-tested method of teaching theology involves a question and answer approach that not only communicates God’s truth, but also creates an environment for exploring the faith together as a family.

When many people think of a catechism, they think of guys like in this post’s feature image, which, by the way, is AI’s attempt at portraying Martin Luther. Catechisms are seen as relics of a past era, or they are perhaps associated with with certain faith traditions. But that’s about all many people know about them.

While it’s true that the heyday of catechisms was during the Protestant Reformation and the century that followed it, the history of catechisms actually stretches way back into biblical days. And while catechisms are indeed more popular with some faith traditions, their use spans nearly each one. The reason is simple: Catechisms are a tremendous discipleship tool for kids and adults.

What is a Catechism?

A catechism is a series of questions and answers concerning the basics of the faith that are meant to be recited and memorized. It comes from the Greek word katēcheō, which means to “teach by word of mouth” or “instruct.” This word is used seven times in the New Testament, most notably to speak of Apollos’s instruction (Acts 18:25), Paul’s desire to instruct others (1 Corinthians 14:19), and Paul’s command that those who receive instruction in the Word must share good things with those who teach it (Galatians 6:6).

Catechism Terms

The word catechism is a noun, describing the content of this question and answer instruction. Here are four other terms to be aware of:

• Catechesis | The method of instruction
• Catechumen | The recipient of instruction
• Catechist | The giver of instruction
• Catechize | The process of instruction

Popular Historical Catechisms

Again, catechisms can be dated back to biblical days, but they became quite popular during the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation and into the seventeenth century. Here are a few of the more well-known catechisms:

• The Small Catechism (1529) | Martin Luther (the real one, not the AI Martin Luther on this post) created this catechism intending it to be used by families.
• The Geneva Catechism (1542) | John Calvin created this catechism also to be used by families.
• The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
• The Westminster Shorter Catechism (1646) | This is perhaps the most famous of catechism, being a hallmark for many Presbyterians.
• The Baptist Catechism (1677)

Example Questions and Answers

So, that’s a lot about catechisms, but you still might be wondering what one is like. Here are a few sample questions and answers to give you a feel for what the are and how they work:

• WHO IS GOD? | God is our creator and he is the ruler of everything.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT GOD IS OMNISCIENT? | That God is omniscient means he knows everything that was, that is, that will be, and that could be.
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST? | To have a new identity in Christ means the core of who we are has changed; we have been recreated to live the way God made us.

Often, the catechist reads the question, and then the catechumen responds by reading the answer or reciting it from memory. In this way, theological truths are embedded into the minds of everyone, and prayerfully, that truth works its way down into their hearts and onto their hands in daily life as well.

Catechisms and Family Discipleship

Like many people, I didn’t know much about catechisms until I was in seminary. I loved what I heard about them and immediately decided it was a tool I wanted to use with my young son. After looking at various catechisms, I couldn’t find one that I loved. There’s certainly an appeal to using a historic, tested catechism, but I wanted something more approachable and practical to use in my home.

So, I wrote one and used it for a while. That catechism was later expanded and published by B&H as Cornerstones. This resource became key for my family’s discipleship. During dinner, we’d randomly choose catechism questions to ask our three children. Not only did this help our kids learn the basics of the faith, but it provided a safe, fun, meaningful context for fantastic conversations as my kids would often want to go beyond the questions and answers. They wanted to know the why behind many of the truths, or they wanted to understand how they were strung together. I can say without a doubt that using a catechism fueled family discipleship in our home more than anything else.

That’s why I am grateful that IVP has published Faith Foundations, based on this catechism. I’ve seen this work firsthand, and believe it can work in other homes too.

If you are looking for a resource to help you grow as a theologian and to help you teach your children theology, Faith Foundations is for you. These ninety-nine devotions use an ancient tool called a catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. Each devotion features a Bible reading, a devotion, several engaging questions, a Jesus connection, and a suggested family activity. Faith Foundations releases October 21, 2025 but you can preorder a copy today.

