Four years ago, two ministry partners and I updated an old Methodist catechism—98 basic questions and answers that approach theology systematically. The catechism begins with the nature and character of God, then considers—in order—creation, sin, salvation, the means of grace, God’s law, death, judgment, and eternity. We began teaching it to our congregation. Though the questions were basic, the discussions were lively and filled with practical questions and applications. We preached through the same catechism for 31 weeks. I worried at the outset that so much time spent on the basics would bore our lifelong churchgoers. Surely they had heard all of this before. To the contrary, the series became the richest of any we've preached. It required some of my deepest research and reflection and resulted in more pastoral discussions than anything before or since.

We have gone on to teach the same material in another culture (Spain), and in other settings with varying age groups. Each instance has revealed more of the same—a deep hunger and need for systematic theology, with a practical and plain-language approach.

I want to spend this study putting several of those conversations into written form and building on them to better articulate a lay-level systematic theology, with a pastoral focus and a narrative form.

I would use the early portions of this study to further consider a practical and pastoral approach to the first areas of systematic theology, focusing on the character of God and creation. That study would include reading, scheduled interactions with scholars, and scheduled interactions with a sample of laypeople. After this initial period, I would use the rest of my time to make headway on the first volume (God & Creation) in a three-volume series on systematic theology for everyone.