Answering the Big Question

November 22, 2017

“What is your only comfort in life and in death?”

This powerful question opens the Heidelberg Catechism, one of three confessions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). Although the Heidelberg Catechism was written in 1563, this question continues to be relevant today. In fact, its relevance only increases as the world around us becomes more complex and divisive.

To help in answering this question, the CRCNA, through Faith Formation Ministries and with the Faith Alive imprint, has released The Big Question, a four-session catechism-based course that combines faith formation practices with a study of Q&A 1.

The goal is to help teens and intergenerational groups combine their heads with their hearts and explore where their only comfort lies. This is the first new catechism-related resource published by the CRC since the church decided to dissolve the Faith Alive Christian Resources board in 2013.

Audience

The audience is primarily teens, but the sessions can be used in a variety of settings:

  • as an introduction to the usual catechism class
  • as a four-session youth group module
  • as a pre-profession of faith study
  • as a special intergenerational series for teens and adults

Faith Formation Ministries encourages churches to consider using this study in an intergenerational setting.

The life experience of adults combined with the searching questions of teens could make this a memorable and meaningful exercise in building faith.

Exploring “our only comfort” would be especially appropriate, for example, following a traumatic event in the life of a congregation or community.

This study has a downloadable leader’s guide. No other materials are required except for basic supplies listed in the session descriptions. Sessions are designed to run for about an hour and include the following and more:

  • an opening activity
  • catechism exploration activity options ranging from contemplative to active
  • a time for sharing faith stories relevant to the topic of the session
  • a printable take-home sheet with thought/discussion questions, Scripture readings, and a suggested spiritual practice related to the session.

This study was originally conceived as a series of modules that would cover all the themes in the catechism. But with limited financial resources available, the CRC’s Faith Formation Ministries decided to use this module as a test balloon to see how it’s received before exploring production of other modules.

Written by Sam Gutierrez and Sandy Swartzentruber, The Big Question is a downloadable resource that costs only $10, regardless of the number of participants.

CRC Communications