Teaching Kids Theology Part 6

TLDR: Teaching theology is much like teaching math; you start with the basics and then build on them. As we teach a child theology, we start with the big ideas a child can handle, and then we build on them as the child grows and matures.

Theology is like math; it builds on itself. When you learn math, you start with the basics: numbers, addition, and subtraction. Then you move on to multiplication and division, which are based on addition and subtraction. After that, you progress to fractions, decimals, exponents, and algebra before moving on to higher math like geometry and calculus.

The Basics of Theology

Kids best learn theology the same way. We start with the basics, thinking in big categories like God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, people, sin, salvation, the Bible, Christian living, the church, and last things. And then within those categories, we think of the bigger ideas, like God is Creator. God is good. God is love. These bigger ideas in these big categories make up the foundation of theology that we teach to a child.

If we are introducing a young child—say a preschooler—to theology, we would begin with simple words too. “God made everything” might be better than “God is Creator.” At the same time, if we were introducing an older child to theology for the first time, we would likely use the latter phrasing.

Building on the Foundation

From there we’d move toward precision and expansion of these core ideas. “God is Creator” might become “God is Creator of everything from nothing.” We could then add on key ideas like God created everything good, he created everything for a purpose, and he created people as the pinnacle of all he made.

From there, we’d begin to connect ideas. We might focus on why God made people, which would lead to the relationship we can have with God, which would lead to sin breaking that relationship, which would lead to Jesus being God’s provision to make things right again.

That’s the beauty of theology—it’s all interconnected. And because most kids are naturally curious, these connections offer amazing opportunities for us to share the gospel with our kids. So, don’t be afraid of the questions your child might ask. Each question is a yearning for knowledge and understanding. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers; no one does. Instead, when your child asks you something you can’t answer, say so, but then make a plan to research an answer together.

Moving at Each Child’s Pace

While there are suggested benchmarks for what a child should be learning (like the Levels of Biblical Learning), keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Each child is unique. Some kids might take a little longer in general or perhaps in one area. Others might move more quickly. And it makes quite a difference when a child begins learning theology.

What matters most is that we move with the child, going at the pace they need. Learning theology is not a race! It’s a marathon. It’s a life-long pursuit of understanding God and His ways. Know that whatever foundation you lay with God’s help will be a solid foundation that He will continue building upon for the rest of your child’s life.

If you are looking for a resource to help you grow as a theologian and to help you teach your children theology, Faith Foundations is for you. These ninety-nine devotions use an ancient tool called a catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. Each devotion features a Bible reading, a devotion, several engaging questions, a Jesus connection, and a suggested family activity. Faith Foundations releases October 21, 2025 but you can preorder a copy today.

Teaching Kids Theology Part 5

TLDR: Theology isn’t just what we learn; it’s also what we do. While pastors and teachers can help kids learn and apply theology, they are more limited in the latter because of time and proximity. But parents have the unique opportunity to greatly influence how their kids live out what they learn.

Imagine that one of your children came to you one day and told you that they wanted to play soccer. So you go online and buy the necessary equipment and a handful of books about soccer. When the shipment arrives at your door, you have your child put on the gear and sit down on the couch, and then you read book after book to them. A few hours later when you’re done, you announce, “Okay. We’re all done. How did you like soccer?”

How do you suspect your child would respond? Probably something like, “What? That wasn’t soccer! I learned about soccer, but I wanted to play soccer!” And they’d be right.

Applied Theology

This story is a silly illustration for what theology is. When we think of theology, we probably think of what we learn—and that’s true, of course. Theology is taught. But theology isn’t only taught. Theology is lived. We can call this applied theology. This is what Paul wanted for his young protégé Timothy to understand:

Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NET)

We can see that “teaching” comes first, but it doesn’t stop there. “Reproof” and “correction” imply not just a change in thinking, but in behavior too. But then we see “training in righteousness” and that becomes even clearer that theology is to lead to action. And if we still had any doubt about the active nature of theology, Paul concludes with the grand purpose of all this: so that we are “equipped for every good work.”

