Sunday School or Catechet School is a form of primary education for children and adults in Christian churches.

In the history of the early Church, Christians created schools of catechumens (From The Greek language:  “I proclaim, I speak out”) for the catechesis or religious instruction of adults who wished to be baptized. The word “catechesis” comes from the Greek “κατήχησις”, it means “instruction”. This knowledge is as a rule collected in “catechisms”, “extinguishing word”, “Articles of Faith” and collections of church canons. Later these schools became known as Sunday Schools. Supposedly the very first Sunday School in Europe opened in 1751 at St. Mary’s Church in Nottingham (England).

The purpose of the Sunday School is to catechize those who are interested in Christianity and who have expressed a desire to be baptized and become a member of the church community in the future. After graduating from Sunday School or catechesis, those who have not expressed a desire to be baptized may not do so.  The activities of Sunday (Catechet) schools on the territory of Belarus are regulated by general church documents. The Sunday school is a structural subdivision of a religious organization without the right of a legal entity.

The activities of Sunday schools are not subject to licensing in accordance with the current legislation of the Republic of Belarus. The Sunday School does not implement basic and/or additional educational programs in the Republic of Belarus in its activities.

Education in Sunday Schools in the Evangelical Lutheran Church can be carried out in the following forms:

  • conversations;
  • lectures;
  • participation in worship;
  • other religious rites and ceremonies, sacraments of the Church;
  • studying the Large or Small Catechism of M. Luther, Holy Scripture, the history of the Church and the Reformation, etc.

Catechet (Sunday) school in Minsk

Under the Minsk Evangelical Lutheran community “Church of the Lord’s Cross” there is a Catechet (Sunday) school, which is open to everyone, regardless of religion and cultural affiliation. There are teenage groups up to sixteen years old and adult groups (16+). In the Catechet School, everyone who wishes is taught free of charge the basics of the Christian faith in its evangelical tradition with a very rational approach to the study of biblical texts, based primarily on the historical and grammatical method of studying the biblical text that arose in the era of the Reformation, where an important role is played by reading the text strictly according to the rules of the language with the immersion of the text in the historical and cultural environment in which it was written. Without far-fetched interpretations for the sake of historical church Tradition. In addition, the Catechet School studies the Small Catechism of M. Luther, a brief history of the Church and the Reformation, including the history of the Reformation in Belarus in the 16-17 centuries.

At the end of the Catechet School, at the request of the student, it will be possible to pass special tests and receive a Certificate of completion of the Catechet School of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and everyone who has expressed a desire to accept the Lutheran faith will be given the opportunity to accept it, but subject to the conscious and voluntary acceptance of the doctrines of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Admissions to groups of the Catechet (Sunday) school are held twice a year:
autumn set and spring set.

Duration of training: two months (8 lessons for 1 hour 20 minutes once a week).

Additional information about the enrollment of students in the Catechet (Sunday) school will be provided on our website.