So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
- Colossians 2:6–7
Passing On the Faith is Renewal Church’s path of formation in the Christian faith. It will ground you again and again in the rich story of the Christian faith. It will help you recover and reorient to a fully Christian understanding of life, and deepen your understanding of what it means to pass that faith on.
The church has an old word for this: catechesis. It comes from the Greek for “instruction,” and at its heart it is the art of apprenticeship into the life of Jesus Christ and the life of the Church. Christian instruction is not just about passing on knowledge. Catechesis focuses on the essentials of the faith: what it means to believe, to hope, and to love as a Christian. It gives us the grammar to speak about God and to live faithfully in the world.
By drawing from the wisdom of the Church across the centuries, catechesis guides us into the fullness of Christian life. To catechize is to help others see, live and desire rightly: to grow in the life of Christ. It passes on the faith in a way that does not only inform us, but draws us into a changed way of thinking, feeling and living as Christians, walking in the way of the Lord.
The early church passed on the faith in two stages, and we follow the same rhythm:
Learning the Faith prepares us to follow Jesus, to be baptized, and to belong to his people. Before baptism, new believers were taught the heart of the faith: the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Commandments.
Growing in the Faith helps those who already belong understand what they have received and enter more fully into the life we share, beginning with our worship. After baptism, the newly baptized were taught the meaning of the waters they had passed through and the Table they now shared. The church called this mystagogy, being led into the mysteries.
Catechesis never quite ends. We keep building on the foundation, growing deeper into the essentials of the faith for the rest of our lives.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance.” (1 Corinthians 15:3, NIV)
Preparing for baptism?
In the early church, catechesis was how new believers prepared for baptism, and those preparing were called catechumens. That is still true at Renewal: if you are preparing to be baptized, this is your path. It is not about memorizing or mastering facts. It is a process of growing in relationship with God, where your heart, mind, and life come together in response to his love. You will learn through Scripture, prayer, stories, and community, step by step, with others walking alongside you. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to be open.
Passing the Faith is open to the whole community at Renewal Church. Wherever you are on the journey, it is for you, and especially:
Those exploring faith, or newly following Jesus.
Those preparing for baptism, or to affirm a baptism received earlier.
Those preparing for membership at Renewal.
Those who teach and lead others in the faith: Sunday school teachers, baptism and membership class teachers, worship leaders, and Alpha facilitators. To pass the faith on, we need to keep being formed in it ourselves.
Since the early church, Christians have been formed in the faith through a few basic texts. New believers preparing for baptism were handed the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer to learn by heart. Around the year 421, Augustine wrote a short handbook of the faith, the Enchiridion, organized around faith, hope and love. Over the centuries the Ten Commandments joined them, and these three became the heart of Christian instruction. The Creed teaches us what to believe, the Lord’s Prayer teaches us how to hope and pray, and the Commandments teach us how to love God and our neighbour.
Learning the Faith follows that same pattern, together with baptism and life in the church, where that faith is received and lived out together. Growing in the Faith continues the journey for those who already belong, beginning with our worship and the life we share around the Lord’s Table.
Each guide stands on its own, so you can begin wherever you are.
Go slowly. These are not textbooks to finish, but invitations to linger. Read a section, then sit with it.
Read the Scripture. Each section opens with a passage. Read it in full, and let it speak before the teaching does.
Use the questions. Every section ends with questions for reflection and study. Write your answers down, or talk them through.
Learn together. Faith is personal, but never private. Work through the guides with a friend, a formation group, a mentor, or the elders, and bring your questions to them.
Come back again. Catechesis never quite ends. Return to these guides in new seasons of life, and you will find more in them each time.
On "Start Here" (Passing the Faith)
Curated by the Eldership. For updates, questions or shared discernment, Contact Pastor Josh through connect@renewalchurch.ca
The material in Learning the Faith has been reviewed by the Eldership of Renewal Church, our pastors. It reflects what we believe and teach together, rooted in Scripture and in the faith of the Church across the centuries.
Questions are always welcome. If something in these guides raises a question, stirs a doubt, or makes you want to go deeper, please reach out to us. You don’t have to work it out alone. It would be our joy to walk with you.