Theology, then, isn’t just an exercise of the head. It’s also to be an exercise of the heart and the hands. Head. Heart, Hands. Orthodoxy. Orthopathy. Orthopraxy. That’s the fullness of theology that we’re after.

Applying Theology

Now, some of you might be thinking, “Wait a minute. I was pretty uncomfortable with the idea that I was supposed to teach my kids theology, but now I also need to somehow figure out how to apply theology? Now I’m really uncomfortable.” And that’s okay if you are. But remember, God doesn’t call us to do anything he doesn’t equip and empower us to do. And when you understand the Rosetta Stone of applied theology, you’ll see it really isn’t as difficult as you might think. So what is that Rosetta Stone? What is the key to driving theology learned to theology lived? Jesus.

Here’s the big idea we need to remember. God made us as his image bearers (Genesis 1:26–27). And Jesus is the perfect image of God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). So if we want to know how it is that we are to live, we look to Jesus.

Now, we know that Jesus is the Son of God come to earth in the flesh. So, he is fully divine and fully human without either of those two natures mixing or being compromised. He isn’t 50 percent God and 50 percent human. He isn’t 100 percent human-God. He is 100 percent God and 100 percent human. So when it comes to imitating Jesus, we don’t imitate his deity, of course. We imitate his perfect humanity. And this is where we find our key to apply theology.

Two Lenses to See Jesus

Whatever we learn in Scripture, we connect to Christ. We do this in one of two ways: (1) we connect it to Christ’s redemptive work and (2) we connect it to Christ’s perfect character. Sometimes we can do both. Take Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22 for example.

When we read this account, it becomes quickly apparent that this is a picture of the cross. The father is to offer his beloved son’s life. They walk up a mountain that many scholars believe would have been where Jerusalem was later built. The son carries the wood. And when we read and interpret this true historical account through that lens, we are left shaking our heads in awe of what God the Father did for us. Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac; God the Father sacrificed his Son.

But we also see something else in this passage. Genesis 22:2 is the first verse in the Bible to mention love. God wanted to know if Abraham loved him more than anything, even his son. And we are struck that Abraham did. Abraham’s obedience is impressive, humbling even. And so as we consider this passage, we also are drawn to how God wants us to live in complete devotion and obedience to him. Just like we see with Jesus in the Gospels.

The Marks of Jesus

To help you apply Scripture and theology to Jesus, it might help you to consider the marks of Jesus’ perfect human character. These marks can provide a sort of target for you, but be careful not to restrict everything to them. We never want to force a Scripture passage or theological truth to say what we want it to say. We want to follow it to where God leads.

With that warning, here are a few character marks of Jesus to consider: love, humility, kindness, generosity, obedience, compassion, and friendship. Or, think of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” As we seek to apply theology—to live as God’s image bearers and like Jesus, the perfect image of God, these are what should mark us and our kids too. All applied theology should ultimately lead here.

If you are looking for a resource to help you grow as a theologian and to help you teach your children theology, Faith Foundations is for you. These ninety-nine devotions use an ancient tool called a catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. Each devotion features a Bible reading, a devotion, several engaging questions, a Jesus connection, and a suggested family activity. Faith Foundations releases October 21, 2025 but you can preorder a copy today.

Teaching Kids Theology Part 4

TLDR: While kidmin leaders are often thought of as glorified babysitters, nothing is farther from the truth. Kidmin leaders are some of the best theologians in the church. They are charged with communicating big truths in simple terms to kids, but without watering them down.

I’ve got a pet peeve. Well, I have more than one, but a particular one is in mind right now. Far too many churches operate as if their kidmin leaders are sitting at the Thanksgiving kids table.

