from an interview with Dr. Deanna Thompson ’89 by Naomi Meints, NVP Fellow, ’25

A catechism is not only a set of principles, but a set of guidelines that helps us practice and live out our faith. As Lutherans, Martin Luther’s original catechisms help guide us to live our lives well in the faith. However, we know that Luther created his catechisms for the church several centuries ago. While especially his small catechism remains incredibly relevant for modern church members and shaped how faith leaders continue to pass on the faith, there is a discussion to be had around what is needed to help today’s modern church thrive. This led to the creation of A Living Catechism Project, an emerging resource for today’s churches to understand what we stand by and reflect on what it means to be a Lutheran in the 21st century.

These resources are intended to meet people on their level, so that everyone can be engaged with a guide that fits the unique challenges of their lives!

A Living Catechism was created as a collaboration between Reverend Matthew Fleming, the Director of the organization Church Anew (a ministry housed at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, MN), and Dr. Deanna Thompson, the Director of The Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community at St. Olaf College. It was born from the idea of revamping the way we think about the church’s catechisms and principles. What if there was a way to introduce a new catechism? Now, this is not one that replaces the original, but instead one that speaks to our modern lives in a way that makes our churches feel alive and thriving. It centers around  seven core principles of Lutheran faith in accessible language, and providing individuals and communities with resources to strengthen the discernment and practice of their beliefs. These resources are intended to meet people on their level, so that everyone can be engaged with a guide that fits the unique challenges of their lives!

I had the opportunity to interview Deanna recently, and discuss what A Living Catechism is, and what makes it special here on campus and beyond. The catechism has been introduced to quite a few congregations in the diverse and vibrant Twin Cities area, as well as many people being involved in regular discussions around the principles and practices. These groups  discuss important aspects for understanding Lutheran identity, encouraging reflections around simple questions, like “why are you Lutheran?” and “how do these principles connect to your life?”

The voices of feminist, queer, and racially diverse Christians are crucial to the success of not only this project, but the success of the modern church.

Something I really enjoyed hearing about is how these ideas are reaching congregations, and the diversity involved in the project right now. A Lutheran congregation can look like many things, and that is reflected in A Living Catechism’s dedication to making the core principles and beliefs of Lutheranism easy to understand and applicable to all. One of the key goals of this project is featuring voices that have historically been marginalized by the church. They believe that the voices of feminist, queer, and racially diverse Christians are crucial to the success of not only this project, but the success of the modern church. One example of adapting to diverse communities that intrigued me was A Living Catechism’s key principles and resources being translated into Spanish to make it more accessible to a local Spanish speaking congregation. I also enjoyed hearing about how the project is created to be accessible to all ages, with a focus on making the questions about Christian living and the guidelines for practicing not only easy to understand, but enjoyable to intergenerational communities. There are also plans for these resources to be introduced to St. Olaf College students, through the interfaith fellows at The Lutheran Center. This is envisioned as a way to help guide students in their faith and answer questions about Lutheranism for a wider demographic by connecting with their peers!

A Living Catechism  is ever changing and adapting to the different people it serves.

As a student at St. Olaf and someone who works with the Nourishing Vocation Project, the questions these ideas bring up are important to me. What does it mean to go to a Lutheran school? More importantly, what does it mean to be Lutheran today? What do you stand for when you identify with Lutheranism? It seems that much like the church community itself, A Living Catechism is ever changing and adapting to the different people it serves. Deanna discussed with me the ways A Living Catechism has already been helping people, but this is still a new and exciting project that we will continue to watch as it grows to meet the needs of communities!

If you’re curious about this and similar projects, you can get more information at the 2024 Conference for Worship, Theology, and the Arts: Nourishing Vocation happening at St. Olaf College July 29-3! Not only will you be able to learn more about exciting projects such as A Living Catechism and its accompanying resources, there will be plenty of opportunities to reflect upon and discuss these ideas of Lutheran life at the conference. I, for one, am looking forward to watching where this project goes and continuing to engage in these questions and discernment!