Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism

This book supplies two needs: (1) profitable, useable material for family devotions; (2) a rich and practical resource for all who help children learn the catechism.

Does your child know the key biblical teachings about God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit? What about salvation, Scripture, and the sacraments? Can he or she recite the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer?

Catechisms were once used as instructional guides to help children memorize basic Christian doctrines. In them, children had a concise handbook of important truths they could call upon at any time in confidence. Today, however, the church focuses on teaching Bible stories, which are often used to moralize children and equip them to win Bible trivia contests!

Recognizing this deficit, Starr Meade has provided Christian parents and churches with a tool for imparting doctrinal instruction to their children.Training Hearts, Teaching Minds guides families through the questions and answers in The Westminster Shorter Catechism in Modern English. Each question and answer of the catechism has six days' worth of devotional readings for families to share together. The readings are simply written, with elementary and junior-high children in mind. They are also brief, out of consideration for children's short attention spans and for the busy schedules of contemporary families. Teaching the Shorter Catechism has never been easier!

"The supply of practical guides to the catechism for passing the faith on to our covenant children falls short of the demand. Starr Meade helps to close that significant gap. I heartily recommend this book."

—Michael S. Horton

View a sample chapter here.