Far too many churches operate as if their kidmin leaders are sitting at the Thanksgiving kids table

If you aren’t familiar with the Thanksgiving kids table, that was the smaller table—often a folding card table—that was set up to accommodate the kids at Thanksgiving dinner. All the adults ate at the “real” table. It was covered with a fancy tablecloth, had candles, and was where all the food was. But because there wasn’t enough room for everyone, the kids were relegated to a small table in the kitchen or some random room. Now, as a little kid, that wasn’t all that bad. You got to relax and have some fun with your cousins or friends. But when you became a preteen—and especially when you became a teen—it was the worst. It made you feel like a little kid—like a second-rate Thanksgivinger.

And that’s exactly how many kidmin leaders are made to feel—as if they are second-rate ministry leaders. This is often done because people see kids ministry mostly as babysitting or playing games. Oh, kidmin leaders share a cute devotional thought at times, but kids ministry isn’t real ministry.

Nothing can be farther from the truth.

The Depth of Kids Ministry

Pragmatically, because most people come to faith in Christ as children, kids ministry is of utmost importance for that reason alone. But kids ministry is far more than evangelism—it’s ministry. And that includes discipling kids.

Pragmatically, because most people come to faith in Christ as children, kids ministry is of utmost importance for that reason alone.

Discipleship is far more than telling Bible stories. That’s a big part of it, of course, but discipleship is helping a child to grow in his or her faith, developing a deeper love for Jesus and finding ways to live like him in the power of the Holy Spirit. And that requires theology. And that requires a kidmin leader to be a solid theologian. Indeed, kidmin leaders should be among the best theologians we have. Why? Because the mark of a strong theologian is being able to take complex doctrines of our faith and distill them down to understandable truths for kids without compromise. Good theologians can discuss theology in theological terms; great theologians can discuss theology in kids’ terms.

Good theologians can discuss theology in theological terms; great theologians can discuss theology in kids’ terms.

That’s why kidmin leaders should be among the best theologians we have. These are the men and women who are tasked with explaining to a child how God is three in one, without lapsing into error.¹ These are men and women who are tasked with teaching how and why Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. These are men and women who are tasked with helping kids understand how Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became fully human without mixture of those two natures.

The Master Theologian

Jesus is, of course, the master theologian. Consider one of his favorite teaching methods: the parable. Jesus taught in parables to take lofty truths and bring them down to a level the people of that day could understand. That’s why his parables centered on what they knew, like farming. These parables were life-giving to the Jews of Jesus’ day, and they are life-giving to us today. They remind us that beauty and power and weightiness can be wrapped in simple packages. And that’s what kidmin leaders are to do.

If you’re a kidmin leader, take this to heart. You’ve been given a critical assignment. What you do matters today and into eternity. You’re not at the Thanksgiving kids table of God’s kingdom. You’re at the main table with the rest of your family. Right were you belong.

If you are looking for a resource to help you grow as a theologian and to help you teach your children theology, Faith Foundations is for you. These ninety-nine devotions use an ancient tool called a catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. Each devotion features a Bible reading, a devotion, several engaging questions, a Jesus connection, and a suggested family activity. Faith Foundations releases October 21, 2025 but you can preorder a copy today.

1. To this end, all object lessons must be rejected. The Trinity is not like a three leaf clover—each leaf is not a full clover, but each person of the Trinity is fully God. The same is true of an apple or an egg. The Trinity is not like ice, water, and steam—the same water particle cannot be in each state at the same time, but all three persons of the Trinity exist eternally at once. And the Trinity is not like a man who is a father, a brother, and a husband all at once—he is only one man playing different roles at times while God is not one Person playing different roles. ↩︎

Teaching Kids Theology Part 3

TLDR: Not all theological beliefs should be held the same. Some are essentials that should divide us from others who don’t hold them because they determine a true believer or church. Others are important and should separate us to a degree from other Christians, but with charity. While still others shouldn’t separate us at all. Knowing where our theological beliefs should fall is critical.

