The Christ the Center panel tackled the importance of an ordinary means of grace ministry and the place of catechism within that overall approach. First, it was determined that God has ordained that the church in this age proclaim the gospel and advance in the faith through his ordained means and not some man-made program such as revivalism (to be clearly distinguished from true revival).
The biblical foundations of this was developed in the distinction between the foundation and superstructure of the church and the extraordinary and ordinary ministries in the church. The extraordinary ministry of apostleship and miracles laid the foundation with Christ as the cornerstone (Eph), but in this age of the ordinary ministry of the superstructure of the church, the stress falls on the ordinary means of grace (Acts 2:42): the Word, sacraments, and prayer. It is in this setting that the panel discussed the necessity and benefits of catechism for both children and adults. God has said he would bless these means and the church strays from them to her own peril. Read the rest of this entry »