Theology can be intimidating for parents and kidmin leaders because few have been formally trained in the field. And it doesn’t take long to discover how deep and complex theology can be. Remember those terms from Part 1 of this series? Hypostatic union, Gnosticism, anthropocentrism, creatio ex nihilo, epistemology, kenosis, and theophany? But we need to remember that even professional theologians don’t know it all. They might know a lot, but they don’t know it all. We all have questions. We all have times when we need to shrug our shoulders and say, “I haven’t got a clue!”

But we also need to remember that we know more than we think we know—especially the core theological truths. And that’s where we will spend most of our time teaching theology to kids. Our kids don’t necessarily need to understand the complexity of the hypostatic union, but they do need to know that Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Our kids don’t necessarily need to understand the complexity of the hypostatic union, but they do need to know that Jesus was fully God and fully man.

This all takes us to the final big idea we need to explore in this brief introduction to theology. All theological truth matters, but it is not all weighted the same. What one believes about Jesus being our sinless Savior is essential; what one believes about how exactly Jesus will return is not. The problem is when we try to weight all theological beliefs equally—when we try to hold them all as essential and give no wiggle room to others. And this is where the concept of a theological triage factors in.

To understand a theological triage, imagine an ambulance arriving on the scene of an accident with several injured people. The crew can only treat one person at a time, so what do they do? They triage the injuries to determine which ones are most urgent, and then they treat those people first.

This is what we need to do in theology. We need to triage the importance of theological truths to determine which we need to spend more time studying and teaching, and which aren’t as critical. This is also important for how we teach our kids to apply theological truths. Some are worth dividing over; others shouldn’t separate God’s people at all.

Level 1: Essentials

These are theological beliefs that are essential to the Christian faith; thus, they are non-negotiable. If anyone doesn’t believe Jesus was sinless, for example, then that person isn’t within the orthodox Christian faith. For this reason, we cannot compromise on essentials, and they serve as the great determiner of who is in the faith (those who hold them) and those who are not in the faith (those who reject them). This means that these essentials both unify the church (no matter how believers may differ on the other beliefs because these essentials hold us together as one people) and separate the church from the world. If a church does not hold to these essentials, it isn’t a true church and therefore that is grounds to separate from it. To be clear, denying an essential isn’t grounds to consider separation; separation would be needed.

Level 2: Convictions

These are theological beliefs that are important, but that aren’t essential to the faith. These beliefs are based on Scripture, but there can be disagreement concerning them. As we mentioned earlier, what one believes about the end times qualifies for this level. That isn’t essential to salvation, but it’s important and what one believes should be based on Scripture. Church forms of government (called polity) is another example of this level. Denominations exist because of differences of level 2 theological beliefs. But these separations should be done with grace, love, and respect. A church that baptizes infants cannot function fully with a church that doesn’t. They can partner at times, but separation in day-to-day activities is understandable. But that separation should be done with charity and those two churches should seek opportunities to complete kingdom work together.

Level 3: Preferences

These are theological beliefs that may or may not be based on Scripture. For example, a style of worship might be a preference, as would be how one dresses at a worship gathering. These are beliefs that should never divide God’s people. We should be able to agree to disagree, and we should be willing to defer to others in humility.

As you grow as a theologian, it’s important to categorize your theology properly—not allowing level 1 essentials to slip into level 2 or level 3, and not allowing level 2 or level 3 beliefs to sneak into level 1. It’s also important to hold what you believe more loosely and with more generosity in level 2 than level 1 and level 3 than level 2. It’s okay to change a level 2 conviction or a level 3 preference. It’s okay not to have a firm position on them. And it’s okay for others to have different positions than you have.

If you are looking for a resource to help you grow as a theologian and to help you teach your children theology, Faith Foundations is for you. These ninety-nine devotions use an ancient tool called a catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. Each devotion features a Bible reading, a devotion, several engaging questions, a Jesus connection, and a suggested family activity. Faith Foundations releases October 21, 2025 but you can preorder a copy today.